William Shakespeare 's Othello - The Jealous Iago !

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.

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.

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”.

The downright evil and hateful nature of Iago made it easy for jealousy to encapsulate itself in his mind. Iago’s jealousy is introduced to the audience in the second line of the play when he states that he should have been promoted to general instead of Othello (Shakespeare, 2003:I.i.2). However, Iago later on in the play confesses, "I hate the Moor: And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets he has done my office: I know not if't be true; But I, for mere suspicion in that kind, will do as if for surety."(Shakespeare, 2003:I.iii.368-372). Whether or not the reasons may be for Iago’s immense jealousy of Othello; it is the fuel that flames of his crusade. The jealousy does not end there. By agreeing with Taylor (2004:385-386), Iago evokes jealousy in Othello by means of manipulation. Not only does Iago approach his manipulation tactfully, he anticipates events and has great patience to wait for the exact time to pour ‘poison in the ear’ to feed Othello’s jealousy. Iago manipulates Othello to distrust his wife’s devolution to him in the lines, "O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on;"(Shakespeare, 2003:III.iii.167-169). The vehicle for Iago’s jealousy is manipulative language that he intelligently applies to ensure Othello’s

Jealousy is defined as “resentment against a person enjoying success or advantages” (Dictionary). Shakespeare compose plays full of lies, betrayal, murderous revenge, and jealousy. In his play Othello, it is a love story filled with jealousy. Throughout the play there are many instances that show jealousy between the characters; from the beginning of the play when Roderigo is envious of Othello because he wants to be with Desdemona, to the end of the play when Othello is infuriated with envy because he believes Cassio and his wife Desdemona is having a secret affair. The flaws within all of the characters lied within their blindness to overlook Iago’s lies. Each character’s jealousy was what they perceived as the truth. Both Othello and Iago were highly respected soldiers but jealousy warps their sense of right and wrong and they end up disgraced. While they both plot a murderous revenge, what makes Iago the villain and Othello the tragic hero is that Iago actually enjoys punishing those he thinks have offended him.

Othello becomes an easy target of jealousy since he is filled with a feeling of love for Desdemona but at the same time he is insecure about her. In a conversation Othello expresses of his own jealous state to Iago, he states, “Why, why is this? Think 'st thou I 'ld make a life of jealousy, to follow still the changes of the moon with fresh suspicions?” (3, 3, 181-185). This demonstrates that how Othello cannot become jealous about his love without any proof in hand. However there is curiosity and frustration in his tone when he states “Think’st thou I’d make a life of jealous, to follow still the changes of the moon with fresh suspicions?” Iago understood that Othello could be easily misled and uses different strategies to convince him that Desdemona is cheating on him throughout the novel. In addition, by the end of the

A warrior must walk around with his back against a wall and his hand upon his sword. A husband must walk around with his heart upon his sleeve, with faith that his wife will protect it. These two concepts are in direct conflict with each other. This is one reason that Othello became such an easy target for Iago. Othello had never found himself to be so vulnerable. Iago uses this to his advantage and plants the seed that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair. He engrains the ideology of jealousy by telling him not to be, “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy. It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on.” Jealousy has a way of making a person see what they want to see. Once Othello fears Desdemona’s

Moreover, Iago uses his own jealousy to inflict jealousy on Othello. Iago also succeeds because he takes the time to get multiple characters in on his plan, he is patient and clever in this scheme. Iago knows that Othello will have a burden on himself if he has any thoughts of his wife with another man and in this situation

Any human has their jealousy no matter how honorable and trustful that person is. Othello as an honorable general has no exception. He fell into Iago's almost masterpiece plan and had to choose friendship over love. He became a monster of jealousy, he wasn't himself anymore. Othello has put his faith of his own life on Iago's words about Desdemona's betrayal with

“The theme of jealousy is clearly prominent throughout the film as it influences the characters’ actions. The major characters of Iago and Othello clearly possess this jealousy and express how it affects them. Iago is forced to expose his actual nature and Othello undergoes a total transformation from a normal human to a spiteful monster. Evidently, jealousy does cause people to change in horrific ways.”

Jealousy falls among multiple characters in this play, but almost all of it originates from Iago. The first stroke of jealousy is between Iago and Cassio due to the former’s lack of promotion over Cassio. Iago discusses the matter, saying “I know my price, I am worth no worse a place” (Act I Scene I Line 12). After stating that he deserves the position which Cassio receives, he continues his jealous rant by attacking Cassio’s lacking capabilities by asking “And what [is] he? Forsooth, a great arithmetician” (Act I Scene I Lines 19-20). Iago, having experience on the battlefield, believes that he deserves the position over Cassio, who is an arithmetician. His continuous concern on the matter shows his jealousy directed towards Cassio. Iago also causes Othello to become jealous

Jealous is a normal emotion of human, but excessive jealousy will make people query themselves, their mind will be uncontrollable and lose the ability of self judgement. People will become emotional and impulsiveness. Driven by the power of jealousy, the evil will stay in people’s mind like a monster. Ultimately causes tragedies and self destruction. In this play, jealousy is mainly portrayed through the two major characters, Iago and Othello. Iago’s jealousy comes from the position of Othello and Cassio, as well as his ambition. Othello’s jealousy comes from both of his inferior nature and Iago’s deceive. The power of jealous makes he changes his self esteem through the play and credulous of other people.

Jealous tendencies emerge in plot lines when the characters in them struggle to come to terms with the limits and situations placed around their personal worlds. This case is shown to occur often, manifested in a theme containing jealous tendencies by the main characters--Brabantio, Othello, and Iago-- in Shakespeare's play Othello. Instead of coming to terms with the environment and conditions around them, the jealousy-ridden Othello and Brabantio are manipulated through Iago’s work, for even though Iago is the antagonist of this play, he is in much the same mindset as the other two. The illogical thought processes made by the insecure Othello and Brabantio allow for storyline that contains a theme saturated in jealousy.

“Jealousy is a killer. Relationships end because of jealous conflicts and people kill other people because they are jealous” (Leahy). The feeling of jealousy is a strong emotion that can intervene with an individual’s mind negatively, not only mentally but physically as well. Othello is a genuine gentleman who loves Desdemona and would do anything for her, but his jealousy through the story begins to transform him into someone he isn’t. Initially, Othello begins to listen to a standard bearer named Iago who fills his head with lies to the point that Othello automatically believes him and jumps to conclusions. Through Iago’s actions and lies Cassio is affected drastically by Othello’s sudden changes due to Iago’s lies about him. Iago resents Cassio because Othello chose Cassio as his lieutenant over him. Throughout the play Cassio is not able to progress because he is completely blinded by the trust he has for Iago, thus, has no idea he is being targeted by Iago. The evil Iago plans to kill two birds with one stone, he intends to destroy Othello’s marriage and ruin Cassio’s reputation in the process. The choices Cassio makes could have probably avoided the loss of his position if he would not have fallen into Iago’s trap.

Iago's anger entraps Othello in a web of deceit. Iago, the master manipulator conjures up suspicions in Othello about Cassio and Desdemona. Jealousy becomes Othello’s down fall which Iago uses as a tool to work with “ O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; it is the green-eyed