Jealousy In Othello Essay

Jealousy is a strong feeling. It can overpower a person’s good will, and ability to make sensible decisions. In Shakespeare’s "Othello," Iago deals with the roots of jealousy. He conspires to use Othello’s good nature against him, to make Cassio lieutenant. Iago destroys Cassio’s reputation for his own greed. He has a name for jealousy, called the “green eyed monster”. He uses anybody he can to carry out his jealous revenge scheme on Othello, including his own wife, and ex-lieutenant. Iago desires to satisfy the ever-present jealousy inside of him.
The main character in Othello to display the theme of jealousy is Othello himself and the impact jealousy has on him. Throughout Othello the theme of jealousy in the main character is presented as a poison, planted by Iago it spreads from a small
Renaissance age Englishmen often paired colors with emotions or personal qualities: both green and yellow are emblematic of jealousy, and green is also emblematic of envy. Some colors are associated with the bodily fluids or "humors" thought to make up the temperament; green and black were the colors attributed to bile.
Iago utilizes the opportunity of making a spectacle of Cassio, to mold Cassio’s intentions while he is still in shock. After steering Cassio into a fight with Montano, which costs him his lieutenancy, Iago finalizes the plan of Othello’s downfall. He says, “Confess yourself/freely to [Desdemona]. She is of so kind/a disposition that she holds it a vice/not to do more than she is requested,” (Act 2 scene 3). Iago takes advantage of knowing how deceived Brabantio feels by Desdemona’s marrying of Othello. He also plans to make Othello believe that Desdemona has power to be devious with himself as