The Dangers of Jealousy

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Recommended: In the play Othello, different meanings of jealousy

Jealousy is a powerful emotion, one that can damage the mind and demolish relationships. As soon as the seed of jealousy is planted, it will lead to harmful consequences. Jealousy will turn into anger, making the victim fixated with the idea. Many works of literature use the theme of jealousy to warn individuals about the dangers involved with jealousy. This is evident in Shakespeare’s Othello and Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. Othello and Amir are corrupted by jealousy, causing them to ruin the lives of the people they love.
Othello and Amir are corrupted by the powerful emotion of jealousy. Othello’s jealousy against Desdemona stems from the manipulation put forth by Iago. Iago decides to play on Othello’s jealous nature, and constantly tells him that Desdemona is being unfaithful with Cassio. Othello endlessly denies his jealousy, but it is evident he is losing his mind as he watches Desdemona and Cassio carefully. He speaks to Iago saying, “I’ll see before I doubt, when I doubt prove. And on the proof, there is no more but this, away at once with love or jealousy” (3.3.290-293). “Othello believes Desdemona is unfaithful with only the insinuations by Iago, this proves that Othello is prone to jealousy.” Once Iago plants Desdemona’s handkerchief in Cassio’s room, Othello is given the proof he needs to fully believe that Desdemona has made him a cuckold. “I tremble at it, nature would not invest herself in such shadowing passion without some instruction, it is not words that shakes me thus” (4.1.46-48). Othello experiences jealousy so strong, that he experiences a seizure. This seizure is proof Othello is now overwhelmed with jealousy and he no longer can be certain that Desdemona is innocent.
Othello is manipulated int...

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... situation. Amir allows himself to be abused by the neighbourhood bullies who raped Hassan. Amir finally feels healed, he feels as if he received the punishment he deserves by inflicting pain on himself, similarly to Othello. Both Othello and Amir commit horrible crimes out of jealousy, which they later feel guilty for.
In Shakespeare’s Othello and Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, Othello and Amir are overcome with the feeling of jealousy towards the people they love. This causes them to commit crimes against the ones they are jealous of. When jealousy corrupts the mind, it results in the individual loosing their true nature. It almost always leads the individual to hurt the ones that they love the most. Almost always jealousy turns into guilt, which explains why jealousy is a dangerous emotion; it consumes the mind and always leads to devastating consequences.

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