Topic > Jealousy as a reason for destruction in Shakespeare's Othello

William Shakespeare is one of the most famous English poets and playwrights who composes his writings in various themes relating to aspects of human nature such as: deceit, deceit, revenge and jealousy . In his famous tragedy Othello, critics argued that the importance of his writing significantly shaped readers like me and our opinions to further understand what the causes behind their immoral actions are. Throughout the play, the characteristic traits of jealousy and envy play a prestigious role from beginning to end. Othello reveals that it is evident that jealousy is one of the greatest motivations of destruction within oneself. This puts the urge on the victim leading to manipulation, revenge, betrayal and even death of others. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The event that leads to the entire turning point of the play is the murder of Othello's wife, Desdemona. Shakespeare was inspired to write Othello through an Italian love story by Giraldi Cinthio. The masterpiece was written in England during the period of tension of racism. In this atmosphere, Shakespeare writes a play about a black Arab military general from North Africa, Othello. Othello subsequently falls in love with and marries Desdemona, a white daughter of the senator. All the main characters in this tragedy are susceptible to weakness, not just the main character himself. The moral lesson of this tragedy reminds us that even someone's good nature can be exploited to obtain the worst benefits of others. Iago's hatred for Othello is based on jealousy and the assumption that Othello is sleeping with Emilia, Iago's wife. Iago goes on to say, “But it partly led me to take revenge, for which I suspect the lustful Moor.” The drama expresses the lesson through different relationships and responses of emotional attitudes, a theme that all human beings are also vulnerable to self-destruction. when they are in high positions of power and glory. Iago hates both Cassio and Othello so much that he says, "I will have our Michael Cassio on my hip, insult him to the Moor in rancid clothes." Shakespeare shapes the characters in the play to demonstrate human vulnerability when they personally interact with each other. All the relationships in this tragedy demonstrate the insecurities of each person, especially Othello himself. Although Othello is a tragic hero, Shakespeare reveals his flaws by showing more of his human side rather than his heroic one. Shakespeare's play is also centered around the concept of trust and how central it is to Othello's flaws. Whether it's over-trusting or lack of trust, the characters use this to their advantage in a matter of time. Iago is seen as the villain who uses Othello's blindness in the faith of others to his own advantage. Throughout the play, Iago takes advantage of his reputation and uses the trust he unfairly gains from everyone to seek revenge on the protagonist Othello and his beloved Desdemona. However, he does not pursue this task alone, he uses people to get exactly what he wants, feeling no remorse for who he hurts along the line. Othello was said to be a man with power in society, he went from having everything to having nothing by the end of the play. This however would not be possible without the help of our main antagonist Iago, also known as Othello's standard bearer. Iago is Emilia's husband who is said to be having an affair with Desdemona because he wants revenge on Othello for possibly sleeping with his wife, "wife for wife". Othello is a noble man who possesses all the qualities of a tragic hero. and a military leader;however, he had allowed jealousy to get the better of him. Jealousy is the ugliest characteristic; but Othello acted on his jealousy and killed his wife Desdemona. Human nature is a term used to describe the characteristic feelings and behavioral traits of human beings. Humanity often express different types of emotions, be it joy, frustration, despair, remorse and all other forms of emotions depending on the different situations they come into contact with. At the heart of these capabilities lie our vulnerabilities. Killing Desdemona was a very irrational act in which Othello allows himself to be controlled by jealousy and Iago. Desdemona is the only pure and innocent figure in Othello and that corruption is symbolized in her handkerchief with strawberries. His death perhaps symbolizes his loyalty to Othello until the end. Before being killed Desdemona confesses: “I have never offended you in my life; I never loved Cassio but with the general guarantee of heaven that I could love: I never gave him a pledge.” Othello refuses to believe his wife's denial of the handkerchief evidence, saying that Cassio confessed before he was killed by Iago. Desdemona swears: “I give you my mandate, I assure you, I vow friendship to the last article, my lord will never have peace; … I will watch him tame and make him lose his temper.” Having learned of Cassio's death, Desdemona begins to mourn his death, making Othello even more angry. Even on her deathbed, she had denied that her husband was the one who killed her. Emilia, Iago's wife had asked who killed her, she refuses to name Othello but replied: “No one. Myself." This quote shows his naivety and blind trust for Othello. It is Othello's insecurity that makes him jealous of Cassio and allows him to believe that Cassio had slept with his wife Desdemona. The story ultimately teaches to readers that the main idea is represented by feelings of jealousy and revenge. Already inflamed by feelings of jealousy, Othello suffocates his wife while she lies in bed. This teaches us how powerful the feeling can be and that it is the dominant motive of the story. action and therefore, as it is reflected in real life, we witness that jealousy influences the characters of Iago, Brabantio, Roderigo and Othello. As the play progresses, we witness the development of the character's assumptions and motivations. The change is evident especially in our main protagonist, Othello, who transforms from the proud misguided leader of Act 1 into a tragic, irrational, jealous and unstable hero towards the end of the play. Iago shares with the audience his plot to defeat Othello since Othello is so naive, he will believe anything because Iago is known to be so "honest". Iago shares, “I must bring this monstrous birth to the light of the world.” Iago plots to lead him by the nose by making our tragic hero believe that his wife is having an affair with Cassio, one of Othello's inexperienced soldiers. He [Iago] plants the seeds of jealousy in our main protagonist causing the audience to realize his evil plan as a “monstrous birth” and a plan that will bring Othello’s tragic flaw of jealousy to light. 'To doubt' means to suspect, and despite what he says, Othello already has strong suspicions, not from having seen anything, but simply from having listened to Iago. Even worse, Othello is ready to listen and believe whatever Iago says next. Othello believes that he is not the jealous type and believes that Iago is his honest friend, so he believes that Iago cannot lie and believes that he himself cannot be wrong. Iago, however, realizes that proof of Desdemona's alleged betrayal is unnecessary when his suspicion would be proof.