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.
Roderigo shows a destructive influence of jealousy in the play "Othello". His jealousy is for anyone who captures Desdemona's heart. Roderigo desperately wants to marry Desdemona, but her father Barbantio disapproved. When Iago tells Roderigo that Othello has married Desdemona without her fathers consent, he replies ignorantly by saying, "What a full fortune does the thick-lips owe,/ if he can carry't this" (I.i.68-69). He wanted to be with Desdemona badly and because Othello married her without consent he is jealous of him. This begins Roderigo's resentment to Othello, and his thoughts on ruining him. Also, since Othello has married Desdemona without Barbantio's approval. Roderigo helps Iago with his plan to make Desdemona's father aware of the situation, due to the fact that they both want to sabotage Othello. Iago says to Roderigo, "Call up her father,/ Rouse him. Make after him in the streets. Incense her kinsmen,/ And, though he in a fertile climate dwell,/ Plague him with flies." (I.i.70-74), and Roderigo agreed on the plan. Roderigo thinks that if he tells Barbantio he will not accept the marriage, this would give Roderigo another chance with Desdemona. Roderigo's jealousy has influenced him into being self centered. He does not care about Othello's happiness but only pleasing himself. Lastly, Roderigo agrees to help Iago kill Cassio, after Iago manipulates and convinces Rode...
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...alousy is making him turn destructive at this point, wanting to murder. Finally, when Lodovico gives Othello the letter stating that Cassio will be taking his place and he will be going home. Desdemona seems to be thrilled which begins to upset Othello leading him to make rude and sarcastic remarks. He says "I am glad to see you mad...[striking her] Devil!(IV.i.253,255). Not only does the letter irritate him but Lodovico's and Desdemona's conversation about Cassio, put Othello into a jealous rage whih ended in him striking her. His jealousy changes him into a cold hearted person, who later kills his innocent wife Desdemona, and then later stabbing himself. He says before suicide, "... Speak of me as I am, nothing extenuate,/ Nor set down aught in malice. Then must you speak/... of one not easily jealous, but being wrought,/ Perplex'd in the extreme;" (V.ii.394-398)
With Roderigo, someone he commands control over, Iago employs pathos, allowing his plan to appeal to Roderigo’s sensitive emotions about Othello. Roderigo and Iago discuss about how each of them despise Othello when Iago says, “If ever I did dream of such a matter, / Abhor me” using pathos to confirm his hatred towards the General (1.2. 5-6). The play commences with Iago employing direct rhetoric and partnering up with Roderigo to enhance a sense of comradery. Harsh language such as “Abhor me”, exemplifies the hateful emotions Iago feels toward Othello as well as enhances the emotions Iago wants to appeal to in Roderigo (1.2. 6). Affecting Roderigo more influentially, Iago uses deeper, more personal pathos, by highlighting the seemingly good qualities in Roderigo. Iago contrasts Roderigo to Othello pointing out, “Let not they discreet heart think it…manners and beauties: all which the/ Moor is defective in” (2.1. 215, 219-220). Firstly, Iago weighs Roderigo’s positive qualities against Othello’s negatives ones, convincing Roderigo to feel more confident with Iago and following along with his scheme. Secondly, Iago alters this rhetoric to include Roderigo’s love interest, Desdemona. By exemplifying a more personal and sensitive side when talking about “manners and beauties”, Iago can create a bigger impact in
“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.
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
While Desdemona is not aware of why Othello is so angry with her, she continues to do the good deed of attempting to get Cassio his job back. Desdemona speaking in front of Othello, explains to her cousin Lodovico “A most unhappy one. I would do much/ T’ atone them, for the love I bear to Cassio”(4,1,219-220). Proving that she cares for Cassio and that him receiving his position back should be up for consideration. Thus, Othello “strikes”(4,1,232) Desdemona thinking she loves Cassio due to her showing friendly affection towards him. This displays Othello allowing his jealousy to suppress his love for Desdemona by hitting her because of his thoughts that she is having an
Othello remains convinced that he is not a naturally jealous man throughout the pay, even though both his words and actions contradict this. An example of this is when he confronts Desdemona about the handkerchief. Every other character in the play becomes a victim of Othello's raging jealousy, Cassio because he is everything that Othello is not, Othello himself dies tragically as a consequence of his downfall but no one more so than the woman that he loves -- Desdemona. It is for these reasons that I believe that Othello is jealous, though only as a result of Iago manipulating and exploiting his capacity to be jealous.
