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Power Of Jealousy In Shakespeare's Othello

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“Never underestimate the power of jealousy and the power of envy to destroy. Never underestimate that.” (Oliver Stone) In literature, and in reality, jealousy is a powerful thing. To exploit it, would make it even more powerful. In the story Othello, jealousy is at its strongest. After selecting Cassio to be his second in command, Iago vows revenge on Othello. Roderigo is in love with Othello’s wife, Desdemona and agrees to conspire with Iago with the agreement that Roderigo will win Desdemona’s love from Othello. Iago seeks revenge by planting 3 seeds of jealousy. Jealousy is a form of envy that can take over a person’s ability to think straight, trust another person and makes them commit acts that they shouldn’t commit. When exploited, jealousy can destroy a person from the inside out. In Othello, William Shakespeare created the most evil person in all of literature, Iago. Iago wanted revenge on Othello because Othello chose Michael Cassio to be his next in command instead of Iago. Out of revenge, Iago successfully planted seeds of jealousy into Othello’s mind when in the garden he insinuated that Cassio and Desdemona were having an affair, when Iago and his wife, Emilia, steal the strawberry embroidered handkerchief and when Iago lied to Othello about Cassio’s so-called dream. …show more content…

After getting Cassio drunk at a party, Iago gets him fired from his position as an officer by convincing Othello that Cassio started a fight with a Roderigo. Iago then tells Cassio to talk to Desdemona in the morning so that she can plead forgiveness on Cassio’s behalf. The next morning Cassio does just that, but just as he’s leaving Desdemona, Iago appears with Othello, and proceeds to imply to Othello that when Cassio saw him, he ran away with

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