Jealousy In Othello Essay

Many crimes of passion are the result of jealousy. “Othello” shows readers how the jealousy of one or two people can result in violent actions and even death. In “Othello,” Roderigo was in love with Desdemona, who was already married to Othello. He teamed up with Iago, who possessed envy because Cassio had been promoted to the position Iago desired. Together, Iago and Roderigo plotted to destroy Cassio’s image and reputation as well as Desdemona’s marriage. As Iago began setting Cassio up, he began to develop feelings of his own for Desdemona. Iago and Roderigo’s actions resulted in numerous deaths throughout the play. First Iago stabs and kills Roderigo. Then, Othello’s jealousy leads him to smother Desdemona because she was “false with Cassio” (Shakespeare 767). After Emilia outed Iago, he pierced her with a knife, killing her. Lastly, Othello knifed himself. All of these deaths occurred because two men were desirous of things other people had. These acts exhibit the abominable effects jealousy can have on people’s

In the play Othello, Iago represents Marxist criticism through his pursuit of power that fuels his need for deceit in the story. He manipulates and deceives the other characters throughout the entire play. For instance when he set Cassio up with drinking the alcohol he got exactly what he wanted out of that, Cassio lost his rank as Lieutenant. Desdemona, Othello, and Roderigo were all deceived by Iago. Desdemona was deceived into thinking that she was helping a strong and noble man even though Iago was using that time to set her up. Othello was fed lies that his wife and Lieutenant were having an affair, leading up to the death of himself along with his wife. Roderigo was blinded by the love he had for Desdemona so badly that he helped Iago

e themes of jealousy and deception in the domestic play “Othello” by Shakespeare are one of the major ones, because they build up the plot of the story and appear through out the text. The jealousy and deception have touched each character of the play: Othello, Iago, Desdemona, Roderigo, Cassio, Emilia, Bianca and Brabantio, however Othello’s jealousy has been manipulated by perhaps most jealous character Iago, who’s jealousy has caused unwarranted deaths, what makes him a villain. Othello, the general of the armies of Venice, who has been living a passionate life, who acts instantaneously and is a trusting person, whom jealousy has consumed and had ‘swell into a well high incontrollable flood’ as the critic A.C. Bradley in “Shakespearean Tragedy

Othello simply ignores Iago’s warning; he must choose between trusting his wife or Iago. Ultimately, Othello’s soldierly pride is greater than his love for Desdemona and he unconsciously craves information to feed his jealousy (“Othello” Shakespeare for Students 433). Jealousy destroys Othello’s state of mind. Othello is mentally weak because he does not trust his wife; therefore, when Iago destroys his trust in Desdemona, jealousy begins to infect his mind. Othello is ultimately placed between an angel and a devil who both demand his loyalty (“Othello.” William Shakespeare , Shakespeare A-Z 471). Desdemona gives unconditional love, is pure and loyal while Iago is a jealous vice who is incapable of love or loyalty (“Othello” Shakespeare for

In the Shakespeare story, “Othello” the villain of the story, Iago has a not so shocking transformation. He was a small time rapscallion, who simply at the the beginning wanted revenge for the wrongdoing done to him by being passed up for the promotion to lieutenant. But then it turned into more of nefarious plan, to “turn [Desdemona’s] virtue into pitch.” (Shakespeare.2.33.338) He manipulated everyone in this storyline he interacts with, especially the following characters; Roderigo, Othello & Emilia, with each character he goes from being harmless physically to being unpredictably evil.

In the play Othello by William Shakespeare, jealousy is the downfall of many characters. Jealousy was used to fuel hatred, disgust, and motivation for betrayals. One of the biggest betrayals in the play was by Iago. With his cunning use of manipulation and rhetoric, Iago was able to fool and trick many of the people close to him. Although Iago was considered a trustworthy friend to Othello, Iago betrays Othello out of jealousy, proving how jealousy can corrupt.

Manipulation is a potent tool and can easily be misused to benefit the manipulator, depending on the purpose the manipulator aims. While harming the ones who are subject to its effects, the manipulators gain power or authority by deceiving people or tricking them into seeing a certain point of view. Both in Shakespeare 's Othello and an article called “Are You Being Manipulated by a Social Puppeteer?” by Joe Navarro, manipulation is directly mentioned or shown through characters.

Iago has jealousy and hatred towards Cassio from the beginning. Iago was not chosen to be lieutenant and Cassio was by the passing down from Othello. Iago has a selfish personality and throughout the story tries to bring down other characters with his jealously. Jealousy is the basis of the story on why things go wrong with Othello and Desdemona. Othello and Desdemona’s relationship takes a turn because of the confits Iago puts upon everyone.

