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One of the major issues in Shakespeare's Othello is the impact of the race of the main character, Othello. His skin color is non-white, usually portrayed as African. Othello is referred to by his name only seventeen times in the play. He is referred to as “The Moor” fifty-eight times. Webster’s Dictionary states that a Moor is “Any individual of the swarthy races of Africa or Asia which have adopted the Mohammedan religion.” This indicates that Othello is constantly being degraded and set up as an evil person throughout the play. What this really means is that Othello is being judged by his skin color rather than the content of his heart. There are many references in the play to indicate that Othello was dark colored. The first image we, as a reader, are given of Othello is that