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Othello's Jealousy Analysis

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Robyn- Theme of jealousy

The theme of jealousy initially appears in a monologue between Roderigo and Iago found in Act 1, Scene 1. Here is a snippet of the monologue:

“For “Certes”, says he, “I have already chosen my officer.” And what was he? […] One Michael Cassio, a Florentine […] That never set a squadron in the field.” (Othello 1. 1. 17-23)

In this passage, Iago is telling Roderigo how he is jealous of Michael Cassio. Michael Cassio is a man who has been promoted as Othello’s lieutenant. Iago feels as though he’s been cheated, that he himself deserves the position of lieutenant. After all, Iago is the more strategic choice for lieutenant because of the valuable knowledge he poses acquired from years of experience. Instead Cassio get the job, even though he’s young and inexperienced, because he is Othello’s best friend. Iago’s jealousy of Othello develops over the course of the book as Iago undergoes a masterplan to overthrow Othello. Iago’s jealousy of Othello is important as it is the main theme of the story, it is what shapes the whole plot. …show more content…

Roderigo is in a tricky situation; he’s in love with the beautiful Desdemona who is already married to Othello. Roderigo is so jealous of Othello that it leads him to become suicidal. “I will incontinently drown myself.” (Othello 1. 3. 301) Iago manages to convince Roderigo into not killing himself by saying that if Roderigo should save money and become rich, Desdemona will surely leave Othello for him. Roderigo’s jealously makes several appearances in the play during his attempts at trying to win Desdemona over. Roderigo’s jealously is a crucial part of the story, because Iago takes advantage of it to manipulate Roderigo, using him as a pawn in his masterplan to take down Othello. When Roderigo chases after Desdemona, Iago makes it look like Desdemona is the one pursuing Roderigo. This makes Othello jealous

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