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Jealousy In Othello Essay

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The text our class studied was Othello written by William Shakespeare. The style of the piece is a literary essay and the purpose of this piece is proving why jealousy is not confined to Othello. The target audience for this essay is people who are studying the text Othello.

Jealousy is powerful enough to twist a person.

Jealousy over the years has caused people to act out of their usual nature, as it is a powerful emotion. In the text Othello written by William Shakespeare, I found that jealousy is powerful enough to twist a person into someone they are not. The emotion of jealousy is proven to be a fatal factor in bringing out the worst in certain characters in the play.

Set in Venice, Othello is the current leading general who hides …show more content…

Similar to Othello, Emilia too had sexual jealousy. She was the maid of Othello and Desdemona, but was in a relationship with Iago. Emilia was jealous because of the way Iago treated her, which appeared to be like a piece of meat. Emilia said "The ills we do, their ills instruct us so". The use of “ills” or in other words a problem, could be directed at Iago as he is the one causing her unhappiness. In addition she says “instruct” indicating a command or order of which Iago often does, like when he was demanding to have the handkerchief that Emilia had. Emilia wanted a good husband to take care of her and simply notice her existence and views more, which Iago never did. A key part in the play is when Emilia stumbles across the handkerchief. The significance of the handkerchief is that it was Othello 's first gift to Desdemona and in Othello 's culture it symbolises a special bond you make when given to someone you love. Emilia knew that her husband Iago wanted this gift, but she was unaware as to why. The handkerchief would help Iago reinforce his plan of making Desdemona look like a “whore” and in Othello 's words provide him with “ocular proof”. Knowing that Iago wants this, Emilia wags this handkerchief in front of Iago as if he was a dog wanting a bone. By doing this Emilia thought that she might be rewarded and Iago would start loving her more. This is a common trait for people who live with an abusive partner. According to Roxane.Y.Schwab, she believes Emilia was “abused and manipulated by her villainous husband” before and during the play. Furthermore, her actions with the handkerchief did show her jealous mindset. Emilia changed in what she first wanted to do and should have given back the gift to Desdemona. However, craving attention from her husband who neglected her, she gave it to Iago instead. Subconsciously Emilia materialised Iago and her love as if it were the handkerchief that had the power to make Iago love her. Reading Adriana Briseno

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