The Theme of Jealousy in Othello, Essay Example

Shakespear’s Othello is one of the most prominent literature works that incorporates the theme of jealousy. In this play the reader can study and understand how jealousy can ruin people lives, even in cases when only the most circumstantial proof of guilt is provided. In this play, jealousy is employ as a weapon, which was unconsciously lethal because its victim tends to demolish himself and those around him. In this play, the theme of jealousy is mainly revealed through Iago and Othello. Iago uses jealousy as the source for his hatred, thus directing it against Othello. By taking different forms, like sexual suspicion or professional competition, the theme jealousy is still destructive for all the characters.

The fact of jealousy in this play shows us how it completely corrupts the lives of its main characters – Iago and Othello. Being noble and famous, Othello occupied relatively high position in the regard of his rulers, thus he had everything he needed and wanted. However, his primary weakness was revealed through his saturating insecurity and self-loathing that granted profuse ground for the scoundrel Iago to capitalize on Othello’s fatal mistake an unreasonable, unfounded jealousy, which drove him to kill what he loved the most, thus putting everything away along with his own life and destiny.

In the very first Act of the play, one of the major characters Iago puts across an ultimate and irresolvable jealousy of Othello, thus suspecting him – “that twixt my sheets / He has done my office.”(1.3.367-368) In fact, Iago sets the tone for the way jealousy effects the characters in the play. Iago appears to be not certain that Othello is actually cuckolding him, thus without having any evidence he is still being suspicious – “I know not if’t be true; / But I, for mere suspicion in that kind, / Will do as if for surety.”(1.3.371) “His destruction of Cassion is not only a means towards the ruin of Othello, but also an end in itself.”(Elster, 109) Thus, Iago is constantly reflecting his own envious and jealous feelings. However, it is Othello and his intense jealous behavior that encompass the major theme of the play. Othello appears to be the center of power, thus his behavior and exercise of free will strongly affects everyone around him. In his turn, Iago uses Othello’s prevailing insecurity and jealousy as the means for instant changes in Othello’s attitude towards Desdemona. As a result, Othello’s jealousy makes him to overestimate the worth of the handkerchief “More than indeed belonged to such a trifle”(5.2.226) and as a result underestimate his wife’s true worth like “the base Indian.”(Korda, 112)

Eventually, Iago uncovers his plans to get even with Othello:

“And nothing can or shall content my soul
Till I am even’d with him, wife for wife,
Or failing so, yet that I put the Moor
At least into a jealousy so strong”(2.1.275-279)

Consequently, as Iago unfurls his plans and intentions, he uses the ‘monster’ metaphor for the description of jealousy in an insincere, ironic warning to Othello to watch out “O beware jealousy; / it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock / The meat it feeds on”(3.3.165) In the scene when Emilia warns Desdemona that a jealousy in men is a “monster / Begot upon itself, born on itself”(3.4.156-157) the thread continues. As a result, Desdemona trembles at the thought Othello’s potential jealousy, thus praying “Heaven keep the monster from Othello’s mind!”(3.4.158) I appears that Emilia serves as an ignorant contributor to Iago’s web through handing him the handkerchief of Desdemona. So, first she assists Iago, and then she ‘kills’ him by revealing his betrayal. But at this point, the jealousy has already killed Desdemona; Emilia will pay a high price of her life as well; it will take Othello by suicide, and will destroy Iago through torture and punishment. Of course, the fundamental root of the tragedy is Othello’s trustfulness and insecurity, thus he listens to Iago’s words and lets himself to be cast adrift in self-doubt and failure to believe that Desdemona can truly be in love with him.

Shakespeare’s Othello is a heartrending paradigm of mankind’s legacy of doubt and disappointment, and the way they poison the free will given to us by God. The tragedy is that if Othello only would have kept believing in Desdemona’s honesty and accepted her devotion and faithfulness, he could have lived a long and happy life. However, we observe completely opposite picture in the play. In fact, the play and its tragedy could be a perfect example of how pure faith and acceptance are more valuable than contaminated free will.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. Othello. Classic Books Company, 2001.

Korda, Natasha. Shakespeare’s Domestic Economies: Gender and Property in Early Modern England. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2002.

Elster, Jon. Alchemies of the mind: rationality and the emotions. Cambridge University Press, 1999