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Relationship Between Othello And The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Hyde

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In this essay, the novels Othello and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde will be compared and contrasted to determine the connection between the two on the basis of the essence of evil in the context of mankind. These two novels both portray evil as a subdued yet easily activated—under the right circumstances—and self-conscious nature of humans. They show this through the connection between Iago and Othello in comparison with the connection of Jekyll and Hyde, the transition of the main characters’ mentality, and the “evil” character committing suicide at the end of the novels. These three examples define each of the two novels discussed in this essay’s perspective on the concept of evil and the way it infests every human as well as its effects on human behavior and mindset. Firstly, evil is shown in the characters that the reader sees in the novels through the “friendship” (less like friendship in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) of some of the most prominent characters. In Othello, we see a connection of what seems to be friendship between Othello and Iago, yet there is an underlying behavior characterized as evil, Iago’s mischievous manipulation of his boss, Othello. Iago behaves in a way that seems normal to Othello, nothing out of the ordinary. The readers know that Iago is acting with evil intentions, however. Iago has an ability to cover evil in a mask of innocence and goodness. Iago unbelievably even describes himself thus, “When devils will the blackest sins put

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