Othello is a play about jealousy Essay

Othello is a take on almost greedyy, Iagos natural green-eyedy and the imposed green-eyed monster of Othello, discuss.Othello is a Shakesperian cataclysm in which the valuable qualities of the favourable characters are earthipulated against them in such a way that their own qualities catalyse their own downf any. At the start of the play all is soundly between the honest Othello and sweet Desdemona until Iago slowly poisons Othellos mind until it cumulates in a diabolical and murderous finale. Shakespeares plays are closely renowned for their examination of human emotions through drama, Romeo and Juliet examined the nature have it away, juncture examined the characteristic of having a weak mind, and both of these plays revealed the dangerous aspects to extreme feelings. Othello is a play that too explores the ravaging that human emotion can cover to, and this essay shall con attituder the pro site that Othello is a play ab emerge the emotion of jealousy and its cons equences.Iago is the first cause of all the trouble in Othello. His apparent motive for absent to oust Cassio in favour of himself is his belief that Cassio is less fit and capable of the position of lieutenant than he.Nor the partition of a battle he knowsMore than a spinster, unless bookish rhetoric,Wherein the togged consuls can propose,As masterly as he. Mere prattle with come in practiseIn all his s previous(a)iership. Iago, play I, scene I.The harsh appear pr sound in the alliteration in Iagos speech suggests his anger at Cassios appointment. This idea is later supported when Iago goes on to declare he can non feel love for the moorland, as he feels Othello picks officers out of favouritism. Iago feels hard make to by Othello, and the combination of these revelations indicate that Iago is jealous of Cassios new position and contemptuous towards Othello for giving it because he wanted the position for himself.He may to a fault feel jealous because he is considered less fa vourable as a person to Othello, because he scorns Othello picking his lieutenant out of favouritism. It is these feelings that rouse the desire for revenge on Cassio and The Moor inside Iago, and cause him to plan the fall of his superiors. greedy passel are never happy with separates fortunes and therefore can barely be happy when others are misfortunate. Therefore, it is possible Iagos desire for destruction is spurred by his jealousy. Due to the incident Iago is the shank cause of the tragic result of the play, the point that Othello is virtually Iagos innate jealousy seems to be well made because it is jealousy which first inspires Iago to bring misfortune to those he views to be better off than himself.Iago is non only jealous of Cassio, further also jealous of Othello. Similarly to the jealousy he feels for Cassio, Iago is jealous of Othellos respect and fortunate position. However, there is also evidence that Iago is jealous of Othellos relations with women. He cer ebrates that his married woman has been unfaithful to him with Othello and this would rouse jealousy and contempt.And it is thought abroad that twixt my sheetsHes done my officeIago also finds Desdemona very attractive, and by chance reveals he wants her for himself, although Iagos precise motives are never revealed in the play.Now I do love her (Desdemona) tooNot out of absolute lust, through peradventureI confirm accountant to as great as sin,But partly led to diet my revengeFor I do suspect the lusty MoorHath leaped In my seat Act II scene I line 280This speech can be interpreted as either meaning he loves Desdemona because he can use her as a tool in his revenge against the Moors conduct with his wife, or by chance interpretted as Iago admitting he wants Desdemona for himself- and his in effect(p)ification of this feeling being that Othello had genus Emilia. Either interpretation concludes that Iago hates the tie up because of jealousy non only on the grounds of status and position in the army, but also in terms of women too. The idea of Iagos innate jealousy of wanting Desdemona for himself would explain his behavoir of disregard for Desdemonas feelings in conspiring misfortune for Othello. Iago sees her as a whore,And Ill warrant her, full of game Iago Act II scene III line 19.And this treatment of devalueing is similar to that of someone you want for youself and cannot grant1. He is jealous of Othellos relationship with her, and thus his hatred ext contains to her because he feels that Desdemona should love him and thus he not only wants Othellos position, but to destroy the love he has with Desdemona because he is jealous of it. Iago would not defecate gone beyond his plans to simply eliminate Cassio if he had not felt passion for Desdemona, his actions to ruin her stem beyond soldiery position.Another idea as to why Iago plans to eliminate Cassio and Othello is that of Coleridges suggestion of motiveless-malignity. The idea that Iago was not on the button jealous but meet gained pleasure from beholding others miserable is, in my opinion, is a stronger idea than that of Iago playing because of jealousy alone. There is evidence to suggest that Iago was not jealous of Othello supposedly having sex with his wife, but plainly saw it as more reason to hate him. Iago did not hate Othello because of this- but as well as this- and this suggests that Iago had no real reason to hate Othello, but his evil character en comforted the pleasure of seeing a great man fall.I hate the MoorAnd it is thought abroad that twixt my sheetsHe has done my office Act I scene III line 385The use of AND in this speech suggests that Iago hates the Moor through separate reasons than the issue of his wife. Iagos treatment of Roderigo and Desdemona in the play also suggest that Iago is just an innately evil person rather than someone corrupted by innate jealousy. Roderigo and Desdemona have concluded faith in honest Iago, and he abuses their aver and incorporates them into his plans regardless of how he may hurtthem as individuals. O good Iago,What shall I do to win my lord again?Good acquaintance, go to him Desdemona to Iago Act IV scene II line 147He has no reason to be jealous of Roderigo and Desdemona and still he hurts them anyway, so this suggests Othello is not just virtually Iagos innate jealousy, but his evil ways. He knows the trouble he is causing, and indeed uses dark imagery to express the enjoyment in the pain he creates.I havent. It is engendered. Hell and nightMust bring this monstorous birth to the worlds well-heeledThe vileness in the language and the imagery of hell he uses indicates a dark cruel side in Iago and the playful romantic imagery of his evil plans proves he retracts enjoyment out of it without guilt.If consequence do but approve my dreamMy boat sails freely both with wind and steam.I believe getting so more than enjoyment out of their misery is a point against Othello being nigh Iagos i nnate jealousy because jealous people tend to act irrationally. Iago methodically plans his actions. However, the fact Iago is so bitter could also have hardened him over the years. He seems to be jealous of anyone who is valued favourably, and restive to anyone who values someone else more highly than himself. In this way I am of the opinion that the play is very much closely Iagos innate jealousy transforming him into a bitter man who derives his only pleasure in life from seeing people who could be happy turn miserable. Iagos tragedy is perhaps that he can never be happy himself and so spends his life making others miserable with motiveless-malignity. However, in the book Seven, a serial killer saysI took it past because I envy your normal life detective, so it seems that envy is my sinhaving killed his victims he admits he wishes he could be normal. Jealousy and envy are closely interlinked, so if a serial killer who kills helpless victims even prefers to die because of his j ealousy of normal happy people, then the fact Iago shows no remorse perhaps wagers that Iago did not primarily act out of his jealousy but lust for causing pain.Othello is very much in love with Desdemona at the start of the play, he feels his soul bound to hers and has complete faith and trust in her. His soft language is almost like poetry and reveals his gentle nature.Oh my souls joyIf I were now to die,Twere now to be most happy for I fearMy soul hath her center so absoluteThat not another comfort like to thisSucceeds in unknown fateOthello is an old black man and Desdemona is a beautiful young Venetian girl, in Shakesperian times this would have been considered a very unconventional marriage and people would have looked down on it, at the time, black people were only associated in England with Slaves. The play, however, shows that true love in any circumstance can over office social integrity. In the rangening of the play, their relationship is very solid despite the trouble s that they had to go through to be accepted, however Iago poisons Othellos mind into becoming a jealous monster. Desdemona originally converses of Othello as if he is beyond jealousyMy noble MoorIs true of mind, and made of no such basenessAs jealous creature are. Desdemona Act III, scene IV.Therefore, when Othello is finally corrupted by Iagos slowly dripping slaver of evil lies and ideas, it is a shock to Desdemona to see her husband so callous. The play is about how Othello throws from one man into a completely different one, and the cause of this is jealousy. Thus I can say that the play is about Othellos imposed jealousy. As Othello spends more and more time with Iago, he becomes almost in Iagos possession. At the beginning of the play, Othello has a musicality in his words, and speaks with such beauty and power.Amen to that, sweet powersI cannot speak enough of this contentIt stops me here it is too much of joy.His references are to God and Christianity, and he duologue o f sweetness, joy and contentment. Later, however, the imagery he uses in his speeches changes completely. Shakespeare uses imagery in language to portray the personalities of characters, and thus, a change in Othellos speeches indicates a change in personality.Damn her Lewd Minx. O damn her, damn herCome, go with me apart, I will withdrawTo furnish me with some swift means of deathFor the mediocre devil. Now art thou my lieutenant Act III, scene IV.The imagery he uses here is that of darkness and hell. These are similar to Iagos imagery repetition of hell. Shakespeare makes a connection between Iagos mephistophelian imagery and Iagos possessing of Othello. Witchcraft in Shakespeares time had more social stigma disposed to it than in 2002 Britain, therefore, Shakespeare was making strong linkages between Iago and evil, stronger than how we would interpret it today. The almost hellish possession of Othello by Iago leads to the end result, and thus the imposed jealousy of Othello by Iago is a main part of what the play is about.Psychologist Emma Goldman states on jealousyJealousy, the contortions of which we see in the matrimonial tragedies and comedies, is invariably a one-sided, bigoted accuser, convinced of his own righteousness and the meanness, scratchiness and guilt of the victim. Jealousy does not attempt to understand. Its one desire is to punishas gravely as possiblehonour is restored as soon as blood is shed, either that of the man or the woman. From the archives of the New York public library.This description is essentially what Othello goes through and basically summarises the play. Othellos imposed jealousy is different to Iagos innate jealousy because while Iago appears to be jealous of people who merely have the capacity within them to be happy, Othello appears jealous of Cassio and suspicious of Desedemona because he genuinely thinks they do him wrong. This can lead to the interpretation that Othello was never indeed jealous.Coleridge believe d that Othello was indeed not jealous.Let me repeat, that Othello does not kill Desdemona in jealousy, but in a conviction forced upon him by the almost superhuman art of Iago, such a conviction as any man would have entertained who had believed Iagos honesty as Othello had Notes on Othello, ColeridgeColeridge is saying here that Othello was not jealous of Cassio, or unnecessarily suspicious of Desdemona, but in fact just severely hurt. Iago is repeatedly referred to as honest throughout the play, and even his own wife Emilia did not suspect him of such evil acts. Therefore, because Othello is such a believing and trusting person, he had no element within himself that questioned the honest Iago, with whom he was on first name friendly terms with.Othello was not jealous when he killed Desdemona, but in fact felt it was the only way in which he could regain his respect. In Shakespearian times, the man whose wife was unfaithful would be labelled a cuckold. It was a huge public disgrace to the man as well as an emotional strain, and Othello, being proud, did not take this well, thus he killed the woman he loved not out of jealousy, but out of solemn agony. Without Desdemona, and with the knowledge that someone he loved so deeply had betrayed him, Othello felt in despair. fashion where he comes. Not poppy, nor mandragora,Nor all the drowsy syrups of the world,Shall ever medicine thee to sweet sleepWhich thou owedst yesterday Iago of Othello Act III scene III, line 329.In this way we can see that Othello is not just a play about jealousy, but it is also a play about trust and deception. Othello should have believed Desdemona but the seemingly honest Iago used everyones good traits against them, and caused the bloody mess single handedly.To conclude, Othello is perhaps a play about the innate jealousy of Iago, however, I am left unsure about the precise motives Iago has. I tend to agree with Coleridge, that Iago is motivated simple by the direst cruelty, although the re is substantial evidence, such as his behaviour towards people who seem happier than himself, that Iago suffers from innate jealousy aswell.The play to me, seems to be more about mistrust, and the tragedy that Othello believes Iago over his wife. The fact Othello is so quick to doubt both his love and his best friend also suggests that Othello has a weakness in character judgement and solidarity of emotion. However, Iago was a very intelligent manipulator, and had band on his side, to create a catharsis of emotion which drives Othello to kill his beloved, and how Iago manages to do this, is essentially what the play is about. It leaves the pass on question for me, that did even Shakespeare not know exactly what drove Iago, did the writer have doubts, or was he just unable to convey such a complex character within the confines of a play.1 It is a psychological theory that if someone/something you love is unreachable, your mind will automatically begin to devalue them to ease the pain of not having that person/thing. It is easier to accept a whore does not love you than to accept a genuine pure girl does not love you.