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This essay is about William Shakespeares Othello. It focuses on Iagos words to Othello, O, beware, my lord, of Jealousy. It is the green-eyed monster. in act , scene and just how important this warning was not only for Othello, but also for Roderigo and for Iago.
Before considering the importance of Iagos words, it is important to define what jealousy means. According to The New Lexicon Websters Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language, jealousy is a state of fear, suspicion, revenge or envy caused by a real or imagined threat or challenge to ones possessive instincts. It may be provoked by rivalry, in sexual love, by competition or by desires for the qualities or possessions of another.
Roderigo is foolish and even at times unusually feeble-minded. This explained partially by Roderigos jealousy he is infatuated with Desdemona and has been for some time. He is willing to do anything to win her love. He is jealous that Desdemona loves Othello and not him. In accordance with the definition of jealousy, Roderigo desires the possessions of another. It is this jealousy which moves him to do many evil things in the play. He pays Iago large amounts of money to conjure up a scheme to acquire Desdemona. He gives in to Iago at the beginning of the play. In effect he has become the villain's disciple. By doing this, he himself has adopted the green-eyed monster image. In act two, he is prompted by Iago to cause a commotion and begin a fight with Cassio. Later in act four, scene two, Roderigo is convinced by Iago to kill Cassio. In act five, scene one, Roderigo attempts to kill Cassio but only manages to wound him. At the same time Cassio wounds Roderigo. Iago (who was watching this fight) leaves only to re-enter later and kill Roderigo. Roderigos jealousy brought upon his downfall.
Most people do not think of jealousy as Iagos downfall, but in essence, jealousy has many negative effects on Iago. By using Iago, Shakespeare has shown just how powerful jealousy really is. Iago is cunning, crafty, intellectual and intelligent. Despite seeming to be impermeable to negative emotions such as jealousy, the exact opposite seems to happen. Iago can not accept the fact that Othello overlooks him and appoints Cassio as his lieutenant. Iago finds it appalling and is jealous that he wasnt promoted. Iago fits the definition of jealousy because he is in a state of revenge which is provoked by competition. This jealousy made Iago the villain or as was put in the play, the green-eyed monster. The play focuses on his plot to ruin Othello because he wasnt chosen.
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Near the end of the first act, Iago explains to Roderigo that Othello and Desdemona will be undone by his wit. As he states it, separating Othello and Desdemona becomes a challenge to him and the forces of evil If sanctimony and a frail vow betwix an erring barbarian and a supersubtle Venetian be not too hard for my wits and all the tribe of hell, thou shalt enjoy her. Iago uses his wit, his scheming or cunning , to make Cassio lose his credibility in Othellos eyes, initially by coercing Cassio to lose control at the party and begin to fight. Then by making it appear that Desdemona is having a secret romance with Cassio. But in the end, minor errors (but very important errors) contributed to his downfall. The first being that Roderigo was unable to kill Cassio and the second being his wife, Emilia, who in the end can no longer keep quiet and lets Othello know that he has been deceived by Iago. From this point on, there was a different view of Iago. He could no longer uphold his honest Iago image. He was now evil Iago. Perhaps Iagos plan would have been successful if he wasnt so persistent in destroying Othello and Desdemona. He was already successful with destroying Cassios reputation and his own reputation was improving drastically. Jealousy and his thirst for power made him continue and ultimately lead to his failure.
Out of all the characters in this play, it is most obvious that jealousy was what ruined Othello. Jealousy has the most profound effect on Othello. Of course, it is Iago who plants vivid pictures of Desdemona and Cassio sleeping together in Othellos head. However, Othello is a simple man. He has never had to deal with this type of situation. As a result, he had very extreme reactions because of his jealousy. Othello tells Iago that he wants Iago to kill Cassio and that he will kill Desdemona. His love for Desdemona is so strong and still jealousy overpowers him. Jealousy has made him lose his ability to reason or think logically. In fact, Iago has been so successful with his plan that he was able to put Othello into a state of madness. He even loses control of his body and Iago explains it as epileptic seizures.
At the end of the play, after Othello smothers Desdemona to death, it is brought to his attention that he was set up by Iago. In horror, he realizes his mistake. Just before his suicide, Othello explains that all will have to refer to him as one that loved not wisely but too well (act five, scene two, line 44). His lack of experience brought upon his ruin.
One of the stylistic devices in Othello is the way in which Shakespeares presentation of jealousy is made almost equivalent to that emotion. In other words, jealousy is described throughout the play as a monstrous emotion that becomes increasingly more destructive and intense. As jealousy is always growing, so does Shakespeares presentation of jealousy grow throughout the play. Shakespeares attention to jealousy is slight in the opening act., Then in act two, jealousy moves swiftly to centre stage and stays there the rest of the play.
