essays on othello jealousy

From Shakespearean Tragedy by A. C. Bradley. London: MacMillan and Co., 1919. The character of Othello is comparatively simple, but, as I have dwelt on the prominence of intrigue and accident in the play, it is desirable to show how essentially the success of Iago's plot is connected with this character. Othello's description of himself as one not easily jealous, but, being wrought, Perplexed in the extreme, is perfectly just. His tragedy lies in this--that his whole nature was indisposed to jealousy, and yet was such that he was unusually open to deception, and, if once wrought to passion, likely to act with little reflection, with no delay, and in the most decisive manner conceivable. Let me first set aside a mistaken view. I do not mean the ridiculous notion that Othello was jealous by temperament, but the idea, which has some little plausibility, that the play is primarily a study of a noble barbarian, who has become a Christian and has imbibed some of the civilisation of his employers, but who retains beneath the surface the savage passions of his Moorish blood and also the suspiciousness regarding female chastity common among Oriental peoples, and that the last three Acts depict the outburst of these original feelings through the thin crust of Venetian culture. It would take too long to discuss this idea, and it would perhaps be useless to do so, for all arguments against it must end in an appeal to the reader's understanding of Shakespeare. If he thinks it is like Shakespeare to look at things in this manner; that he had a historical mind and occupied himself with problems of 'Culturgeschichte'; that he laboured to make his Romans perfectly Roman, to give a correct view of the Britons in the days of Lear or Cymbeline, to portray in Hamlet a stage of the moral consciousness not yet reached by the people around him, the reader will also think this interpretation.
Othello’s Jealousy 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. Iago offers many ‘proofs’ to his lord, most of which are deceitful, but alas some that only work to spark the flame of jealousy in Othello. We shall examine each one and unravel Iago’s plan to dethrone his lord Othello, the Moor whom he despises so much. We first find Iago sparking the flame of jealousy in Othello’s brain when he asks of the honesty of Cassio, as well as Desdemona. Iago sly as he may be begins Othello to suspect that Desdemona and Cassio may share a love for one another. He offers that he has seen them whispering to one another and laughing amongst themselves as if to inquire a flirtation amongst them. Othello doesn’t seem to believe such things because he knows they are friendly and that he trusts the integrity and honesty of them both. This first isn’t really a proof but just a beginning in a clever plan to enrage Othello. It is credible since Cassio and Desdemona are friendly and is only used, once again, as a spark to begin the fire. Iago’s words burn into Othello’s brain as he begins to become jealous and suspect things. At a time when he is extremely upset about thinking about such things Iago enters and begins to feed him more ‘proofs’. Iago tells Othello that one night when he was sleeping by Cassio, he being one to talk in his.
Enter Your Search Terms to Get Started! Explore the theme of jealousy in Shakespeare’s Othello There are evil people in this world; greedy, manipulative, overbearing and jealous. Iago, in William Shakespeare's Othello, is an evil, malignant character. Iago uses people's goodness, integrity, and ignorance to get what he wants. When Othello's position is higher through character and status, Iago becomes jealous and decides that Othello must be eliminated. Iago is aware of the jealousy inside himself. Othello is a good man at heart, but is not aware of his evil and jealousy, and therefore will not be able to control it. Iago takes advantage of this and uses Othello's trust to manipulate Othello into revealing his true character. Iago, like any great manipulator, moves indirectly so he is never suspected. He uses Roderigo to get to Cassio, Desdemona, and Othello. Once the peace is disrupted, Iago moves directly to Othello. Everyone trusts Iago and believes that he is trying to do the best for them. Iago uses Roderigo to get Cassio in trouble with Othello. Since Roderigo is in love with Desdemona, I confess it is my shame to be so found (of Desdemona)(Act 1. Sc 3. Ln 360), Iago tells Roderigo that Cassio is in love with her and she in love with Cassio. Desdemona is directly in love with him.(Act2. Sc1. Ln240) This upsets Roderigo and he is more prone to fight Cassio when told by Iago to do so. Roderigo does not just have Othello to compete with anymore; he has Cassio as well. Iago tells Roderigo that he can win Desdemona from Cassio by fighting and from Othello by following her to Cyprus. So Roderigo listens to and trusts the man, fights Cassio, sells his land and brings Iago to Cyprus. After the fight, Cassio is dismissed from his office by Othello. Iago wins. Cassio is in trouble, is no longer Othello's lieutenant and Iago is in Cyprus with Othello. He then moves in on.
