Othello And Uncontrolled Jealousy

How does Shakespeare use language and dramatic devices to present the theme of jealousy in Othello?

Shakespeare uses a combination of recurring themes and motifs such as betrayal, love, conflict, and jealousy throughout his plays and sonnets. In Shakespeare’s Othello, jealousy is the prominent theme, which causes the destruction and tragic downfall of the play’s main characters. Jealousy is masked through lies, misleading situations and manipulation and interpreted in varied ways by the main characters. From beginning to end, jealousy is rooted in every scene, eventually leading to the death and demise of the main character, Othello.

In William Shakespeare’s classic Othello, it has remained relevant for the years since it was written. Not only because of the universal themes seen throughout, but due to its enduring value which has been seen in the exploration of issues that we as a society still face today. Othello as a character is portrayed as an outsider compared to the Venetian upper class society due to his different ethnicity, this classically reflects the views from Shakespeare’s time and still today reflects from issues seen recently. The recurring instances of social injustice and racial bias both in the text and in society today show that we as society still have not grown and continue to be bias to people due to things they cannot change. The nature of villainy shown through the antagonist, Iago, as he explores the need of power and how power or the want of

“Othello” is a Shakespearian tragedy set in sixteenth century Venice during the Turkish and Venetian Wars. The story follows the powerful Moor of Venice, Othello, and his tragic moral, military and marital downfall due to the corruption instigated by his jealous ancient, Iago. Throughout the play, the themes of womanhood, appearance versus reality, as well as prejudice in identity are explored. Further, contemporary responders can extract individual meaning through applying the literary criticisms.

Shakespeare is known for his use of recurring themes throughout his work, including love, death and betrayal. These themes are present in his work of Othello. However, the most fundamental issue is jealousy. The lives of the characthers in Othello are ruined by jealousy from the beginning to the end of the play. The telling of the story is carried out by passion, jealousy, and death. Shakespeare’s Othello reveals devastating tragic inevitability, stunning psychological depth, and compelling poetic depth; the fragility and mysterious power of love, as well as demons of doubt, and how suspicion can be triggered by manipulative villain (Barthelemy 12).

Act 1 Scene 1 shows Roderigo, generous in his gifts to the ancient, questioning Iago’s love for the former, whose concern has been the wooing of Desdemona. Roderigo construes Iago’s love for him as based on the ancient’s hatred for the Moor. Thus the wealthy suitor says accusingly, “Thou told'st me thou didst hold him in thy hate.” And Iago responds, “Despise me, if I do not.” Partly out of hatred for the general and partly out of proving his faithfulness to Roderigo’s cause, Iago asserts in detail the reasons for his hatred of Othello, who has given the lieutenancy to Michael Cassio, a Florentine. Secondly, Iago suggests that Roderigo and he awake and disturb Brabantio, the father of Desdemona:

Jealousy is a powerful emotion that can blind oneself from identifying the truth. Shakespeare heavily emphasizes this theme throughout the drama Othello, especially through the actions of characters. In the play the heinous antagonist, Iago, uses each character’s jealousy to deceive that person and manipulate the truth. His false promises and deceitfulness bring to the demise of many of the main characters in the play, including the protagonist, Othello. Othello could not have been deceived if it were not for his powerful jealousy. Therefore, Shakespeare is telling us that jealousy is an ugly trait that can hide the truth, which in turn causes many problems between characters in the play.

The ability of passion to bring destruction upon the lives of the unsuspecting is illustrated in Shakespeare’s Othello with the use of both manipulation and deceit. The curse of fierce passion fell namely on Othello as he transitioned from a respected general to an unstable murderer. His downfall is demonstrated through his increasing self-doubt, lack of ability to articulate, and violence. In the start of the play, he is an accomplished general and happy newlywed, and has yet to be significantly held back due to his being a Moor and outsider in Venetian society. As passion overtakes him, however, Othello truly ingrains the idea that he is less than, and those around him begin to blame his actions on the nature of his ethnicity. He has completely lost his identity to his desires and is unable to think rationally. Shakespeare juxtaposes this version of Othello with his initial composed self in Venice to demonstrate the damage of ignorance to logic and heighten the sense of tragedy. The effects of an overwhelming passion involving love, jealousy, and revenge are shown through Othello’s degradation and loss of stability.

“When you begin a journey of revenge, start by digging two graves: one for your enemy, and one for yourself.” – Jodi Picoult. Othello is a very well-known Shakespearian text and is still relevant to today’s audiences. The themes in “Othello” are still applicable to today’s many audiences; Betrayal is a key theme presented in Othello, and is also still relevant to today’s audiences. Racism is a significant addition presented in the play, and unfortunately still pervades contemporary society. Madness and jealousy drive the action as it thrives in the play; these destructive emotions are still

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.

   The Shakespearean tragedy Othello contains a number of themes; their relative importance and priority is debated by literary critics. In this essay let us examine the various themes and determine which are dominant and which subordinate.

Iago does not stop there, his jealously leads him to start infecting others and the first is Roderigo, a naïve gentleman in Venice. To put his scheme into motion, Iago informs Roderigo of Othello and Desdemona’s elopement, which causes Roderigo to become very upset because he too is in love with Desdemona and is willing to do anything to win her love. Iago plants the seed of jealousy in Roderigo’s mind because he knows he can now use Roderigo “for sport and profit” (I.iii.1180) by playing off his jealousy toward anyone who comes close to Desdemona. After breaking Roderigo down he then, builds him back up by telling him a way they can break up the marriage. Iago tells him:

Iago’s jealousy ends up ruining multiple people’s lives. “Jealousy, once awakened, becomes self-perpetuating, self-intensifying, and where no justifying evidence for it exist... “ (Godfrey, !972, pg. 418). As long as he is gaining from what people have to lose then he is happy. He does not care what he has to put people through in order to get what he wants. His jealousy forms from two reasons: thinking Othello was sleeping with Emilia and Othello giving the position to Cassio instead of giving to him. “Off-Capp’d to him: and, by the faith of man, I know my price, I am worth no worse a place: But he, as loving his own pride and purposes, Evades them, with a bombast circumstance Horribly stuff’d with epithets of war; And, in conclusion, Nonsuits my mediators; for, “Certes,” says he, “I have already chosen my officer.” And what was he? One Michael

In ‘The tragedy of Othello: the Moor of Venice’, Shakespeare probes into the human condition by creating characters who present distinguishing qualities of human emotion such as jealousy. It is a tale revolving around

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.