Ms. Beatty
ENG3U
December 14, 2012
Othello Essay
Jealousy is defined as feeling and/or showing envy of someone for their achievements and advantages. Jealousy is known to be one of the world’s worst emotions, except jealousy is not an emotion. Jealousy is a deadly disease and should not be considered an emotion proving that while in a jealous state there is a complete loss of control. A person in the jealous state is completely incapable of controlling their emotions, behaviour and their intellectual process making them vulnerable in all situations. The play Othello written by William Shakespeare proves to be one of the most profound pieces of literature includes many characters that are diagnosed with the deadly disease that is Jealousy. “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; /It is the green eyed monster which doth mock/ [t]he meat it feeds on” (Othello, 3.3.165-167).
A very vital and traumatizing symptom that comes with having the Jealous disease is the psychological loss of control. The diagnosed character is incapable of controlling their thoughts, often leading them to making unreasonable decisions. In the play Othello, we see many characters that are ill with the Jealous disease and are battling to keep their thoughts intact. Iago is one of the first characters to be introduced into the play who possess the illness. When Iago proves to have the symptom of psychological control loss, we can see it when he states, “I am not what I am” (Othello, 1.1.65). This is very significant because throughout the play it is established that Iago is really contrasting the character who he claims to be; loyal and honest. It is given that Iago is possessed by his illness; forcing him to be the deceiving, smart, and insincere character. When Iago loses psychological control, he makes a decision far too quickly, without processing all the elements.
“Call her father,
Rouse him. Make after him, poison his delight,
Proclaim him in the streets. Incense her