Othello's Jealousy

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Othello’s transformation from a level-headed general and loving husband to a volatile, jealous man is stunning in Othello. The lies that Iago plant in his head cause a sudden, complete behavior change in Othello. Jealousy turns Othello into someone he’s not. Jealousy changing the character and actions of people still happens quite often in society today.

Othello, who was a rational general, became so jealous that he murdered both his wife and her alleged lover. Othello loved his wife passionately, but along with that passion came jealousy. When Iago brought that jealousy to the surface, it lead to the murder of Desdemona and the attempted murder of Cassio. This is still a recurring event in society today. If googled, “jealous husband murders …show more content…

When Othello promotes Cassio to lieutenant, Iago becomes furious. Being Othello’s right hand man, Iago believes that he deserves the promotion. This fury leads Iago to create a plan, and in a monologue at the end of act one, he tells the audience that the plan is in motion. “It is engendered! Hell and night must bring this monstrous birth to the world’s light.” (Othello,I,iii). He later reveals his plan to the audience. He uses Desdemona’s kindness to make Othello suspicious and he uses Cassio’s tendency to drink too much to get him removed from his post. A version of this can happen in society today. Two people are very close friends, and they spend large amounts of time together. When one of those friends starts dating another person, they have less time for their best friend. The best friend gets angry because they feel as though they have been replaced. They also might get jealous of the new boyfriend or girlfriend because they get to spend a lot of time with their best friend. They might be angry or jealous enough to sabotage the relationship so they can get their best friend back. Iago did exactly that. He was angry at Othello for not promoting him and jealous of Cassio because he got the lieutenancy. He sabotaged Othello’s relationship with Desdemona and he got Cassio stripped of his position because of anger and jealousy. Throughout the play, jealousy causes people to do and say things that are out of character for them. The same happens in society

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