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 play opens with Roderigo and Iago standing in a street in Venice, this is where Iago begins his mischievous plan. Roderigo has longed for Desdemona’s hand and has made the request for her hand to her father, Brabantio, but is repeatedly denied. News then comes in that Desdemona has run off with general Othello and was wed. Roderigo is outraged and Iago promises Roderigo that he will get Desdemona to be his wife soon enough, if all goes to plan (Meyers, 1187-1192).
Already, in Act I, the reader can see how Iago is playing to Rodrigo’s emotions in order to gain personal revenge on Othello. The reader can see that Iago will use Roderigo as a pawn in his plan; knowing Roderigo will do whatever he says. Iago’s reasons as to why he would offer to break up Othello and Desdemona’s marriage include that he is outraged that Othello promoted Casillo instead of him and that he has suspicions that Othello slept with his wife, Emilia (1203). This is the driving factor to Iago’s deceitful actions in the play.
In Act II of Othello the characters all travel ...
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...them even knowing. Iago doesn’t have to put forth much effort to manipulate Othello and act upon Othello being consumed by jealousy. Othello is now in this mindset that he thinks what Iago wants him to think, completely disregarding the truth and his own opinions. With very little evidence Othello is filled with jealousy.
From this point on, the characters each destroy themselves and each other over Iago’s lies. The reader can predict the disastrous unavoidable ending that is coming. It isn’t until the very end after jealousy is the weapon that kills Desdemona, Othello gives his last speech upon killing himself, and Emilia is murdered by her husband that everyone realizes what fools they all have been. The characters made each other victims of Iago’s plan. Jealousy is the emotion that overcame knowledge and truth leading to the demise of the characters in the play.
The beginning of the play starts when Iago and Roderigo were discussing about their plan of Iago wants to be second-in-command and Roderigo wants to make love with Desdemona. Next, they went into a dispute with Desdemona’s father about Othello marrying Desdemona. When, Othello marry Desdemona, Iago first plan was to get Cassio lose his job by getting drunk and into a fight. Afterwards, Desdemona tries to convince to Othello about giving Cassio’s job back. Then, Iago gets Desdemona, Othello, Cassio, and Bianca stuck in a situation about who are cheating on what, the handkerchief and Cassio’s job. Later on, Iago got in trouble of the evidence that reveal everything that actually happen in the play. Lastly, Othello killed himself, Iago receives imprisonment with torture, Emilia dies later and Cassio became the governor of Cyprus.
Some traits of a jealous person are insecure, overly attached, spying, and low-self esteem. Othello’s jealousy started when he believed Iago’s lies about his wife infidelity. Iago’s claim became stronger when Othello found out his wife doesn’t have the handkerchief that symbolized their love. Iago exhibits jealousy in the play. Iago was jealous of Cassio’s rank as lieutenant. Roderigo was jealous of Othello’s union with Desdemona. Othello’s jealousy was based on false information. Iago’s jealousy was based on the desired job position and Roderigo’s jealousy was based upon his love for Desdemona. As human beings, I think it is almost impossible to avoid jealousy, but a person can overcome it. It is part of the human nature feel jealous, but
In the light of the various descriptions of an unstable person, Iago is a psychopath with his manipulative choice of words. He tells people things that they want to hear and he says it in a manner that makes him appear exceptional. “ I humbly do beseech you of your pardon, For too much loving you.” (3.3.106) In act three, Iago pretends to be Othello’s confidant, and he wants Othello to suspect his wife is having an affair. Iago has a pseudo relationship with Othello the entire duration of the play.
