Preview

Othello's Jealousy Jealousy

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
475 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Othello's Jealousy Jealousy
Othello’s blind acceptance of Iago’s web of lies is the result of his inability to think straight due to his jealousy of Desdemona along with Iago’s success in manipulating the general population. He was heartbroken and jealous of his wife’s supposed betrayal. This was supported by the fact that Iago had not just fooled Othello into believing his lies, all the characters within the play had believed in Iago’s lies. To strengthen the proposed theme further, it can be noted that Iago is a very manipulative person whilst Othello is the exact opposite, being naïve in character and expecting no less from those around him. Contradicting however, was his blinding jealousy, that stemmed from his immense trust and belief in Iago.
Othello was presented

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Envy is known as one of the seven deadly sins for its ability to corrupt those who experience it. Similarly, jealousy can have a similar effect on people, especially when they decide to act on it. Although both envy and jealousy seem extremely similar, there is a fine line separating the two. Darlene Lancer mentions in her article, “How Insecurity Leads to Envy, Jealousy, and Shame,” that envy is a “feeling of discontent… with regard to someone’s advantages, possessions, or traits such as beauty, success, or talent.” Envy usually stems from feelings of inferiority. In contrast, whereas envy is “the desire to possess what someone else has,” jealousy is defined as the “fear of losing what we have” (Lancer).…

    • 1936 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The play Othello, written by William Shakespeare was written the 16th century during the Elizabethan era. Othello is an amazing character. He enjoyed success in the warfare, which gave him the reputation as one of Venice’s best generals. Although he has great success in the battlefield, he has a dramatic flaw that causes a downfall in his life. The dramatic flaw is jealousy. This was brought on by a simple persuasion of Iago, the antagonist of the play. Even though Iago used manipulation to get Othello jealous, it was Othello views his own racial identity and his lack of confidence in himself that allows Iago to persuade him that Desdemona is cheating on him. Othello was misguided by his jealousy which led him through a path of constant questioning…

    • 1254 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The English language owes a lot to Shakespeare. He invented over 1700 of our common words by changing nouns into verbs, changing verbs into adjectives, connecting words never before used together, and adding prefixes and suffixes. William Shakespeare has become the most famous and influential author in English literature. He was only active as a writer for a quarter of a century. He wrote thirty eight plays, one hundred fifty-four sonnets.…

    • 290 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    explore universal truths and emotions. This is one of the main reasons why his plays are so…

    • 1125 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    In Othello, Iago is a power thirsty, problematic man of deception. Iago admits to his knowledge of his trickery QUOTE. This proves that he is fully aware of what he is doing and he plans on using this to his advantage. Iago plants thoughts of doubt in Othello's mind repeatedly…

    • 336 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to the play Othello, Iago is a bright villain who deceives every single person he encounters. He has no sense of humanity, and he is skillful and eloquent enough to confuse everyone he knows. Being jealous of Michael Cassio, a lieutenant, Iago plans to wickedly destroy Cassio’s life because he wants to take Cassio’s position. He lies to Roderigo, a gullible nobleman, to get help with his plot and to get the money he needs. Iago is also very jealous that Othello could care for anyone more than him – either Cassio or Desdemona. Therefore, he is not only jealous of Cassio but he is also jealous of Desdemona. He wants to be the only person that Othello trusts and depends. To obtain his goal of winning Othello’s favor and the position of his lieutenant, he gets attention by lying about Desdemona to start chaos. With his fame for having an honest and trustful character, no one would think he possessed this corrupted moral behavior. He is confident that he can ruin all who stand in his way, and he plays on the weakness of everyone. He pretends to be honest to ensure his plan’s success as he says “I am not what I am” (1.1.67). However, he cannot play with people and their emotions and expect to succeed in deceiving all of them because he is human and therefore, not invincible. The fact that he believes that he is invincible is why his plan becomes flawed.…

    • 1323 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    How is Othello and the theme of jealousy present in Act 3 Scene 2 and Act 3 Scene 3?!…

    • 1438 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Since its inception circa 1200, the term jealousy has disguised itself in a number of names. When referencing the historic origins, jealousy can be located throughout the course of time from the Old French gelus, meaning suspicious and possessive, to the Late Latin zealosus, or even the Swedish word svartsjuka which literally translates to skin-sick. The word itself has a reputation of turning friend against friend and husband against wife regardless of a scrupulous ascertainment or merely one in passing through whispered gossip. Despite its ill repute, or perhaps with the intent to fuel it, authors around the world employ envy to do their bidding in all forms of media. Making jealousy the cornerstone in a number of works, William Shakespeare is infamous for tearing beloved characters apart through want of what another possesses. In one such…

    • 718 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Othello is a very gullible person who believes everything Iago says. “Oh really? Yes, really. Do you see something wrong with that? Isn’t he an honest man?” (Shakespeare, A3/S3/P5) Othello is curious about Iago’s views on Desdemona and Cassio. It does not take long for Othello to believe she is cheating on him. Othello is not the violent type so when he strikes a sword at somebody then he is very angry and very destined to do something. “Are there no stones in heaven but what serves the thunder? –Precious villain!” (Shakespeare, A5/S2/P13) Othello finds out Iago has been lying to him the whole time after he kills Desdemona. He ends up killing himself from all the grief and misunderstanding. Shakespeare is showing you how things can really mess up when you don’t choose your friends wisely. Iago is defiantly not the type of person anyone should even be…

