Envy In Othello Essay

Of the seven deadly sins, envy is one that is nothing to be jealous of. Envy is subtle, insidious, and devours us, introducing itself in many shapes and forms, but all evil if acted upon with poor intentions. At times in which we are envious of others, more often than not, we compromise our character for the worse. When we act upon the envy that consumes us, there is a tendency that the envier and envied are affected mentally or physically and those surrounding become collateral damage. The result of relationships when envy is added to the equation is only deterioration. When envy is the driving force behind actions, it leads to the corruption of good people, reminding us to learn how to control envious emotions while on the pursuit of our desires.

Envy alters a person’s character, causing them to act in extreme measures in order to obtain their desires. It is able to change a good man into one that is evil with envy. Iago was once “[a] man [that was] honest and [trustworthy]” (I.iii.285), he turns into a “[precious] villain” (V.ii.235) due to his envy for Cassio’s position as Othello’s lieutenant and of Othello’s assets. Once Iago learns that he is not promoted to Othello’s lieutenant, he spurns acceptance

Envy is an undesirable trait, eventually leading to the demise of the envious and envied, proving that knowledge on how to overcome envious emotions will aid in successfully obtaining our desires. At the core of envy, is desire and gain. It is in our human nature to desire and long for items and goals that bring enjoyment and a sense of accomplishment. However, the amount of enjoyment and accomplishment will never suffice if envy is involved, because there will always be a need to want more. An appreciation for what is in front of us is needed in order to begin to overcome