Towards the tail-end of the play, Roderigo, fed up with Iago’s counsel and frustrated by his lack of personal progress, approaches him with the intention of severing all ties. Iago, though, manages to maintain a leash over of him by playing on his jealous desire for Desdemona, promising him that he will have her in love in the coming days. This proves to be enough for him to convince Roderigo stay, and he resumes his manipulation. Despite his strong affinity for Othello’s wife, any romantic progress is halted due to Iago’s persistent interventions; he knows that merely mentioning the potential for a relationship between the two is enough to persuade him to do his bidding. While this seems desirable to Roderigo, in actuality, Iago is using his imaginative fantasies against him, and preventing any real advances in his journey for Desdemona, effectively destroying any possibility of this
In Othello, the jealousy factor is deliberately introduced by Iago, with the precise intention of destroying those whom he feels have wronged him. Since it is intentionally used with malicious intent, it has catastrophic results. Iago himself is jealous of Cassio; he feels that he should have been appointed to Cassio's position by Othello, and since he wasn't he hates both Othello and Cassio. Iago channels the jealousy that Othello and Cassio have made him feel, and uses it against them in a hateful plan. Iago starts the process by planting the seeds of jealousy in Othello's mind, telling him Desdemona has been unfaithful. He then proceeds to cultivate the growing jealousy by feeding it with more lies, and twisting innocent events into situations which would serve his needs (his telling Othello that Cassio and Desdemona met in secret, and convincing him that Desdemona vied for Cassio's reinstatement as lieutenant because she loved him, for example). When the seeds had flourished, and Iago had succeeded in driving Othello mad with jealousy, Iago harvested his crop and convinced Othello to kill Desdemona. Othello's killing Desdemona would both rid Iago of Desde...
In Honest Iago, Abernathy states that “in the construction of the play two leading motives are employed- Iago’s mendacity and Othello’s credulity, and these motives are inseparably connected, forming a single stream of influence from which flow all the action and all the passion of the plot” which accurately describes how their relationship is the fuel to the story. The story immediately starts with word of Othello and Iago’s interest being sparked when hearing word of the Moor which further proves the point that Othello remains a focal point. Given the fact that Desdemona was the love of Roderigo, Iago immediately set out to find out what Othellos intentions really were. In the beginning, Othello stated his doubts about Iago in the means of military ability, being that he already had a certainty of Cassio’s, but once Iago compromises a
In the play Othello, there are many jealous and selfish characters. Each of the characters at one point or another let their jealousy take over. It seems like they all have these plots and plans on how to hurt another character in the play either physically or emotionally, as an act of selfishness, so that they can feel better about themselves. One main character who seems extremely jealous in this play is Iago. Infact, probably the most jealous. Many bad things happen because of Iago. The first bad thing that Iago did, was tell Barbantio (Desdamona's father) that Desdemona has married Othello, the Moore. Iago was mad at Othello, because Cassio had made Othello a higher position and not Iago. Iago thought that he was the one who qualified for the position as general, not Othello. Iago was jealous because of this, so he decided to tell Barbantio about Desdemona and Othello. This was bad, because Barbantio did not know yet, and something like that should have been said by his own daughter, not someone who was not part of the family. The way Iago went about telling him was also bad. He called to his house in the middle of the night. He yelled it to Barbantio from downstairs into his window in a rude manner. " quote from Othello here." He wanted Barbantio to be upset about what had happened, and most of all, he wanted Barbantio to be mad at Othello and do something bad to him.
Iago does not only serve as the antagonist in this play, but he also is the vehicle by which the play progresses. They play in the beginning did not have much action in it because Iago was still deciding as to how he would kill Othello. Then, as his plan develops the play also progresses. He forces characters into taking actions they never would have normally considered and all the while he just sits back and maintains his innocent smile and trusting façade. And that "is how a villain is defined." A villain "can alter those actions around them without them knowing it." (Campbell 116). We saw Iago do that on several occasions. For example he was able to convince Roderigo to give him money and to try growing a beard. He also convinced Othello into thinking that Casio was an irresponsible drunk, and he convinced Desdemona into thinking he was going to do everything he could to patch things up with her and Othello. While all he was actually doing was just trying to keep Roderigo busy so he would stay out of the picture. And then with Othello he was turning friend against friend, and with Desdemona it was lover against lover. And all the while these people thought he had their best interest in mind.
