The Theme of Jealousy in Othello by William Shakespeare
Othello is a unique tragedy in that it focuses on the destruction of love through sexual
jealousy. Jealousy is not inherited in a person, but developed from the fatal factors of their
character. Othello is plagued with his ego and pride which contributes to his demise. Othello is,
however, a truly romantic character because he is very passionate and full of deep feelings. It keeps
a person wondering what could have possibly brought the sweet Desdemona to be his wife. Was it
because he has lived a life of adventure and war and he is somewhat exotic due to his origins and
dark complexion? On the other hand, is it because she fell head over heels in love
…show more content…
The Duke, like all of the characters in the play, respects Desdemona and her wishes and
allows her to leave with Othello.
Desdemona is given a handkerchief with strawberries on it on her wedding day from
Othello. This wedding gift ultimately destroys her. It is wrapped up in Moorish mysticism and
deep meaning for her husband. She adores it and keeps it with her at all times. The issue of the
handkerchief and its ownership easily becomes one of the most crucial plot points of the play.
Although the actual occurrences are only mentioned in the play, an Egyptian first gave the
handkerchief to Othello's mother, and she then gave it to her son upon her deathbed to give to his
future wife. "She told her, while she kept it would make her amiable and subdue my father Entirely
to her love, but if she lost it Or made a gift of it, my father's eye Should hold her loathed, and his
spirits should hunt After new fancies". Little does Desdemona realize the true meaning of the
handkerchief. As long as his mother had the handkerchief, his father would remain happy. The
parallel to her life becomes self-evident unfortunately for her too little too late. When the
handkerchief disappears so does Othello's trust in her. When Othello and Desdemona marry, he
gives it to her. In this instance, the handkerchief symbolizes the love a wife holds for her husband
and how to lose it or give it
In the Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, Desdemona proves herself to be a well-spoken, intelligent and loyal woman. In the introduction, Desdemona proves much wit with her choice of words and explanations of her love for “the Moore.” In Act 1 Scene 3 lines 187-88 Desdemona makes her case in favor of her loyal marriage to Othello; “So much I challenge that I may profess/ Due to the Moor my lord,” (1.3.187-88). Women of this era were typically given away by their fathers, but it is seen in Othello that Desdemona created her own path and marries the Moor against her father’s wishes. In fact, Brabanzio states that Othello is a “foul thief” who has “enchanted her [Desdemona],” (1.1.63-4). This beginning deception leads to the demise of Desdemona by the end of the play. She proves to be loyal to Othello allowing his destructive path and personality shape her fate into what now
a story that reflects the subordination of woman in marriage. By the time of the early
These lines are used to show how grateful she is to be with her mate, and eat with specific, silver candles:
Altho a tragic ending it may be, Othello couldn't stand being a such a fool to have believed such lies about his one and only love. Human emotions have a lot of power over how we react to situations in life, the trick is learning how to not let them take over. A tragic hero is a hero nonetheless, but it all comes down to how they hold themselves together in the face of
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.
The tragedy of Othello, written by William Shakespeare, presents the main character Othello, as a respectable, honorable, and dignified man, but because of his insecurities and good nature, he is easily taken advantage of and manipulated by his peers and alleged friends. The dynamic of Othello’s character significantly changes throughout the play. The contrast is most pronounced from the beginning of the play to its conclusion, switching from being calm and peaceful to acts of uncontrolled venomous rage. Othello’s motivation in the play appears to be his love and concern for his wife Desdemona, which ironically, ends up being his downfall in the end.
In William Shakespeare’s Othello, Othello is the tragic hero. He is a character of high stature who is destroyed by his surroundings, his own actions, and his fate. His destruction is essentially precipitated by his own actions, as well as by the actions of the characters surrounding him. The tragedy of Othello is not a fault of a single villain, but is rather a consequence of a wide range of feelings, judgments and misjudgments, and attempts for personal justification exhibited by the characters. Othello is first shown as a hero of war and a man of great pride and courage. As the play continues, his character begins to deteriorate and become less noble. Chronologically through the play, Othello’s character
This speaks on a very deep level, in regards to the genuine warmth the author implied toward the mother in his piece. There is a subliminal truth of sentimental “value”, because the reality of this world is that all material wealth can be lost in a moment, but real wealth is not some slice of pie one luckily stumbles upon in the world, real wealth is first found in the human being, and the human becomes the reflective producer of these
The other characteristic he exhibits is personal fable. He feels that his life is destined for something bigger than what has been set out for him. He believes there is something unique about himself that he needs to share with the world. While his father and everyone else, including his friends, look down on this idea of breaking out of the mold he still stuck with his idea of becoming something bigger and better. At the end of the story he does in fact become the town hero and his dreams of greatness come to fruition as he grows
her wedding she should drink a potion the Friar would make for her, a potion which will
piece of love and good fortune that was sent from the women to their family.
first of all the characters in the play to be attacked by the "green -
Shakespeare uses a combination of recurring themes and motifs such as betrayal, love, conflict, and jealousy throughout his plays and sonnets. In Shakespeare’s Othello, jealousy is the prominent theme, which causes the destruction and tragic downfall of the play’s main characters. Jealousy is masked through lies, misleading situations and manipulation and interpreted in varied ways by the main characters. From beginning to end, jealousy is rooted in every scene, eventually leading to the death and demise of the main character, Othello.
Within this play, fundamental questions about humanity, as well as situations, attitudes, and problems that continue to hold strong universal meaning to this day are explored .It shows Shakespeare’s ability to create characters who resemble real life individuals and reflect lifestyles and personalities accurately. You could not help but be moved by the dark despair and utter wretchedness of Othello’s downfall! Shakespeare has dramatically explored many aspects of the human condition in this play, The Tragedy of