Jealousy In Othello Essay

William Shakespeare is widely regarded to as the greatest writer in the English language. Shakespeare uses many recurring themes such as love, hate and betrayal in his works. Although these themes are popularly connected to Shakespeare, his most infamous theme is jealousy. Jealousy is defined as feeling or showing envy of someone or their achievements and advantages. By examining the role of jealousy throughout Shakespeare’s Othello, the reader can infer that since jealousy is an emotion that every one shares, and it ends up consuming each of the characters lives. The play opens up as Othello, the main character, is secretly marrying a younger woman named Desdemona. Jealousy is immediately shown to the reader in Act One when the man that is

Rodergio is a very foolish man, which made him an easy target for Iago. Since he is so desperately in love with Desdemona, he will do anything to tear her and Othello apart. Iago’s plans to plot against Othello begin with Rodergio. Once Rodergio finds out about Othello and Desdemona’s marriage, he gets angry that Iago let it happen because he had been paying Iago to keep him Othello away from her. Iago then propositions Rodergio to tell Desdemona’s father, Brabantio, about the marriage. One of the major conflicts of the play is Othello and Desdemona’s marriage because of their differences in age and race since the setting of the play is during the late sixteenth century. Even though Iago isn’t concerned about Othello’s intentions of marrying Desdemona, he tells Rodergio “call up her father. / Rouse him, make after him, poison his delight, / Proclaim him in the streets; incense her kinsmen” (Act 1 Scene 1 70-71). Iago tells Rodergio to do this because he thinks that it will get Othello in trouble; however, this plan falls through. Iago uses Rodergio’s infatuation with Desdemona to manipulate him into him into plotting Othello’s lieutenant’s death. Consequently, their scheme goes wrong, and results in Rodergio’s