Preview

Role Of Jealousy In Othello

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
242 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Role Of Jealousy In Othello
The jealous are troublesome to others, but a torment to themselves. This quote can be applied to William Shakespeare’s play Othello. Two of the characters, Othello the Moor of Venice and Iago an Ensign to Othello both suffer in jealousy. Jealousy in regards to Desdemona who is the Senator of Venice’s daughter and Othello’s wife. As well as a competitive jealousy between each other. However Iago does suffer with jealousy more than Othello. In regards to Desdemona, Iago is jealous that Othello is married to Desdemona. So he hints to Othello that Desdemona may be unfaithful. Iago tries to cause trouble by saying such. Then proceeds to warn Othello to not be jealous. Othello informs Iago that he is not one to be jealous, and that Desdemona loves

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    "Othello" written in (1603) by William Shakespeare and "O" a transformation of "Othello" which premiered in (2001) by Tim Blake-Nelson are both texts that explore the concept of jealousy. However, What is Jealousy? Jealousy is the desire for another's advantages which typically results in suspicion and violence - This definition rings true with the representation of jealousy in both texts Both texts represent the concept of jealousy in different ways. However, both Shakespeare and Blake-Nelson explore the idea that jealousy is a destructive force within the human condition that has the capability to consume and corrupt an individual. Shakespeare explores the concept of jealousy, closely linking to the highly religious Elizabethan context to heighten the corruptive force of jealousy. Blake-Nelson also uses the…

    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • 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
  • 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
  • Powerful Essays

    Amidst the pursuit of an obsession, a person can lose their perception of truth and reality, becoming ignorant and easily persuaded. This fault in character leads a person to the captivating and consuming world of jealously. Shakespeare pursues this idea in his characterization of both Othello and Iago. In the inauguration of the text “Othello”, Othello’s character is conveyed as strong willed and undefeatable, however due to his intense and passionate love for his new wife, Desdemona, Othello’s strength is weakened and he becomes easily persuaded with “honest, honest” Iago’s lies. Due to his obsessive state of mind and the true nature of obsession, Othello’s character becomes weak and malleable, with the assistance of his trusted companion, the deceiving Iago. Othello himself recognizes the jealousy that has arisen and describes it as “ jealousy so strong/ that judgment cannot cure”. This statement highlights Othello’s lose of control over his own perceptions.…

    • 1621 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Conflict Essay- English

    • 1583 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Jealously is the obsession and anxiety, the arena possed into a phantasm of internal conflicts, a web of a world dictated by negative emotions, insecurities and fears, infecting an epidemic upon a victim’s identity and true morals to deal with a repugnant conflict. Shakespeare evokes the delusion of jealously through the luminary Othello, over the anticipated phantasm of Desdemona’s and Cassio’s infidelity. The shrewd Iago develops an art work of conflict to erupt, this is highlighted within, "O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster, which doth mock the meat it feeds on." The prime instigator of conflict is internal insecurity and fear, the obsession of jealously corrupts Othello’s psychological sanity. The symbolism represents Othello’s dismal interior…

    • 1583 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Othello, jealousy takes hold in distinct stages, consuming an ounce of a characters soul in each. That which was initially held innocent had the tendency towards terrible things as it twisted characters’ minds towards corruption throughout the duration of the play. While it may not hold physical form, envy has the power to control beings from the inside in a way that few things truly can. Jealousy has been adapted in many cultures, but not one has developed the panacea for…

    • 718 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Othello was shown as jealous by his reaction to Desdemona, his wife, supposedly cheating. Desdemona is viewed as “the sweetest innocent [t]hat e’er did lift up eye” by most people who have known her (IIII. ii. 196-197). However, as soon as Iago suggests that she has been cheating, Othello starts to doubt her. He turns paranoid, and he reads into her every move. Furthermore, Othello jealously assumes the worst of every situation. For instance, Othello catches Bianca, Cassio’s lover, with his handkerchief (IIII. i. 134). He immediately believes that Cassio had given her the handkerchief he had gotten from Desdemona (IIII. i. 177-179). Othello then decides that Desdemona gave him the handkerchief because they were having an affair together (IIII. i. 177-179). For all he knew, Desdemona might’ve lost it, or Cassio might have stolen it. In this way, Shakespeare portrays Othello as judging rashly due to his jealousy. Even though there was not much substantial proof for Desdemona’s guilt, Othello’s jealousy overwhelms him. This jealousy is a standard characteristic of a Moor. By showing that Othello is jealous, Shakespeare perpetrates the stereotype for Moor.…

