The Manipulation Of Jealousy In Shakespeare's Othello

“It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock / The meat if 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!” (Shakespeare, III. III) The play Othello by William Shakespeare is a tragedy that tells the story of a strong general, Othello who finds his marriage to be ruined by Iago, a jealous soldier. Othello is an honorable and experienced commander of the Venetian army. Throughout the play, Othello is manipulated by Iago, who makes him believe that his wife, Desdemona, is having an affair with Cassio, Othello’s lieutenant. Through Iago’s plans, his lies feed Othello’s jealousy and it makes him lose sight …show more content…

As a part of his plan, Iago tricks Cassio into talking about Bianca, a prostitute, and gets him to mimic sexual gestures. While this is happening, Othello sees and hears everything and believes that they are talking about Desdemona. While Othello is hiding, he says to himself, “She was here even now, she haunts me in every place. I was the other day talking on the seabank with certain Venetians; and thither comes the bauble, and, by this hand, she falls me thus about my neck—Crying “O dear Cassio!” as it were: his gesture imports it.” “Now he tells how she plucked him to my chamber. O, I see that nose of yours, but not that dog I shall throw it to.” (IV. I). In reality, what Othello is seeing and hearing is not true. Iago has planned all of this to make it seem like Cassio and Desdemona are really having an …show more content…

Iago changes Othello’s mindset and he changes how other view him. He leads Othello into suspecting that Cassio is having an affair with his wife, Desdemona. Iago comes up with a variety of plans in order to destroy the characters. The main character of the play trusts Iago and he believes that he is a truthful man, he believes that Iago is telling him the truth about everything. In the following quote, Iago says “The Moor is of a free and open nature, that thinks men honest that but seem to be so, and will as tenderly be led by the nose as asses are.” (I. III). Before this scene, Othello trusts Iago with his wife and tells him to escort her to Cyprus. Iago knows that Othello considers him as a sincere friend and he plans on using that in his deceitful plans. Appearance versus reality is one of the central themes in the play Othello. In the play, Iago appears to be an honest man but in reality he is master of deceit. He comes up with several plans to destroy Othello by making him believe that his wife, Desdemona, is