Othello's Jealousy

Shakespeare explores the universal concepts of jealousy and revenge, and their implications on individuals, through his Venetian play; Othello. He enables the audience to witness the demise of the respected protagonist as a result of his fatal flaws which are relatable to his audience. Noble Othello’s jealousy and passion is heightened by Iago; an external force who takes advantage of Othello’s naivety and trust in him. Iago’s motives for revenge are manifested in his soliloquy, where he reveals his hatred for the black outsider, as well as his jealousy of Cassio. Whilst Iago manipulates Othello’s rationality by misrepresenting Desdemona’s relationship with Cassio, one can justify that it was Othello’s response to what was presented to him
Jealousy; a collective emotion is dealt with in various ways and can often influence individual’s state of mind and amplify one’s undesirable qualities. The audience is assured of how powerful jealousy is through a simile in Iago’s soliloquy ‘Doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards’. (act 2, scene 1). Thus, by comparing the fatality of a poisonous substance with jealousy, Shakespeare foreshadows the control Othello’s flaw will have on his temperament. Othello’s calm and measured responses in the beginning of the play, gives the audience an initial impression that he is a dignified and proud African soldier; illustrated through the repetition of ‘valiant Othello’ by the Duke. However, it only takes a seed of doubt to instigate his consuming suspicion; thus beginning his downfall; ‘Look to her moor… she has deceived her father and may thee’. Brabantio is the first character to speak in couplets, signifying to the responder that this is important information as it implies that Othello and Desdemona’s relationship will soon end in chaos and
Thus, planting suspicion in Othello’s mind makes it easier to doubt his wife. One can propose that jealousy forces individuals to become impulsive and irrational in their thoughts, as Othello’s attitudes and values change respectively with his increasingly doubt in Desdemona’s loyalty and purity. His newfound rage is displayed when he strikes Desdemona;’ if that the earth could teem with woman’s tears’. This not only reflects his recent misogynist view of women, but it conveys that his passion is overtaking his rational thinking. This is reinforced with Othello’s change in language from blank verse to prose, representing of his transition from a elegant and dignified man to an embodiment of the ‘green eyed monster’. Furthermore, it can be argued that Othello’s composure and humbleness is only his exterior appearance, as after witnessing a different side of him, the audience is able to relate back to his mention of ‘tented field’, symbolising that