Jealousy In Othello

Othello’s love for Desdemona was so deep he could not bear the thought of another being with her; “If she be false, O! Then heaven mocks itself. I’ll not believe’t.” Iago uses the characters of Cassio and the obsessive Roderigo as his weapons in his cunning plan. Iago drives the idea into Othello’s mind that Desdemona has been unfaithful, inciting him into a state of jealousy. “Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul, but I do love thee; and when I love thee not, chaos is come again.” Othello growing insecurities about his wife’s faithfulness only adds to his psychological suffering which in turn acts as a catalyst towards the suffering of other characters involved in the play.Iago tells these lies with the intention of driving Othello insane as well as establish his dominance and influence the situations of those characters close to Othello. Evidence of this comes in one of Iago’s soliloquies from act two, scene one; “That Cassio loves her, I do well Believe’t: That she loves him, ‘tis apt and of great credit.” This section shows that he is trying to convince himself that his own manipulative lies are true and is trying to reassure his motives by justifying his own actions. By convincing Othello

Othello's Jealousy is mostly a figure of his imagination made from all of iago's lies and being mislead. The ironic part about that is that iago said to othello”beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock, The meat it feeds on”(III,iii,195-198). Iago is warning Othell that nothing good can come from jealousy.Then Iago starts to question desdemona's loyalty but othello gets mad and says”No, Iago; I'll see before I doubt; when I doubt, prove; And on the proof, there is no more”(III,iii,220-223). Othello wants evidence of his claims before he finally decides if she was cheating on him with Cassio.

In your view how does Shakespeare’s portrayal of the complex nature of jealousy contribute to the enduring value of Othello?

​Firstly, the antagonist of the play, whom we know as Iago, plays a major role in conveying the theme of jealousy from his words and actions. As jealously engulfs him, Iago’s true intentions are revealed and we come to realize the type of character he really is. His jealous nature is noticed at the very beginning of the play when he states,

As a result of society‟s prejudice, Othello‟s self-esteem diminishes, allowing Iago to capitalize on his insecurity to invoke the feeling of jealousy in Othello. To start off, Iago insinuates that Desdemona is unfaithful to Othello, as she prefers only people of her „type‟, a class Othello will never belong. Iago convincingly states: “As, to be bold with you,/Not to affect many proposed matches/Of her own clime, complexion, and degree,/Whereto we see in all things nature tends” (III.iii. 232-236). By the same logic, Desdemona would prefer Cassio, who is like her in age, race, and class, as opposed to Othello who is older, black and unattractive(1538). Similarly, Iago uses Desdemona‟s gender and past to convince Othelloof her infidelity. Iago states: “She did deceive her father, marrying you,/And when she seemed to shake and fear your looks,/She loved them most” (III.iii. 210-213). He alludes that Desdemona, having betrayed her father, is very likely to betray Othello. Combined with the knowledge that wome of that time period were unvirtuous and unfaithful, this tips Othello over the

Emotions. Emotions show people the best in one another, but they can also emphasize some of worst qualities that individuals possess. Emotions have a way of overpowering even those who try really hard not to let their feelings cloud their judgment. Thoughts and feelings run deep within-day by day, they slowly eat away at one’s core. Giving into one’s emotions results in actions that leave an impactful mark on everyone. Often people are driven to extremities because they can no longer contain their emotions. Strong emotions, such as jealousy, cause people to act out and do things they wouldn’t normally do if they were in the right sense of mind. In Othello, Shakespeare uses extreme emotions to evoke the characters and stresses the effects jealously

She tells him a flat out lie, but again, with good intentions. Desdemona loves Othello and did not want him to get angry. She thought she had just misplaced the handkerchief, and that she would soon find it, but if she told Othello she had lost it, he would become furious.

In the play, Othello, jealousy and envy are prominent themes from the beginning to the end. As the play starts to unwind, you can see jealousy is the major cause of all the drama in the play. Jealousy or envy is a feeling of discontented or resentful longing by someone else’s possessions , qualities or luck. Iago becomes engulfed by jealousy and it causes him to corrupt Othello. They are two men that cause similar crimes but we sympathize for Othello and hate Iago because they have different attitudes towards their crime.

Jealousy, to William Shakespeare it was a ‘green-eyed monster’, to B. C. Forbes it was a ‘mental cancer’ and J. P. Kennedy even asserted that ‘more men die of jealousy than cancer’. Jealousy is a complicated emotion which is a feeding of resentment against someone because of that person’s success or advantages. It is the worst aspect of human nature that can cause betrayal of trust, obsession and even crimes of passion like murder. This emotion has plagued mankind beginning with Cain and Abel and has continued unabated to the present day. Covetousness played a significant detrimental role in Shakespeare’s play Othello and it’s a root cause of many crimes of passion today.

In William Shakespeare’s play Othello, the Moore of Venice, the central idea is jealousy. Jealousy is a powerful emotion that may induce behavior that would otherwise not be conventional. Iago uses jealousy to manipulate Othello into committing various acts against his wife, Desdemona. After reading this play, what really sticks out is that one must be careful who they trust. Conflict, Symbolism, and Dramatic Irony are the literary elements that are shown throughout the play Othello.

In the story of Othello, all of the conflict, violence, and harm that occured was a result of jealousy. Iago, one of the victims of jealousy, made a hypocritical statement to Othello where he called jealousy a green-eyed monster. This monster known as jealousy not only consumes the people that it hates, but also consumes the person itself. Jealousy is the culprit for any character that had died in the story. Jealousy fueled each scene to the next in Othello and the more that is added, the more damage it does as seen with its effects on Roderigo, Iago, and Othello.

Jealousy is a powerful drug. When someone is jealous, one can only imagine how far someone would go because of it. In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, there were several characters that went through different ways of processing their jealousy. Iago’s jealousy provokes his idea to get back at the people he felt was not deserving enough of the things they had or their happiness. His plans succeeds but by the end, no one wins. Iago’s jealousy forms at the beginning of the play which causes Othello’s jealousy towards the end and because of it, it results in people hurt mentally and physically.

However strong Othello's and Desdemona's marriage seems, it begins to deteriorate as a result of Othello's self-pride. At first, Iago convinces Othello that Desdemona is unfaithful. Iago suggests to Othello that Desdemona slept with Cassio. Iago uses a handkerchief given by Othello to Desdemona that he got Emilia to get for him as his proof against

Jealousy is the sensation to envy someone and have the desire to avenge someone. The infamous play Othello portrays the consequences of jealousy. Throughout the play, Othello tragic flaw is his own jealousy. Othello jealousy causes a transition of character. Othello was once the charming noble gentleman and it is now turned into a vicious callous monster. Othello’s jealousy was his downfall that cost the deaths of multiple lives.

The marriage of Othello and Desdemona is a real ’marriage’ a true love based on reciprocal knowledge and respect of each other, a love that has no element of lust. The love between Othello and Desdemona surpasses the corporal obstacles of race, nationality, and age. But this love is demolished as soon as jealousy enters Othello’s mind thanks to Iago. Iago suggests to Othello that his wife has been cheating on him with Cassio. Othello disregards his love for Desdemona and evokes for revenge. Certitude has allowed his mind from skepticism and suspicion. Now he vows action, Othello wants Cassio and Desdemona dead, "for she shall not live; no, my heart is turned to stone" (Shakespeare,