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The Green-Eyed Monster In Othello's Jealousy

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The Green-Eyed Monster Jealousy is a vicious monster that ruins relationships and friendships. Some people cannot control their jealousy and wind up regretting their actions later on. In Othello by William Shakespeare, the protagonist, Othello, is fueled into jealousy by the fear of infidelity. This causes him to make very poor decisions. Through Othello’s impulsive actions as wells as Iago’s malevolent ideas, Shakespeare reveals the horrid effects of jealousy. Othello’s erroneous choices display how jealousy clouds thought processes. Othello hears a rumor from Iago that Cassio is sleeping with Othello’s wife, Desdemona. Othello demands proof of this accusation, but then chooses to act irrationally. Without definitive proof, Othello demands that “ within these three days, let [Othello] hear [Iago] say / that Cassio’s not alive” …show more content…

Iago’s jealousy stems from Othello promoting Cassio over Iago for the lieutenancy position. Following this event, Iago strives to “make the Moor thank me, love me, and reward [Iago] / for making him egregiously an ass” (II.i.330-331). In “The Truth About Lying”, Kornet explores the belief that different personality types lie at different frequencies. Iago has a personality type that makes him prone to lying more frequently. One of the primary reasons Iago is jealous is due to his insecurity and needs to be superior to others. When Cassio is promoted, Iago’s insecurities fuel his jealous rage, which led him to being referred to as a “damned… demi-devil” (V.ii.353). In “Jealousy: Loves Destroyer”, Marano also observes that “a person who is very insecure is not just sexually jealous but jealous of… anything that takes attention of them”. Iago feels like the attention is constantly on Othello and Cassio. Iago plans to destroy them by any means because he did not attain the promotion, and the attention is not on

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