Othello Jealousy Essay

Jealousy, is a “green-eyed monster”( 3.3.167-168) . In that quote Iago is comparing jealousy to a green eyed monster, which is ugly and evil. Therefore Iago is saying that jealousy is something that gnaws at you little by little but will eventually eat up up. The play “ Othello” by William Shakespeare was written in 1604. The play originally took place in Venice , but throughout the play the settings switched from Venice to Cyprus. During the play Shakespeare demonstrated several themes within the character and how those themes motivated the characters actions. Jealousy is one emotion that impels Iago's manipulative actions throughout the entire play.
Iago is the 3rd-in-command which is called an ancient. Iago is married to Emilia, who is Desdemona's servant. He is the antagonist in the play, he is portrayed as the villain and is a very sadistic person. Iago loved seeing others in pain. Watching others suffer
emotionally and physically brings him joy. In the beginning of the play, Iago is furious with Othello so he comes up with a rumor that destroyed Othello. In act three scene three Othello explains to Iago how he is torturing him “ on racks”( 3.3.335). In that scene Othello in mentioning to Iago how he's been tortured with the thoughts of Cassio and Desdemona having secret relations. A Sadistic person is when one likes seeing others in pain and suffering. In act three scene three Iago was filled with excitement when he found out that Othello was hurting. This makes Iago a sadistic person because he enjoys seeing Othello suffering from a major heart break that Iago has caused.
A way Iago becomes motivated by jealousy is having a desire for power. Shakespeare started off the play with Iago being jealous of “ Michael Cassio , a Florentine”( 1.1.18) who Othello appoints as lieutenant, 2nd-in-command. Iago is furious and feels that he deserves the job as lieutenant. He is upset that Cassio is given the job that belongs to him. At that moment his anger turns into jealousy. Iago is jealous of Cassio's title and power and since he feels that the job belonged to him, so he comes up with a plan that causes destruction to all three Desdemona , Cassio and Othello life. The plan he comes up with is to basically tell Othello that Desdemona and Cassio have been committing adultery for sometime now. Which would cause Othello to get furious and want to fire Cassio and part from him and Desdemona's marriage. This explains that Iago is jealous of cassio's power because he is angry about Cassio having a higher and more powerful title than him. This ties to jealousy motivating his actions because if he was never jealous of Cassio then he would of never came up with his plan to destroy Cassio and take the steps to actually achieving that plan.
Secondly, Iago is motivated by jealousy by adultery. In the beginning of the play Iago believes that Othello is sleeping with his wife Emilia. With that fantasy instilled in his head it causes him to be even more jealous of Othello, which motivates him to hurt Othello even more. In act two scene one Iago explained that he has a feeling that Othello jumped “ into my seat”(2.1.284). The image of any mans wife with another man would have a man devastated and seeking revenge. So in act two scene one Iago said that he would put Othello into a “ jealousy so strong”(2.1.289-290) he would not be able to think straight. This proves that Iago is motivated by jealousy and with Iago thinking that Othello is sleeping with his wife gives him an even better reason to destroy Othello.
A final way jealousy motivates Iago is by racism.
Iago is jealous of Othello, not only because he is the general but because he is a black general that is married to a white women. During the 1600’s it is very unlikely for a black men to be so powerful and also be married to a white women like Desdemona. Throughout the whole play Iago is portrayed as a jealous man that wants power and money , and the fact that Othello, a black male has more power than him makes him sick to his stomach. When Iago is talking to Brabantio he calls Othello a “ old black ram”(1.1.86-87) that is having sex with “ white ewe”( 1.1.87). A black male like Othello usually would be stereotyped as part animal. Here Iago is comparing Othello to a “old black ram”(1.1.86-87) which is basically a beast. This shows that Iago is jealous because throughout the whole book Iago always associate Othello with a type of animal or any negative stereotype of a black male , and if you are not jealous of someone you would not talk harsh about them and come up with a plan to ruin your friends
relationship.
The jealous and manipulative way of Iago is important to the work of literature because without Iago being jealous of Othello and Cassio and manipulating theme into believing that he is such a noble and honest man then the play would not have been interesting. Therefore desire for power,adultery, and racism is all examples on how Iago is motivated by jealousy.