Selections from Vikram Pursnani's essay on A Midsummer Night's Dream and Kayne West

"Can ye endure to hear this arrogance?"
Henry III 3.2

Critical Custodians of Dominance: Shakespeare and Kanye West

            The similarities between Shakespeare and hip-hop have been explored by rappers and scholars alike to understand both phenomena within the modern and Elizabethan contexts. As both Shakespeare and hip-hop artists employ similar rhythmic and sampling techniques, the comparisons between them are often diminished to the sound and background of their language rather than the social factors guiding it. However, in his TED talk “Hip-Hop and Shakespeare?,” hip-hop performer Akala declares both Shakespeare and hip-hop artists as “custodians of knowledge” as both distribute ideas to the lower classes though both are rendered as “just entertainment.” As custodians of knowledge for the masses, Shakespeare and hip-hop artists depict the social dichotomies rooted in race, class, location, and financial position. Like Shakespeare, some hip-hop artists such as Kanye West have become global cultural icons, despite their criticisms of the social institutions that helped them succeed. Recently, West has taken some criticism regarding an interview he gave Zane Lowe in which West claimed to have been shut out of the fashion industry, amongst other opportunities, because of his status as a black rapper who speaks his mind. As Kanye West aims to break racial tropes which have been perpetuated by social organization, he explores acceptable identities for racial minorities. Ultimately, in A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare and an interview of Kanye West, the use of racialized language, rooted in conscious racial difference, further develops identities of self and other to objectify darkness as a function of dominance.

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In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the inclusion of Hippolyta and the Little Indian Boy as representations of the “other” portray the objectification of race as a means for Theseus, Oberon, and Titania to acquire power as rulers. Hippolyta is the Queen of the Amazons who were known as a group of all-female warriors within Greek mythology. They were strongly built and not necessary beautiful. Ultimately, Theseus saying that he “wooed thee with my sword” suggests that Hippolyta is betrothed to Theseus as a result of war rather than love (I.i.16). Within the racial context of that statement, the marriage of Hippolyta and Theseus portrays the dominance of the Athenians over the “other” or the Amazons. Similarly, the struggle for power between Oberon and Titania, King and Queen of the Fairies, is objectified by the possession of the Little Indian Boy. As the Little Indian Boy has neither lines nor a description, the language of the play fails to describe any racial or cultural differences of a boy who represents the “other.” Through the contextualization of the lack of language, the possession of the Little Indian Boy reflects an assertion of domination of Oberon over Titania. Thus, the portrayal of the race of Hippolyta and the Little Indian Boy leads to their objectification as power acquisition.

Although Kanye West represents the “other” identity, he also introduces heavily racialized language to depict the racial hierarchy that exists in the modern Western world. As West criticizes the racial hierarchy and the accepted identities for members of minorities or lower classes, West cites Michael Jackson’s struggles to initially have his videos aired on MTV because Jackson was a black artist. West declares that “He’s [Jackson] not even black. He’s Michael Jackson.” Initially this may be taken as a joke as Jackson’s skin color gradually progressed from black to white as a result of a disease. However, by looking past the surface color, Kanye asks, “How can he be classified as a black artist?” Kanye’s dismissal of Jackson’s racial identity suggests that Jackson, as a global icon, should have been the first person MTV played. As popular as Jackson was globally, the American identification of Jackson as the “other” culturally contradicts the tremendous impact of Jackson’s music. Just as Hippolyta will always be an Amazonian warrior even though she is engaged to be the Duchess of Athens, Michael Jackson will always remain a black artist even though he is universally regarded as the King of Pop. Another occasion of West questioning identity through racialized language occurs when West declares “rap is the new rock and I’m the biggest rock star of all of them.” West received backlash due to this statement because he is not a rock star but rather a rapper, and rap has a history of being marginalized in comparison to other genres. Also, bluntly, rock stars are not black. As Kanye is consciously aware of the racial differences, the identity declaration is larger than rock star instead of rapper, but rather self over other. Although Kanye is probably the biggest musical artist in the world, he cannot declare himself a rock star, a trope traditionally reserved for whites. Just as Hippolyta cannot become the Duchess of Athens by any means other than being defeated in battle and then gradually accepted into Athenian society, Kanye West cannot become the biggest rock star in the world without silencing his critical edge and waiting until he is accepted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an event marking his social and cultural contributions to the social hierarchy though decades too late. Thus, through racialized language, Kanye West challenges the acceptance of standard identities resulting from racial hierarchy.