Essay about Jealousy in Shakespeare's Othello

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

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

​Othello is a classic Shakespearean tragedy that consists of many underlying themes depicted in the story. One of the most significant themes portrayed in this play revolve around the aspect of jealousy. Jealousy is a strong feeling of resentment that can overpower a person’s good will and compel them to take involuntary action against one. During the course of this play, we see three main characters that possess this idea of a jealous nature. The theme of jealousy is recognized in the villainous Iago which exposes his true self, the pathetic Roderigo, who in turn faces severe consequences, and the great Othello himself whom jealousy devours, leading him to make rash decisions.

Tragically, this pure, innocent love obsession more often than not, develops into a bitter and resentful obsession that will spite one or both parties. This is clear in Shakespeare’s Othello. Desdemona’s and Othello’s harmonious marriage is warped by the Machiavellian villain Iago, who is insanely jealous and obsessed himself. Othello finds true contentment in Desdemona; she truly comprises his ‘other half’, as a spousal cliché states. She provides serenity in the life of a soldier who has known war since the age of seven. Unfortunately, this serenity and this union is what Iago seeks to undo. Expert in his understanding, he seizes upon lines previously spoken: “Look to her, Moor, if thou hast eyes to see:/ She has deceived her father, and

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.

Jealousy is described as someone who is feeling or showing envy of someone because of their achievements and advantages. Jealousy plays a major role in Shakespeare’s play Othello. There are many instances throughout the play that show jealousy between the characters. Throughout the play, jealousy is used for destructive purposes only. I believe that Iago longed to get revenge on Othello for previous issues. This only results in a long line of accusations and disputes between the characters in Othello.

Ultimately, the deception based on Iago's jealousy, which resulted in Othello's induced jealousy, brought about the downfall of most of the characters in the play - including Iago himself.

In Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, good is often confronted by evil, in which almost every case is in the form of jealousy. Iago, the plays antagonist, is a very manipulative villain. Iago uses his own agony and distress brought upon him by his envy of others, to provoke the same agony within the characters in the play. Jealousy’s ability are shown to influence people to new ends and make all humanistic judgment disappear leaving that man a monster torn apart by envy. Jealousy’s true destructive wrath and the pure evil it brings out in people can be revealed through Iago’s actions throughout the tragedy Othello.

A psychologist assistant of psychology at the University of Maryland; Dr. White explains that jealousy is not merely simple to explain, but it is a complex of thoughts, emotions, and action which follows threats to the relationship, when those threats are generated by the perception of a real or potential attraction between one’s partner and a (perhaps imaginary) rival. Dr. White also stated that the problem isn’t just correlated with jealousy per se, but how a person responds to it. Dr. White tested whether or not jealousy could be triggering factor when a person has low self-esteem, feelings of inadequacy and the view on sex roles. Dr. White reported that rationally enough, that a prediction that jealousy will affect people who are engrossed with keeping a relationship private and secluded. In reviewing previous thesis’s, Dr. White did an experiment on whether or not

Jealousy is defined as an emotion that causes feelings ranging from fear of abandonment to anger and humiliation. It can also be referred to the act of envying someone for their looks, accomplishments, or even having something you don’t, but want. Edward Quinn’s article “Jealousy” describes how in literature, jealousy usually makes reference to a character, who has a lover or spouse, fearing for disloyalty and having an

first of all the characters in the play to be attacked by the "green -

In conclusion, jealousy is shown through many aspects of this play. Such as the people, their own doubts and insecurities, and sometimes their overall situations that they create for themselves within this tragedy. This sentiment affects them all especially Othello mainly because he become too trusting of Iago and allows him to manipulate his mind. In which leads to Othello allow himself to lose all control of his emotions and rationality and eventually his overall downfall. Truly this fiercely strong emotion caused all of this destruction and chaos to the characters’ minds and personal situations within it starting feeding off of just one person it spread to the rest of them like horrific disease. So it was really true when Iago said

Dominating the protagonist in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello is the passion of sexual jealousy. Dominating the antagonist is another type of jealousy toward Cassio, and hatred toward the general. Let us look closely at the concept of jealousy as it is revealed in this drama.

The play Othello by William Shakespeare was published during the 16th century, it is one of Shakespeare’s popular and controversial plays. Shakespeare depicts Othello’s race as placing him apart in some respects from the predominantly white European society in which he lives. Jealousy is another of the main themes in Othello. Iago is the first character to start the sparks of jealousy in Othello, and in the end, causes the downfall of Othello and Desdemona. In the end, racism and jealousy are the causes of the tragedy in Othello.