Explore the different themes within William Shakespeare's tragic play, Othello. Themes are central to understanding Othello as a play and identifying Shakespeare's social and political commentary. In Othello, the major themes reflect the values and the motivations of characters. Love In Othello, love is a force that overcomes large obstacles and is tripped up by small ones. It is eternal, yet derail-able. It provides Othello with intensity but not direction and gives Desdemona access to his heart but not his mind. Types of love and what that means are different between different characters. Othello finds that love in marriage needs time to build trust, and his enemy works too quickly for him to take that time. The immediate attraction between the couple works on passion, and Desdemona builds on that passion a steadfast devotion whose speed and strength Othello cannot equal. Iago often falsely professes love in friendship for Roderigo and Cassio and betrays them both. For Iago, love is leverage. Desdemona's love in friendship for Cassio is real but is misinterpreted by the jealous Othello as adulterous love. The true friendship was Emilia's for Desdemona, shown when she stood up witness for the honor of her dead mistress, against Iago, her lying husband, and was killed for it. Appearance and Reality Appearance and reality are important aspects in Othello. For Othello, seeing is believing, and proof of the truth is visual. To prove something is to investigate it to the point where its true nature is revealed. Othello demands of Iago Villain, be sure thou prove my love a whore, be sure of it, give me the ocular proof (Act 3, Scene 3). What Iago gives him instead is imaginary pictures of Cassio and Desdemona to feed his jealousy. As Othello loses control of his mind, these pictures dominate his thoughts. He looks at Desdemona's whiteness and is swept up in the.
Jealousy is a major theme in Othello and it is what drives Othello to commit his heinous deed of killing Desdemona. Othello claims to be a man who loved not wisely, but too well;of one not easily jealous. (V.ii.347). Whilst it is true that his misplaced trust in honest Iago and the ocular proof of Desdemona's infidelity drive this play to its tragic end, initially Othello does not show any signs of jealousy and is fully aware of Desdemona's friendship with Cassio which, until Iago starts his manipulative scheming, is not a concern for Othello because he knows that Desdemona had eyes and chose me (III.iii.189). Iago is all too aware of Othello's  constant, loving, noble nature” which he will use against him to incite his jealousy.   Honor and reputation are equally important to Othello and once his jealousy is aroused and he has the proof he needs  -  I saw the handkerchief (V.ii.66)- he must  save Desdemona's own reputation  She turn'd to folly, and she was a whore (V.ii.133) as well as his own because nought I did in hate, but all in honor. (V.ii.298) Othello's jealousy is therefore a result of circumstances and manipulation. Iago is such a strong personality and has everyone fooled - for most of the play-  and his own jealousy appears to be the motivation for his destruction of Othello - and everyone else along the way I do suspect the lusty Moor. Othello gives him no cause to suspect him but Iago will get his revenge  wife for wife (II.i.303). To build this in to an essay, you will need a strong introduction. There have been many essays written on Othello's jealousy so you need to grab your reader's attention. Start with a startling statement such as - From a man with a loving and noble nature, Othello is transformed in to a crazed, babbling and irrational monster.   Build your quotes in right from the start. You could continue  with something like - The man that.
Find the Perfect College Your dream school is right around the corner. Search to find colleges that might be a match for you. Your GPA: What you want to study: Location: Othello is the most famous literary work that focuses on the dangers of jealousy. The play is a study of how jealousy can be fueled by mere circumstantial evidence and can destroy lives. (In Othello, the hero succumbs to jealousy when Iago convinces him that Desdemona has been an unfaithful wife – in the end, Othello murders his wife and then kills himself.) It is interesting that Iago uses jealousy against Othello, yet jealousy is likely the source of Iago's hatred in the first place. In Othello, jealousy takes many forms, from sexual suspicion to professional competition, but it is, in all cases, destructive. What language does Shakespeare use to describe jealousy in the play? Do different characters use different metaphors to describe jealousy, or are there common ways of talking about it? Do other characters besides Othello demonstrate jealousy? In what ways? Is jealousy portrayed as intrinsically unreasonable? Is there a kind of jealousy that is reasonable, or does the play suggest that all jealousy tends to mock the person who is jealous? Why is sexual jealousy the focus of the play, rather than a different kind of jealousy? What other kinds of jealousy are included in Othello? (If you're thinking of Iago's jealousy of Othello, keep in mind that this, too, could be sexual jealousy.) Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate. The reason Iago chooses to hurt Othello by making him jealous is that Iago is consumed by jealousy himself. In Othello, Shakespeare proves that jealousy is inherently unreasonable, as it is founded on the psychological issues of the jealous person, not on the behavior of the one who prompts the jealous feelings.