Othello is a play about jealousy, Iago's innate jealousy and the imposed jealousy of Othello, discuss.

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Othello is a play about jealousy, Iago’s innate jealousy and the imposed jealousy of Othello, discuss.

        Othello is a Shakesperian tragedy in which the valuable qualities of the favourable characters are manipulated against them in such a way that their own qualities catalyse their own downfall. At the start of the play all is well between the honest Othello and sweet Desdemona until Iago slowly poisons Othello’s mind until it cumulates in a bloody and murderous finale. Shakespeare’s plays are well renowned for their examination of human emotions through drama, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ examined the nature love, ‘Hamlet’ examined the characteristic of having a weak mind, and both of these plays revealed the dangerous aspects to extreme feelings. Othello is a play that also explores the destruction that human emotion can lead to, and this essay shall consider the proposition that Othello is a play about the emotion of jealousy and its consequences.

        Iago is the first cause of all the trouble in Othello. His apparent motive for wanting to oust Cassio in favour of himself is his belief that Cassio is less fit and capable of the position of lieutenant than he.

        “Nor the division of a battle he knows

          More than a spinster, unless bookish rhetoric,

          Wherein the togged consuls can propose,

          As masterly as he. Mere prattle without practise

          In all his soldiership.” Iago, Act I, scene I.

The harsh sounding ‘pr’ sound in the alliteration in Iago’s speech suggests his anger at Cassio’s appointment. This idea is later supported when Iago goes on to declare he cannot feel love for the Moor, as he feels Othello picks officers out of favouritism. Iago feels hard done to by Othello, and the combination of these revelations indicate that Iago is jealous of Cassio’s new position and contemptuous towards Othello for giving it because he wanted the position for himself. He may also feel jealous because he is considered less favourable as a person to Othello, because he scorns Othello picking his lieutenant out of favouritism. It is these feelings that rouse the desire for revenge on Cassio and The Moor inside Iago, and cause him to plan the fall of his superiors. Jealous people are never happy with other’s fortunes and therefore can only be happy when others are misfortunate. Therefore, it is possible Iago’s desire for destruction is spurred by his jealousy. Due to the fact Iago is the root cause of the tragic result of the play, the point that ‘Othello’ is about Iago’s innate jealousy seems to be well made because it is jealousy which first inspires Iago to bring misfortune to those he views to be better off than himself.

        Iago is not only jealous of Cassio, but also jealous of Othello. Similarly to the jealousy he feels for Cassio, Iago is jealous of Othello’s respect and fortunate position. However, there is also evidence that Iago is jealous of Othello’s relations with women. He believes that his wife has been unfaithful to him with Othello and this would rouse jealousy and contempt.

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        ‘And it is thought abroad that twixt my sheets

         He’s done my office’

Iago also finds Desdemona very attractive, and perhaps reveals he wants her for himself, although Iago’s precise motives are never revealed in the play.

        ‘Now I do love her (Desdemona) too;

         Not out of absolute lust, through peradventure

         I stand accountant to as great as sin,

         But partly led to diet my revenge

         For I do suspect the lusty Moor

         Hath leaped In my seat’  Act II scene I line ~280’

This speech can be interpreted as either meaning he loves Desdemona because he ...

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