He also views love as a possession and without it he is a lost puppy. To him Desdemona is purity and sanctuary. Brabantio says “I have charged thee not to haunt about my doors: In honest plainness thou hast heard me say my daughter is not for thee” (Act I, Scene i) this accusation shows that Roderigo has come to plead for Desdemona’s hand in marriage not once but multiple times. It proves that Rodrigo has become obsessed with Desdemona. He wants Desdemona as his picture perfect wife and act docile or subservient to his will. Not only does he view Desdemona as property but he also grows an acute addiction to the idea of her love. He loves the idea of her love because Roderigo does not truly know Desdemona, instead he falls deeply in love with the image that he projects of her in his mind. Roderigo is so obsessed by the prospect of her love that he says. “It is silliness to live when to live is torment; and then have we a prescription to die when death is our physician.” (Act I, Scene iii). He becomes so entangled in the prospect of love that he goes to extent to threaten to end his life without it. To gain his picture perfect love Roderigo jumps through hoops and even solicits the help of Iago to achieve his goal. The second fatal flaw that Roderigo encounters is honor. Roderigo instead of possessing too much honor like Othello, he in turn lacks it. In contrary to Othello
“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.
Iago took advantage of the situations and made Othello enraged. After persuading Othello that Desdemona is cheating on him, he manipulates Othello into killing Desdemona in her bed. “Work on, My medicine, work! Thus credulous fools are caught, And many worthy and chaste dames even thus, All my guiltless, meet reproach. What, ho! My lord! My lord , I say Othello!” (4.1). Othello is now out of his mind; he was clouded by Iago’s lies. After tormenting Othello, Iago moves into tricking Roderigo to kill Cassio. “ I mean knock his brains out, so he can’t take Othello 's place”(4.2). Roderigo once more falls into Iago’s scheme. At this point of the story, Othello is now mad and enraged; he is subjected into killing Desdemona with desperation.
What is the most disastrous human emotion? William Shakespeare's Othello makes it clear that the answer to this question is jealousy. After all, it is jealousy that drives Iago to concoct the plan, which ruins the lives of several innocent people including Othello, Desdemona, Emilia, and Roderigo. This play poses a distinct character foil between Shakespeare's vilest villain, Iago, and the honest, but easily mislead Othello. This tragedy is mostly based upon Iago's suggestion of an affair between Othello's wife, Desdemona, and the lieutenant Cassio. As a loving, trusting husband, Othello at first does not want to believe the insinuations, but his feelings are distorted by the cunning Iago into believing his base slander. Othello's soliloquy in Act III depicts this transformation of his character from an understanding, straightforward man to an angry, suspicious, and jealous husband.
Roderigo begins with a small jealousy of Othello for being married to Desdemona. It isn't until Iago makes Roderigo believe Desdemona does not really love Othello that Roderigo becomes destructive. Iago tells Roderigo, "It cannot be that Desdemona should long continue...
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...
Robert Heinlein once stated: "A competent and self-confident person is incapable of jealousy in anything. Jealousy is invariably a symptom of neurotic insecurity." In William Shakespeare's "Othello," Othello's self-reliance is prominent as he is a highly respected general in the armies of Venice and betrothed to a younger senator's daughter; but when his envious ensign seeks revenge, he begins to question the motives of the people dearest to him. While appearing to be a confident, well-respected guy, Othello's insecurities of being an outsider take the better of him, and as the play progresses, his "confidence" is unmasked as doubt.
Roderigo is consumed by jealousy. Roderigo is jealous of the marriage of Othello and Desdemona. Roderigo loves Desdemona. With romance in Roderigo is able to be controlled by Iago thinking the down fall 0f Othello and Cassio would get Roderigo Desdemona. Roderigo is the biggest pawn Iago possesses. And probably the saddest character in the whole drama.
Iago had tricked Othello into believing that Desdemona cheated on him with Cassio, thus causing him to become jealous. His jealousy overcame his usual respectable, noble personality and he became irrational and violent. His jealousy and rage lead him to kill his wife, something he would never have done if he had not been jealous.
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.