“Othello”, by William Shakespeare, is a story of jealousy’s potential to manipulate thoughts and eventually lead to ultimate demise. The key to extremely detrimental jealousy lies within one’s ability to recognize it or deny it. It seems that the important theme of “Othello” is that if jealousy is not recognized and immediately dealt with, it receives a head start to commence the process of rotting away all normal human reason. Othello’s speech in Act III scene iii beginning with line 178 is the first and most important indicator of the trouble ominously looming on Othello’s horizon. His immediate response to Iago’s accusations is that of total denial. By depriving himself of that initial venting process, Othello gives his jealousy the perfect culture on which his jealousy can turn cancerous and grow out of control. Othello does not spit out the seed that Iago has planted within himself soon enough and thus lets Iago water it with smooth speech until its roots spread and cannot be uprooted. The only way to appropriately illustrate this point is through an in depth analysis of specific text from the play.
Iago plans to revenge Othello for not choosing him to become lieutenant, and knowing that Othello is easily deceived makes it easier for Iago to manipulate him. Iago’s revenge did not only start because he was not chosen to be lieutenant, but also because Iago had suspicions that Othello was with Emilia, his wife. “I hate the Moor, And it is thought abroad that ‘twixt my sheets’ 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 55). Iago, earlier mentions his hate for Othello for not choosing him to be lieutenant, but now he suspects Othello is sleeping with his wife. Iago does not care if his suspicions are true, he will act as if it is true. With or without evidence Iago will find a way to control Othello because he knows he is too naïve. “After some time, to abuse Othello’s ear That he is too familiar with his wife. He hath a person and a smooth dispose To be suspected, framed to make women false. The Moor is of a free and open nature That thinks men honest that but...
The play “Othello” by William Shakespeare was written in 1604 during the Elizabeth era. Othello is one of the most extraordinary characters in all of Shakespeare’s dramas. He enjoyed unheralded success in the combat zone, which gave him the reputation as one of Venice’s most competent generals. Even though he has great success in the battlefield, he has a dramatic flaw that causes a downfall in his life. The dramatic flaw that causes his downfall is jealousy. This was brought on by a simple persuasion of Iago, the evil character in the play. Even though Iago used extreme manipulation to get Othello to be jealous, Iago did not really have to try very hard to get Othello in a jealous state of mind. Othello was blinded by his jealousy which led him down a path of constant questioning of his wife and his friend Cassio. Throughout the play we see his dramatic flaw sink him deeper and deeper into a cloud of doubt which eventually leads him to kill not only his love of his life but also himself.
Iago begins the play with a deep envy for Othello, and only deepens as the play continues. Iago’s jealousy for Othello begins with Emilia, and the rumor that they were romantically involved. Iago exclaimed in his soliloquy"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”(1.3.12). In this soliloquy Iago explains what budded his jealousy of Othello. Iago’s mere suspicion was enough to engross such powerful feelings of envy. Iago also displayed how easily envy can take a hold of person, and drive them to do to extreme things. Just the slightest doubt created immense envy in Iago, and he wants to make Othello suffer by experiencing the same emotion. Iago knows that in order for his plan to work he must plant...
Jealousy can come from someone else having what you do not have. In the case this play provides, Roderigo is jealous of Othello for the wife he has (Desdemona). Roderigo notices that he cannot change Desdemona’s feelings towards Othello; he finds them being together as torture and would rather drown himself than be alive to watch someone he cannot have (I.i.350-353). Roderigo’s jealousy
In William Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Othello, the power of jealousy rips relationships apart and destroys the peace amongst a once pleasant society. The principle character for the aggravation of the other characters is Iago. Iago is angry at Othello for not appointing him as his lieutenant and refuses to let it go. For selfish reasons, Iago plots an evil schemes of revenge towards Othello by making him, and everyone necessary to bring Othello down.
In William Shakespeare’s tragic play, Othello jealousy is paramount theme. The protagonist Othello’s powerful feelings of jealousy about an alleged relationship between his wife, Desdemona and, lieutenant Cassio drives much of the play’s action. Through an analysis of significant quotes that portrays jealousy, this essay seeks to show how overwhelming jealousy exhibited by characters such as Iago and Emilia reflects their motivations and values.