Jealousy In Shakespeare's Othello

In Shakespeare's Othello, Othello's pride prevents him from finding the truth, eventually leading to his demise. Initially, Othello and Desdemona are deeply in love, despite her father's disapproval of their marriage. However, when Othello promotes Cassio instead of Iago to Lieutenant, Iago has his revenge by convincing Othello that Desdemona cheats on him with Cassio, destroying the marriage between Othello and Desdemona. Othello grows to meet his downfall when his trusted friend Iago causes him to think that his wife Desdemona is unfaithful.

Although the audience knows that Othello is jealous. Othello himself denies that he has been consumed by jealousy, and that he has been behaving irrationally. Othello claims that “it is the cause, [his] soul. Let me not name it to you, you chaste stars. It is the cause. Yet I’ll not shed [Desdemona’s] blood” (Shakespeare 5.2.1-3). Denying that he is jealous Othello claims that he is not going to kill Desdemona as of this moment. He also insist that the reasoning to killing Desdemona would be because of justice, and not jealousy. After killing Desdemona Othello argues with Emilia that “Cassio did top [Desdemona]. Ask thy husband [Iago] else O, I were damned beneath all depth in hell [b]ut that proceed upon just grounds” (Shakespeare 5.2.139-142). Othello insists that he was justified in killing his wife because she cheated on him with Cassio. Otherwise he would have gone to hell for

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.

to be weak and naïve in the eyes of her father. We can tell this from

Othello by William Shakespeare raises the issue of how rampant beliefs and attitudes in a society can cause a person to question their sense of self. In a society where racial equality is near non-existent, Othello, a black skinned foreigner in the Venetian society, is constantly reminded of his status as an outsider. Othello, however, is not depicted in a stereotypical manner and despite occupying a highly respected position he is often confronted with blatant racism throughout the play. The prevailing attitudes and beliefs of Venetian society towards Othello are exploited by Iago in order to manipulate Othello’s self confidence and emotional state.

Othello is a frank and straightforward, honorable people. He believed that life is good, and society is fair; he treat people with sincerity, and believed that he can be received with honor. He wholeheartedly loves Desdemona, his own honor and dignity of all their faith in the awful happy marriage. Yet just at this time Igon told him that Desdemona has affair with its own honorable lieutenant Cassio, he was overwhelmed by this sudden blow, psychology began to lose balance, Othello caught in the pain and contradiction, a moment that Desdemona is chastity, and the next minute

In William Shakespeare’s classic Othello, it has remained relevant for the years since it was written. Not only because of the universal themes seen throughout, but due to its enduring value which has been seen in the exploration of issues that we as a society still face today. Othello as a character is portrayed as an outsider compared to the Venetian upper class society due to his different ethnicity, this classically reflects the views from Shakespeare’s time and still today reflects from issues seen recently. The recurring instances of social injustice and racial bias both in the text and in society today show that we as society still have not grown and continue to be bias to people due to things they cannot change. The nature of villainy shown through the antagonist, Iago, as he explores the need of power and how power or the want of

Desdemona- Desdemona is Othello 's wife and her goal is to prove to Othello that she loves him. They make a sacrifice by eloping without her father knowing. She stays faithful to Othello the entire time despite his suspicion raised by Iago. She spends the entire time wondering why he 's being this way towards her and trying to steer his judgement in the other direction with the help of Emilia. This is to no prevail because she becomes the victim in the end due to the actions of Iago. She serves as a foil to Emilia because their ideals contrast each other. Desdemona has a naïveté to her that prevents her from even believing that wives cheat on their husbands while Emilia is sure of it and even believes the blame falls on the husband for the actions of the wife.

In Shakespeare’s Othello, Othello and Desdemona’s marriage was doomed from the start. They did not start well; their marriage was controversial because of their race and Othello’s failure to follow proper etiquette while he was courting her. However these issues could have been overcome with time. The biggest problem is Othello’s attitude to Desdemona. Othello’s model of Desdemona prevents him from considering her a person. He thinks of her instead as superior to himself in every way, to the point that she is a god. Her race, beauty, and status make her godly in his mind. She becomes untouchable in Othello’s mind, and he begins to distance himself from her. Because Othello thinks of Desdemona as “Alabaster”(5.2.5) he will never consider

Shakespeare's Othello is remarkably tolerant of racial differences that would soon come to shame the western world. Othello, “the moor” is held in high esteem. His marriage to Desdemona is almost immediately accepted by Venetian society. Othello is a play about a virtuous marriage that meets a tragic end brought about by jealousy and deceit.

When Othello and Desdemona were not yet married, Othello would tell stories of the wars that he had fought in. That is what led Desdemona to fall in love with Othello. The two had rushed into their marriage. They married each other because they were in "love" with in each other. They did not even really know each other. I do not think that either of them really knew of the notion of "love" to begin with. Othello was much older than Desdemona, which made them two really different people. She was young and had a full life ahead. He was set in his ways and was a bit more reserved. When Desdemona eloped, she deceived her father. This fact made Othello

Jealousy is a powerful drug. When someone is jealous, one can only imagine how far someone would go because of it. In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, there were several characters that went through different ways of processing their jealousy. Iago’s jealousy provokes his idea to get back at the people he felt was not deserving enough of the things they had or their happiness. His plans succeeds but by the end, no one wins. Iago’s jealousy forms at the beginning of the play which causes Othello’s jealousy towards the end and because of it, it results in people hurt mentally and physically.

After the conversation, Othello states to himself “Why did I marry? This honest creature doubtless Sees and knows more, much more, than he unfolds.” He questions his decision of marrying Desdemona after very little convincing in something being wrong with the couples bond. However, unlike Othello Desdemona seems secure in her relationship “I saw Othello's visage in his mind, And to his honors and his valiant parts Did I my soul and fortunes consecrate. So that, dear lords, if I be left behind, A moth of peace, and he go to the war, The rites for which I love him are bereft me And I a heavy interim shall support By his dear absence. Let me go with him.” (Orthello) It is here that she not only defends her right to marry Othello, but this quote also displays that she is not frightened to show a yearning for her husband. Even though she seems to be unbothered by the couple’s irregularity, it only takes the insecurities of a single person in a marriage for it to eventually fall

Othello’s jealousy is responsible for the death of his wife and of Othello himself. His jealousy consumes him so much that he even falls into epileptic shock at one point. Jealousy’s effect on Othello is most obviously seen when he rambles on saying,”Handkerchief! Confessions! Handkerchief! To confess, and be hanged for his labor. First to be hanged, and then to confess—I tremble at it. Nature would not invest herself in such shadowing passion without some instruction. It is not words that shake me thus. Pish! Noses, ears, and lips. Is ’t possible? Confess! Handkerchief! Oh, devil!”(78). Right after saying this Othello collapses and falls into a trance. The amount of jealousy is so prominent in Othello that he can no longer think straight as he contemplates all of the suspicions at once. At this point, Othello was not able to think straight whatsoever and the idea of murdering both his best friend and his wife was

The tragic play Othello by William Shakespeare, discusses the relationship between Othello and Desdemona that begins as loving, but abruptly alters to a hateful relationship due to a lack of truth. Dishonesty and misunderstandings between Desdemona and Othello drive the collapse of their marriage as well as Iago’s deceitful words which force Othello to discredit Desdemona’s love. William Shakespeare portrays the fall of the relationship of Desdemona and Othello due to his ability of believing false delusions he hears about his wife and the reason for this is from his distrust for women, his jealousy and the fact that he truly lacks confidence in himself, leads him to doubt the love Desdemona has for him.