The function of jealousy and how it consumes other characters develops the majority of the plot within the play. It primarily serves as a way to incite the character 's psyche and lead them to being reckless and negligent. Specifically, the way jealousy affects the minds of Othello and Roderigo through the manipulation tactics of Iago. Specifically, during many of Othello and Iago’s conversations. Iago slowly makes Othello believe in false proof of Desdemona 's affair, thus Othello begins to psychologically change by gradually turning to murder through justification of Iago’s statements on Desdemona: “One is too poor, too weak for my revenge. Now do I see 'tis true. Look here, Iago All my fond love thus do I blow to heaven. 'Tis gone. Arise, black vengeance, from the hollow hell! (III.iii.458-462). After Othello’s second meeting with Iago he is fully convinced that Desdemona must die, falling for Iago’s trap he loses all sense of rationale. Othello’s jealousy gets the best of him and it only gets worse when he abandons the love he has for Desdemona and begins to prepare for her killing. He is fully responsible for trusting Iago, instead of questioning Iago and going to Desdemona for clarification; he believes Iago without any sufficient evidence. Othello believes Iago to be a honest, reliable source instead of trusting his wife. He admits to himself that Desdemona is unfaithful by taking Iago’s word by not taking into account his wife’s honesty, someone he supposedly loves and cherishes, but instead his psyche gradually disintegrates and leads him to murdering

Othello is a medieval morality play written by Shakespeare in 1603. The play explores the fall of the tragic hero, Othello, from grace. Othello’s marriage is manipulated by the antagonist of this play. His Ancient, Iago. Iago uses his language to skillfully control and inevitably end the life and marriage of Othello. In this passage, there is an exchange between Iago and Roderigo, a man in love with Othello’s wife. In this passage, Iago uses a focused speech, clever techniques to convince Roderigo. Also in this passage, Iago is characterized as the antagonist of the play to the audience.

There is no doubt that Roderigo’s first intension was never to bring misery into his or Desdemona’s life, he wanted happiness for Desdemona and himself at the same time, he gave up almost everything he got for her love as in return, all he could ever think about is his love-Desdemona. Before Roderigo left Iago after the council meeting discussing Othello and Desdemona’s marriage, Iago asked him to collet as much money as he can, so that he can deliver them to Desdemona as an evidence of Roderigo’s strong and intense love. Roderigo was so motivated by the attraction of love, he said: “I’ll sell all my land.” (1.3.425) He was willing to sell his land his house for Desdemona. He trusted Iago so much that he believed Iago will do what he promise, and even till he died he never knew that all his money has only been dropped into Iago’s purse and never had a chance to reach Desdemona’s hand at all. His impulsive love made him such weak and easy to manipulated by Iago for his own purpose of giving revenge. When Iago came up with the idea of tricking Cassio to make mistakes after he gets drunk, in order to get drag him off his position as the lieutenant, he was so confident that Roderigo could be his useful chess piece to support his victory in his game, he

“Iago is an extreme instance of diseased intellectual activity, with the most perfect indifference to moral good or evil, or rather with a decided preference of the latter” -William Hazlitt. In Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago is the main antagonist who drives most of the plot and creates great conflict for Othello and other characters. Iago hates Othello because Cassio was promoted to Lieutenant over Iago, causing Iago to craft a destructive revenge plan to convince Othello that his wife, Desdemona, is having an affair with Cassio and actually trying to sleep with her himself. This plan will ruin the lives of Othello, Cassio, and anyone else in Iago’s path. Because of the pure jealousy that fuels his revenge, the genius complexity in his destructive plans, and all the while manipulating everyone around him without their knowledge, Shakespeare presents Iago as one of the most compelling villains in all of literature.

"Othello" by Shakespeare is a well-known and outstanding literary composition which pays distinctive attention to the dangers associated with jealousy. The play deals with the root and driving force of all evil and exemplifies how far jealousy can induce a human being as well as destroy lives by mere circumstantial evidence. According to Godfrey (1972), “Jealousy, once awakened, becomes self-perpetuating, self-intensifying, and where no evidence for it exists, the jealous person under the impulse of an extraordinary perversity will continue to manufacture it”. Jealousy manages the characters’ lives in "Othello" from the beginning of the play, when Roderigo feels jealousy towards Othello because he desires to be with Desdemona, and to the ending of the play, when Othello is furious with envy because he supposes Cassio and Desdemona have been engaging in a love affair. Some characters’ jealousy is generated by other characters. Iago is involved in much of this, creating lies and executing fallacious situations. Does the play suggest that all jealousy tends to mock the individual who is jealous or is there a structure of jealousy that is rational? In this paper I would like to demonstrate that jealousy is inherently unreasonable, as it is based on the psychological issues of the jealous person, not on the demeanor of the one who inspires these jealous emotions.

Iago is often referred to as Shakespeare’s greatest villain, and this is completely understandable. He really is as slimy and conniving a snake as you could possibly get. He is extremely intelligent and calculating, a dangerous combination in any Hollywood villain. His malicious contempt for Othello is a sniper rifle, not a shotgun; each facet of his plans of derailment is clean and concise, no mess, no emotion. He wanders about—like a malevolent wraith—tainting the minds of those around him and warping them to his own will without them becoming aware. To Roderigo, he promises the hand of Desdemona; to Cassio, he promises the return of his reputation and position as Othello’s lieutenant. All of which are promises that, of course, he knows full well he cannot keep, and doesn’t plan to. All of his interactions with any of the characters in the play, including his own wife, are bent to aid him and serve his own interests and plans. Iago is the epitome of the lurking, seething evil of jealousy and suspicion, and the untapped tool of evil, imagination.

From the start of this literary work, Othello’s friend, Iago, is piled high with jealousy and resentment. This is a risky mixture that signifies Iago’s betrayal to many other characters throughout this play. This scandalous deception is what instigates most of the drama and action in the play and causes the deception of many of the characters. The play begins with Iago spouting to Roderigo about not getting the job he wanted, and that it was given to a less qualified man, Othello. Iago states, “Three great ones of the city. Off-caped to him, and by the faith of man I know my price, I am worth no worse a place… For ‘Certes,’ says he, ‘I have already chosen my officer.’