    • 871 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Jealous is a reoccurring theme in history and today. Jealousy can be helpful because it can prompt people to achieve greater feats, like Microsoft’s competition with Apple. Microsoft’s jealousy of the Ipad sparked their creation of the new tablet computer. In the late fifteenth century, western Europeans were jealous of the literature and technological advances of the Arabs. These jealous feelings potentially initiated the commencement of the Renaissance. This revived interest in writing and literature brought in authors like Shakespeare to write about common themes and verisimilitudes of the everyday renaissance life. This theme of jealousy can be expressed in the drama Othello written by William…

    • 1473 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Deterioration In Othello

    • 1202 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Throughout the play Iago displays an ability to identify flaws and weaknesses of others, which allows him to create devastation through subverting others who follow their own agenda, to achieve a web of events. In the quote “Where I the Moor, I would not be Iago. In following him, I follow but myself” – Act I, Scene I, Iago explains to Roderigo, that he follows Othello, not out of love or duty, but because he feels he can exploit Othello’s flaws. Iago identifies Othello’s trusting nature, as seen in the quote “That thinks men honest that but seem to be so” Act I, Scene II and plans to use Othello’s trust in him, which he considers is a flaw, to bring about Othello’s downfall. Shakespeare uses the character Iago to highlight issues relating to trust and betrayal “I follow him, to serve my turn upon him”- Iago, Act I, Scene I. Iago is the ultimate protagonist, his lack of morals, duplicitous nature and ability to manipulate others allows him to make Othello trust in the untrustworthy, Iago, and betray the people loyal to him, Desdemona. The central themes of trust and betrayal in Othello are reliant on the character Iago to create and accentuate. It is this reliance on Iago that suggests that he is a central for the understanding and interpreting of the play…

    • 1202 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Othello Essay

    • 1073 Words
    • 5 Pages

    From the opening scene of the play, Othello, Iago is driven by envy and the overwhelming need for revenge as a result of being overlooked for a promotion. He deliberately begins to weave his manipulation over Othello for the sole purpose of revenge: “after some time, to abuse Othello’s ear, that he [being Cassio] is too familiar with his wife”. Through the effective utilisation of the technique of a hyperbole and sensory imagery, the responder recognises the severity of the lies that Iago will “pour” into Othello’s ear. As a result of this, the responder is able to comprehend how Iago will go about his exploitation of Othello’s fragile peace of mind with regards to Desdemona’s fidelity. Iago’s horrendous deeds of lying and deliberate deceit ultimately lead to Othello’s and Desdemona’s marriage being filled with conflict which leads to their untimely death. Therefore, relationships are altered as a result of conflict as demonstrated with Desdemona and Othello.…

    • 1073 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Iago personifies this theme of honesty and manipulation that is expressed in Othello, The play follows Iago in his ambition to destroy Othello, by means of manipulation, and his success in doing so. Iago is consistently dishonest with Othello, lying both about Desdemona’s apparent adultery and his motivation for saying so. In contrast, Iago has moments of absolute honesty in his soliloquies. Yale critic Harold Bloom would suggest that he does not speak to complete truth as he contradicts himself and searches for justification – “And what’s he then that says I play the villain, / When this advice is free…and honest”. Nevertheless, through Iago’s soliloquies, the audience or reader gains considerable insight in to what is really happening in the play. Here, Shakespeare’s use of dramatic irony perpetuates the…

    • 1340 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Iago is one of the most interesting characters in Othello. He is full of jealousy, greed, selfishness, and hatred. At first, it seems Iago is only jealous of Othello because he has chosen Cassio for lieutenant instead of Iago. When it is revealed Iago is developing a plot in order to take down Othello, a shift in Iago’s character is seen. He is not only jealous, but he acts on his jealousy, making him appear crueler than when first introduced. As Iago explains, “The Moor is of a free and open nature that thinks men honest that but seem to be so, and will as tenderly be led by th' nose as asses are. I have ’t. It is engendered! Hell and night must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light” (I.iii.336-341). Iago notices Othello’s character and acts on his weaknesses, showing both his cruelty and intelligence. Iago deceives Othello, who trusts him the most throughout the story, often referring to Iago as “honest Iago” (I.iii.294). Shakespeare uses irony continuously throughout the play when it comes to Iago. One of the most ironic parts of the play is the fact Othello puts great trust into Iago, who lies…

    • 793 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Naivety and ignorance is shown constantly by Othello when he foolishly accepts Iago’s ‘proofs’ of Desdemona’s infidelity without question. He is so enraged and jealous at the notion of his wife sleeping with someone else that he looses his sense of judgement and rationality. This could be considered a relatively natural reaction to such a situation, but it ultimately shows a weakness in the human psyche. Again Othello shows poor judgement by not confronting Desdemona about these claims and instead contents himself with Iago’s word. He convinces himself that he is acting in Desdemona’s best interests and wrongfully assumes her to be the “cunning whore of Venice”.…

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays