Kashayla Snipes
Dr. Nancy Blair
English Composition 1102
February 25, 2014
Othello: A Tragedy of Jealosuy
“Jealousy is troublesome to others, but a torment to themselves.” Those are words from a famous entrepreneur and philosopher, William Penn. In William Shakespeare’s Othello, the act of jealousy is a powerful sensation seen almost in every aspect and relationship throughout the tragedy. Furthermore, it is one of the most important topics in the play. Based on the conflicts within Othello, jealousy can be defined as troubles or misfortune caused by hallucinations. At the same time, Millicent Bell states in his essay, “Othello’s Jealousy” that the characters are driven to madness by being allowed to see what really is not so or simply using imagination. Bell also goes on to say the jealousy traits are shown only in a sexual manner. That statement can be argued against. True enough, sexual jealousy is shown in Othello, but it is not the only form of jealousy exposed.
According to Medical Dictionary, sexual jealousy is a condition characterized by suspicion of a spouse's infideli...
“O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock.The meat it feeds on; that cuckold lives in bliss. Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger; But, O, what damned minutes tells he o'er. Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves” (3.3.163-168). In Shakespeare’s Othello, jealousy is the common theme that becomes Othello’s undoing. Through text in the play, the audience can notice Othello slowly begin to become crazed through his speech.
Shakespeare’s work “Othello” emphasizes the dangers of jealousy. The play demonstrates how jealousy is powered by affirmations that can easily be proven false. Therefore, resulting in the destruction of many lives, including the tragic hero himself. It is extremely apparent that jealousy is a behavioral propellant on the entire plot. Specifically, the play begins in the midst of Iago’s jealous behavior towards Cassio. Lago’s twisted actions refer to the source of jealousy, indicating that he takes revenge on the people around him and is the least discontent with the lives he damages. As the play progresses, both the tragic hero and Iago’s jealous behavior develops. Othello’s Moorish values make him obscure in comparison to other Venetians suggests that the reason for his jealousy is unreasonable. Notably, Shakespeare exhibits that jealousy is unreasonable throughout the play as a result of the tragic hero’s fatal flaw, an issue that is psychological. The action and behavior Othello performs in enviousness is not a source of a reasonable act of
Have you ever been jealous of someone due to some reason? One can understand how jealousy can affect him or her to do horrible things. Jealousy causes people to perform stupid actions that they would not have done if they were not jealous of something or someone. The protagonist and the antagonist are mostly driven by love and filled with the feeling of jealousy. Due to the feeling of jealousy felt by the antagonist, Iago about not getting the job he wanted, he makes a plan to somehow destroy Othello’s love for Desdemona. As the play progresses, the protagonist, Othello begins to appear more like Iago, as his jealousy destroys his wife and consumes his life. Therefore, jealousy is personified as a “green eyed monster” through the combination of Othello’s credulous nature and Iago’s malicious villainy. It is the reason for the change in Iago’s and Othello’s behavior, impacts the insecurity
When many people decided to sit down and read a book or a play it is because the title or summary entices them. As the story comes to an end it is decided whether or not the person related to or understood the point of the literature. Great authors and playwrights know this and set in place concepts. Many different concepts, to catch different audiences attention and to deepen the understanding of the literature. In order to understand Shakespeare’s play Othello, it is necessary to examine the emotions of jealousy, manipulation, being consumed by something, and gender.
In this particular question the assessment objectives which are being addressed are AO1, AO4 and AO5. The question does not demand the close reading of a passage or its connection to the test of the play required by AO2 and AO3. What is important is a good overall understanding of the play in relation to the question, an ability to engage in critical debate and to recognise that texts can be interpreted in different ways, and a sense of how an understanding of context could illuminate the issue.
In Shakespeare’s Jealous Husbands: Othello and Leontes by Paul Dean is a play that dramatized the comparison on how Jealousy in Othello with Jealousy in Shakespeare’s late romance The Winter’s Tale, serves as a substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change for further action. Shakespeare’s ideas about jealousy came from a variety of literary and cultural traditions, beginning with narrative of the Fall as he read it in the Book of Genesis and as he saw it in the medieval mystery plays still being performed during his adolescence. Jealousy is a leading motive in this story in the form of ‘‘covetousness, because the serpent offers Eve equality with God in knowing good and evil’’ (Genesis 2:5). The trace by Dean of the theme of Jealousy in other Shakespearean plays, and analyzes the differences and the similarities that connect both Jealousy in Othello and Jealousy in Shakespeare’s late romance The Winter’ Tale, where it serves as a motivation for further action.
A.C. Bradley describes Othello as "by far the most romantic figure among Shakespeare's heroes"(Shakespearean Tragedy, 1). This is an unusual description of a man who murders his own wife. However, Othello's feelings of hate for Desdemona started as an overwhelming love for her when their relationship began. This transformation from love to hate also inflicted the characters Iago and Roderigo and like Othello their hatred resulted in the murder of innocent people. Roderigo's love for Desdemona was transformed into hate towards any man that he thought was loved by her. Iago's love for his job and his wife, Emilia changed into a destructive hatred of Cassio and Othello. As a result of their hatred Cassio, Emilia, and at the end themselves were killed. The connection between love and hate in William Shakespeare's "Othello" is the ugly feeling of jealousy that caused such transformations. Jealousy can be described as a fear of losing something or someone that is valuable (Godfrey 2). As minor as this feeling appears to be by that definition, it can take on varying degrees of damaging behavior. Othello, Roderigo, and Iago became paralyzed by jealousy. Their thoughts, actions, and behaviors were ruled by it. Jealousy caused their inability to the act rationally. They became paranoid and unable to love. This paper will examine the jealousy that caused love to turn into hate for Roderigo, Othello, and Iago.
The role of jealousy, love and betrayal play a major role in The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice. The entire play is based on the human interactions of the characters as related to Othello and Desdemona. The characters’ personalities, their social status, and their relationships to each other control the story line and their fate in the play. Othello is portrayed early in the play as an outsider with animalistic characteristics by Iago and Roderigo because of jealousy. “Your heart is burst; and have lost half of your soul/Even now, now, very now, an old black ram/Is tupping your white ewe”.(531) Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, accuses Othello of using witch craft on his daughter. “If she in chains of magic were not bound/ Whether a maid so tender, fair, and happy/ So opposite to marriage that she shunned…” (535) This point is important because Othello must defend himself not only to Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, but to the entire Venetian Senate. “And till she come, as truly as to heaven,/ I do confess the vices of my blood./ So justly to your grave ears I’ll present/ How I did thrive in this fair lady’s love, / And she in mine.” (539) Othello proves himself to be an intellectual hero early in the play. He has worked hard to gain respectability and power, but because he has a different background, is from another country, is dark-skinned and is older than Desdemona, he becomes jealous very quickly of Cassio. Cassio is from the same social class, is compatible with Desdemona and is a young handsome man. Iago has also convinced Cassio to seek favor with Desdemo...
Jealousy is an emotion showing envy to someone's achievements, advantages or possessions. Jealousy can also be for someone's suspicions of unfaithfulness. In the William Shakespeare play "Othello",the major theme of jealousy is portrayed through the characters Roderigo, Iago and Othello. These characters show how jealousy has a destructive influence.
In the play Othello, there are many jealous and selfish characters. Each of the characters at one point or another let their jealousy take over. It seems like they all have these plots and plans on how to hurt another character in the play either physically or emotionally, as an act of selfishness, so that they can feel better about themselves. One main character who seems extremely jealous in this play is Iago. Infact, probably the most jealous. Many bad things happen because of Iago. The first bad thing that Iago did, was tell Barbantio (Desdamona's father) that Desdemona has married Othello, the Moore. Iago was mad at Othello, because Cassio had made Othello a higher position and not Iago. Iago thought that he was the one who qualified for the position as general, not Othello. Iago was jealous because of this, so he decided to tell Barbantio about Desdemona and Othello. This was bad, because Barbantio did not know yet, and something like that should have been said by his own daughter, not someone who was not part of the family. The way Iago went about telling him was also bad. He called to his house in the middle of the night. He yelled it to Barbantio from downstairs into his window in a rude manner. " quote from Othello here." He wanted Barbantio to be upset about what had happened, and most of all, he wanted Barbantio to be mad at Othello and do something bad to him.
Othello's Jealousy in William Shakespeare's Othello In Shakespeare's Othello we are introduced into a web of a world entangled with lies, jealousy, and ultimately tragedy. We observe as Iago single handedly destroys the matrimony shared between Othello and the beautiful Desdemona. He does so with a flurry of deceit and trickery, playing upon one of the strongest human emotions, that of jealousy. Iago offers a story of betrayal to his master Othello, which ensnares his soul in a jealous rage of infidelity and honesty. Iago convinces his master that his beloved wife, Desdemona, is false in her virtue and with his right hand man Cassio nonetheless.
This play is filled with many emotions and feelings. There were four main flaws that lead to the tragedy of Othello and the others in this play; racism, love, betrayal, but it was jealousy that played a major part. It can destroy many relationships and take over the mind tremendously. Jealousy can also be overwhelming by making one obsessed with ideas. They all fall victim to jealousy; it makes them act outside of their norm.
Jealousy can come from someone else having what you do not have. In the case this play provides, Roderigo is jealous of Othello for the wife he has (Desdemona). Roderigo notices that he cannot change Desdemona’s feelings towards Othello; he finds them being together as torture and would rather drown himself than be alive to watch someone he cannot have (I.i.350-353). Roderigo’s jealousy
The critic Roland Barthes once said, “Literature is the question minus the answer.” William Shakespeare's tragedy, Othello, can be used to exemplify this quote. One of the themes that Shakespeare discusses in Othello is: the effect jealousy has on people. Several of the characters become jealous over the course of the tragedy. Brabantio became jealous because Desdemona fell in love and married Othello. Roderigo became jealous because Desdemona didn’t fall in love with him. Bianca became jealous because she thought that Cassio was cheating on her with another woman. Othello became jealous because he thought Desdemona was cheating on him with Cassio. Iago became jealous because Othello gave Cassio the position of lieutenant. These characters’
Jealousy is an omnipresent emotion. It can lead to people committing crazy acts. In Othello, the play by William Shakespeare, the protagonist ends up killing his wife because he suspects her of infidelity. While this is a heinous crime, Othello was simply a pawn in a larger plan. Therefore, he should be forgiven. Othello is a gullible fool.