Iago’s Jealousy Essay

Iago’s self-doubt and jealousy is a natural result of being human, regardless of the way he decides to deal with these emotions, he manages them more honestly and manly than anyone throughout the play. Iago is well aware of the emotions he has and though he does not admit to anyone he is feeling this way, he knows it personally. It is quite apparent to the audience, that Iago has once before felt jealous; “Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy!/It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock/The meat it feeds on” (III.iii.165-167). Iago’s previous jealousy does not show that he is evil or weak but rather that Iago is the only man throughout Othello to reveal his truly humanistic emotions. Iago knows about the `green-eyed monster of jealous` and does not freat to speak of it knowing it is human to be jealous and that is exactly what he is. By studying Shakespeare`s depiction of Iago, it can be concluded that if Iago felt as if being jealous was not human, he would not warn others of it and rather let them deal with it themselves. The way Iago thinks, provides proof to the audience that Iago neither is villainous or evil but just a human living in a society where being powerful is important, thus, bringing

However, along with his word choice, Iago is clever at the timing of what he says. He knows exactly what to say and when to say it to incite jealousy within anyone he wishes. He uses this particularly well with Roderigo and Othello. An example of Iago’s timing of jealousy is when he speaks to Roderigo of the suspicions regarding Desdemona’s love for Othello. “Mark me with what violence she first loved the Moor but for bragging and telling her fantastical lies. To love him still for prating? Let not thy discreet heart think it. Her eye must be fed”. In this excerpt Iago represents

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.

says,” Make the Moor thank me, love me and reward me,” (Act 2, sc 1,

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.

Shakespeare’s Othello is a play consistently based on jealously and the way it can destroy lives. One is quick to think this jealously is based on Othello’s lack of belief in Desdemona’s faithfulness to him or his suspensions over Desdemona’s affair with Cassio, Othello’s honorable lieutenant. Upon closer inspection of the jealously that exists throughout the play it becomes clear that his jealously is not the sole start and reason for all of the destruction that occurs. Iago, a good friend of Othello, is not who he appears to be. Iago’s own jealously of those around him pushes him over the edge. He begins to deceive all those who believe he is a true, honorable, and faithful man. Throughout Othello, Iago incites his own jealously in

He says, “Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock. The meat it feeds on.” (3.3. 170-172). Iago is warning Othello about jealousy claiming it will destroy him for falling prey. In reality, Iago wants Othello to become jealous of his wife being with another man and kill her. For one, this line is ironic because Iago’s motive for his plan against Othello is in fact because he is jealous. It is also ironic because Iago is pretending to warn Othello of jealousy to appear as a loyal and caring friend.

Iago takes what most of us see as good and uses those traits against characters in the play. He is able to take something as pure as Othello and Desdemona’s love or Cassio’s loyalty as a weakness that he can pounce on. “He holds me well; The better shall my purpose work on him.” (I, iii, 381-382) Iago possesses no good qualities so as a jealous pay back he takes trust and turns it against the trusting and then tries to take it even further for himself.

Once a seed of suspicion or doubt is planted in a person’s mind, the noxious effect of jealousy is soon to ensue. Jealousy and suspicion are Othello’s flaws hubris throughout the play and foreshadow to the audience his imminent downfall. He believes what Iago tells him so strongly that he compromises his close relationship with his best friend and his love for his wife. Iago manipulates Othello through the use of extortion, literary techniques, and his keen judge of character. His syntax and diction are so simple yet so powerful because he uses the correct rhetorical questions and addresses Othello with respectful terms such as “my lord.” He allows Othello do most of the talking

Iago takes what most of us see as good and uses those traits against characters in the play. He is able to take something as pure as Othello and Desdemona's love or Cassio's loyalty as a weakness that he can pounce on. "He holds me well; The better shall my purpose work on him." (I, iii, 381-382) Iago possesses no good qualities so as a jealous pay back he takes trust and turns it against the trusting and then tries to take it even further for himself.

Jealousy plays a major role in Othello as it is the driving force which leads to the plays events being carried out. The theme of jealousy is prevalent through characterization and the dishonoring of the values of trust and loyalty. The character if Iago is the main who endures jealousy and dishonours trust and loyalty which in the end he uses as a method to lead Othello to his downfall. Iago dishonours Othello’s trust by stating “My lord, you know I love you” but this contrasts with Iago line “I follow him to serve my turn upon 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

Othello is a play about jealousy’s causes and effects. Each character in the play had different reasons to be jealous and each of them chose to deal with it a certain way. All three characters Iago, Othello, and Roderigo had such cases and in the end dealt with different conflicts and outcomes. It’s important to understand that their actions in dealing with their jealousies were a reflection of their characters, and persona.

The play “Othello” by William Shakespeare was written in 1604 during the Elizabeth era. Othello is one of the most extraordinary characters in all of Shakespeare’s dramas. He enjoyed unheralded success in the combat zone, which gave him the reputation as one of Venice’s most competent generals. Even though he has great success in the battlefield, he has a dramatic flaw that causes a downfall in his life. The dramatic flaw that causes his downfall is jealousy. This was brought on by a simple persuasion of Iago, the evil character in the play. Even though Iago used extreme manipulation to get Othello to be jealous, Iago did not really have to try very hard to get Othello in a jealous state of mind. Othello was blinded by his jealousy which

As we know, Iago is jealous to Othello, and it is his first motive. The second reason is stronger than the first one; Iago turns his suspicion about the relationship between his wife and Othello into his primary motivation to revenge Othello. For this kind of person, no matter how good we treat them, they will think differently and avoid our works. Likewise, he assumes his suspicion is right without considering other reasons. According to the story, we know his claim is entirely incorrect. Honestly, Iago is cruel and dangerous because he soon recognizes the powerful of jealousy. And then, he decides to use the same method to poison Othello and