It seems to be a perennial feature of human society that individuals judge each other using the language of similarity and difference. Some of these judgments are motivated, taking into account the actual qualities of the individual being evaluated. Too many of these judgments are superficial and assume from the existence of one easily observable characteristic a whole series of unrelated characteristics. Evaluation and prejudice should be very different activities, but too often humans combine the two, confusing their understanding of other individuals and the world. Shakespeare often presents a character in his plays who is outwardly different from others, clearly designating him as “other”. .” By presenting individuals who differ in some observable way from the cultures in which they live, Shakespeare forces his audience to question the nature of humanity and our definitions of difference. Why do we create the categories we do? Why do we associate a physical quality with other social and moral qualities? Are these categorizations rational? Through his black characters in Titus Andronicus and Othello, Shakespeare demonstrates that mainstream culture uses racial stereotypes to blame others for society's problems while failing to see the causes of the same problems in themselves. Such prejudices therefore endanger both the “other” and the mainstream culture that exhibits prejudice. By portraying Aaron and Othello as complex human characters who share more in common with white characters in similar situations than with each other, Shakespeare shows that racism undermines the humanity that unites us all. To understand Aaron and Othello, we must first ask ourselves how he would have viewed Elizabethan culture… at the center of the card… if it were courage, pride, naivety, credulity, and easily aroused passions” (1). Understanding Elizabethan preconceptions about the Moors will allow for a deeper understanding of the black characters created by Shakespeare. Works Cited Cowhig, Ruth. “Blacks in English Renaissance Drama.” The black presence in English literature. Ed. David Dabydeen. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1985.D'Amico, Jack. The Moor in English Renaissance drama. Tampa: University of South Florida Press, 1991. Jones, Eldred. Othello's Countrymen: The African in English Renaissance Drama. London: Oxford University Press, 1965.McLendon, Jacquelyn Y. "'A Round Unvertched Tale': (mis)reading Othello or African American Strategies of Dissent." Othello: New Essays by Black Writers. Ed. Mythili Kaul. Washington, DC: Howard University Press, 1997.