    • 517 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Jealousy can lead to people doing destructive things, like killing one another. Its marks on Othello make him so crazy that he resorts to killing his wife, and then killing himself. “Ay, let her rot and perish and be damned tonight, for she shall not live. No, my heart is turned to stone (IV.1.178-180).” Othello has just seen his “proof” that Desdemona is unfaithful. He is too rash and starts making threats that cannot be undone, like killing his wife. His character is so quick to judge that he doesn’t even think about Desdemona’s character and how she would behave. He does not look deeper into the matter. Othello says this metaphor “my heart is turned to stone” expressing how quickly his character changed and how jealousy brings a toll to his life. In the next speech Othello reflects on his actions and tells Lodovico and Gratiano what he wants to be remembered by. “Then must you speak/Of one that loved not wisely, but too well./Of one not easily jealous, but being wrought,/Perplexed in the extreme. Of one whose hand,/Like the base Indian, threw a pearl away/Richer than all his tribe (5.2.343-348)”. He admits that he was irrational and that his emotions were too strong. “loved not wisely, but too well”, he got carried away too quickly by being in love, and was not fully thinking properly. Once tricked into jealousy, he went berserk and threw away everything good in his life. Using the simile “Like the base Indian” him being a silly “savage” who wasn’t smart and “threw a pearl away” referring to killing Desdemona: a white, fair and rare woman. Reflecting on his actions with this simile and his new knowledge and realization of himself, he then kills himself. When one is tricked by jealousy, their actions are greatly altered leading them to kill loved ones and finally, leading to the self-destruction. Jealousy is a murderer that becomes a virus, killing everyone it…

    • 1473 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Friendship is a special bond between two or more people. This relationship is built on the basis of trust, loyalty and honesty. In the play Othello, Shakespeare demonstrates these qualities through many of his characters to portray their deep friendships. However as the play progresses these friends turn into foes as many problems occur in their friendships and lead to many tragic events. The negative qualities that tore these friendships apart are distrust, selfishness and jealousy that led many of the characters to their tragedies. In the play Othello, Shakespeare demonstrates that there are many causes of the problems that occur in certain friendships.…

    • 1390 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Othello Jealousy Paper

    • 787 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Beginning with the character Iago, one can see his jealousy fuel a villainous plot to demonstrate the dangers of the emotion. While explaining his hatred for Cassio to Roderigo, Iago complains, “One Michael Cassio . . . that never set a squadron in the field, nor the division of a battle knows . . . had the election” (Shakespeare 5). The conflict evident in Iago’s words is used by Shakespeare to bring forth the destructive nature of jealousy. From the get go, Shakespeare establishes Iago as the villain and Othello as the victim and in doing so, pushes the audience towards feeling sympathetic towards Othello and feeling hatred towards and rooting against Iago. Additionally, the conflict Shakespeare uses characterizes the character of Iago as jealous, which also contributes to molding the audience’s opinions towards him and a development of jealousy’s notoriety. While Shakespeare first introduces the conflict between Iago and Cassio as one over status and power towards the beginning of Othello, he brings the audience’s attention to Iago’s conflict with the Moor by having Iago exclaim, “I hate the Moor, and it is thought abroad that twixt my sheets he has done my office” (Shakespeare 54). Again, in this quote, Shakespeare uses the conflict between Iago and Othello to paint Iago as overly jealous man. The goal of these portrayals was to shine light on jealousy and the dangers that come with it. By portraying Iago as the jealous villain through conflict and Cassio and Othello as innocent victims, Shakespeare sends the idea that jealousy can destroy the…

    • 787 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Othello Essay

    • 1031 Words
    • 5 Pages

    “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! / It is the green-eyed monster, which doth mock/ The meat it feeds on” (Shakespeare III. iii. 195-197). Everyone has the capacity for jealousy. It can change how people think as well as how they act. In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, jealousy is nurtured within the minds of multiple characters, and this jealousy is what ignites the want to make multiple misconceptions arise in order to create havoc and inflict suffering upon others and in some cases, upon themselves. To start off, Iago illustrates how jealousy can cause one to want to inflict pain upon others. Secondly, Roderigo shows how jealousy can make one become easily persuaded into doing wrong things. Lastly, Othello is a fine example of how jealousy can cloud somebody’s mind and cause them to see things as something else and inflict suffering on themselves and on others.…

    • 1031 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Iago’s monstrous plan begets the monster inside both Othello and himself. Othello believes Desdemona to be virtuous, “Where virtue is, there are more virtuous” (III iii. 217), and of pure and heavenly attributes. To Othello Desdemona can do no wrong, because of this when Iago informs Othello that Desdemona has been unfaithful he needs “ocular proof”. Othello states that if he does receive this proof, he will “whistle her off and let her down the wind/To prey at fortune” (III. iii. 303-304). This is the first time Othello allows his jealousy to overcome him and shows the monster within. Iago sees Othello as a hideous beast even before Othello states what he would do to Desdemona if she were to be found unfaithful. Because of this Iago…

    • 326 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jealousy In Othello Essay

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages

    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.…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    On a night of great tragedy in the late 1600’s. General Othello was slain by himself; after he strangled his wife to death. Gratiano had said that Iago was guilty of manipulating many people including Othello which all lead up to the murders of Emilia (Iago's wife), Desdemona (Othello’s wife) and Othello’s suicide. Iago also had a part in the death of Roderigo, a person who had got into the mix by simply being in love.…

    • 398 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays