Although it is considered a period of enlightenment in science and arts, the Renaissance seems intolerant when it comes to integration and acceptance of the ‘Other’. This attitude is evident in Othello and Candide, two of the period’s works, which reflect

Although it is considered a period of enlightenment in science and arts, the Renaissance seems intolerant when it comes to integration and acceptance of the ‘Other’. This attitude is evident in Othello and Candide, two of the period’s works, which reflect the Eurocentricity of the era. Discuss how both literary works approach the concept of the ‘self’ and the ‘other’, in terms of sex, religion and ethnicity. Discuss the depiction of the European society in Venice and along the journey of Candide in comparison with African and Asian societies. Finally, do you consider Shakespeare and Voltaire racists and bigots or just honest reporters on the situation of society at that time? With their tragic and open endings, do you think both works aimed to criticize and change or were they just a wakeup call? In your opinion, what would be a more effective and instructive ending of both works?