Throughout Shakespeare's Othello, the major theme of jealousy is apparent. According to Microsoft Bookshelf, jealousy, by definition, means "resentful or bitter in rivalry." The tragedy Othello focuses on the doom of Othello and the other major characters as a result of jealousy. The theme of jealousy is prominent throughout the play as it motivates the characters' actions. In Shakespeare's Othello, jealousy is portrayed through the major characters of Iago and Othello. It utterly corrupts their lives because it causes Iago to show his true self, which in turn triggers Othello to undergo an absolute conversion that destroys the lives of their friends. Iago, "most honest" (I, iii, 7) in the eyes of his companions, is, in fact, truly the opposite. His feelings of jealousy uncovers his actual self. D.R. Godfrey concludes this after hearing Iago state that he "ha' look'd upon the world for four times seven years" (I, iii, 11-). In his essay, Godfrey explains that Iago "has arrived at one of the great seven year…critical stages" (41) of his life, causing him to become "jealous, embittered, … [and] vengeful." (41). Iago's dupe, Roderigo, is the only person, in fact, to know this previously; Iago tells Roderigo that he is "not what [he is]" (I, i, 6). He possesses this jealousy because he is distressed that Othello chose Michael Cassio, a "valiant" (II, i, 8), "Florentine…arithmetician" (I, i, 1-0), over himself for the position of lieutenancy. Jealousy "divorces [Iago]…from rationality", Godfrey states (418). This loss of rational causes Iago to "make a life of jealousy" (III, iii, 04) and plots to destroy Othello. Although Iago has a reputation of being "full of love and honesty" (III, iii, 18), he is responsible for destroying many lives and is considered "perhaps one of the most villainous characters in all literature" (Godfrey 4). Iago alludes to Othello that his wife, Desdemona, has been unfaithful with Cassio. Iago initially intends to hurt Othello and make him regret appointing Cassio as his lieutenant; however, he ends up hurting others in the process. Iago's jealousy causes his true character, one of "vicious[ness]" (Godfrey 41), to become noticeable. This, in turn, creates a new Othello to emerge, one "utterly possessed, calling out for blood and vengeance" (Godfrey 418). Othello, considered by A.C. Bradley one of "the most romantic figure[s] among Shakespeare's heroes" (1) and a "dignified" () "poet" (1), quickly becomes entranced by Iago's "vengeful[ness]" (Godfrey, 41). Othello, placing entire confidence in Iago's honesty, has been "moved by the warnings of [his]…honest…friend" (Bradley ). At first, Othello does not believe Iago; but his "degradation is complete" (Godfrey 418) by the end of the "Temptation Scene" (III, iii). Even though Iago produces a minimal amount of proof, a "handkerchief that Iago may have seen Cassio wipe his beard with, and Cassio's alleged…dreams" (Godfrey 418), Othello is completely "possessed by the madness of jealousy" (Godfrey 41). He immediately "passes sentence[s] of death" (Godfrey 418) to Cassio and Desdemona, deciding that Desdemona should die "some swift means of death" (III, iii, 47). One can tell that Iago's jealousy has, in fact, corrupted Othello. This great poet (Bradley 1), Othello, previously had spoken of Desdemona, his wife, as "wondrous" (I, iii, 160) and "Heaven[ly]" (I, iii, 58); after hearing from Iago that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair, his tone changes and begins to speak like Iago. He begins to use "gross, animal imagery" (Rocchino --00) to make references to his wife and women in general. For example, he calls Desdemona a "haggard" (III, iii, 61), while also labeling her derogatory names like "lewd minx" (III, iii, 487) and "whore" (IV, ii, ). Although Othello is most affected by Iago's jealousy, the repercussions on others are very evident. Othello's jealousy destroys his love through his hatred. He can no longer have doubts about his wife's guilt; therefore, he must finally act against it by "assuming the mask of impersonal justice" (Godfrey 40). He must "kill" (V, ii, ) Desdemona. Even though Desdemona tries to tell him the truth, Othello is completely irrational, refusing to listen (V, ii). Emilia, too, is murdered as a repercussion of Iago's jealousy. When she states the truth that she "found by fortune [the handkerchief] and did give it to [her] husband" (V, ii, 5), Iago, calling her a "villainous whore" (V, ii, 7), stabs Emilia from behind, murdering her. Othello then seriously wounds Iago with his "sword of Spain" (V, ii, 5). He does not want to kill Iago because it is "happiness to die" (V, ii, 8). Instead, he wants him to live a life of suffering. As the truth comes out about Iago's deception, Othello realizes the damage he has caused by believing Iago, which led to the deaths of Roderigo, Desdemona, and Emilia. He then "smote[s] him[self]" (V, ii, 55), resulting in his immediate death. The punishments are, according to Godfrey, "justified" (4) in that the "destroyer is by himself destroyed" (4). Because the major theme of jealousy is apparent throughout Shakespeare's Othello, one realizes that the play focuses on the doom of Othello and the other major characters as a result of this jealousy. The theme of jealousy is prominent throughout the play as it motivates the characters' actions. The major characters of Iago and Othello clearly possess this jealousy and show how it affects them. Iago is forced to expose his actual nature and Othello undergoes a total transformation from a normal human to a spiteful monster. Obviously, jealousy does cause people to change in horrific ways.
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