THis is my edits Many well-known works of literature share similar themes, examples of things that people like to read about. The play Othello by William Shakespeare and the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell share many popular themes that define them as having desirable storylines, or at least, a very enthralling tale. Some of the main themes that overlap in in the stories of Othello and Animal Farm are jealousy, manipulation, and violence. These are demonstrated through Othello's and Napoleon's jealousy of characters showing favour to others; Iago's and Napoleon's manipulation of others to achieve their own selfish goals; and Iago's and Napoleon's cause of violence throughout their stories. Jealousy is an extremely common theme …show more content…
His cool, orderly personality is spoiled by the acts that he lets his anger commit. Napoleon's personality in Animal Farm is consistent, unlike Othello's, and he is always displayed as power hungry, cruel, and jealous of other people's skills. His jealousy fuels one of his earliest decisions at the beginning of his tyrannical quest for control of the farm. "At first no one had been able to imagine where these creatures came from, but the problem was soon solved: they were the puppies whom Napoleon had taken away from their mothers and reared privately. Though not yet full-grown, they were huge dogs, and as fierce looking as wolves. They kept close to Napoleon." (George Orwell, page 35) Snowball's public speaking skills were winning the farm's favour before Napoleon took action and had him assassinated. He was jealous of the skills that could win over a crowd, the skills that were losing him his following, and his leadership and rank. Othello and Napoleon do not have much in common, but they are both very passionate about the things they call their own. In Othello's case this is Desdemona, which leads him to become intensely jealous of Cassio, and in Napoleon's case, this is Snowball's smooth tongue, which is taking the favour of the farm from him. Both characters act similarly rash when confronted with this …show more content…
Iago: Why, by making him incapable of Othello's place: knocking out his brains. (Shakespeare, act 4 scene 2, 253-263) Although Roderigo has figured out that Iago is toying with his love for Desdemona, he is still easily persuaded to go far further in his pursuit of his love by Iago, who manipulates and exploits his emotions with the ease of a man who has practiced his craft for years. Iago's character has many more parallels with Napoleon than Othello ever did, since he too, is able to cold-heartedly manipulate his friends and acquaintances. Napoleon consistently manipulates the farm animals into believing that he has their best interests at heart. ""Alfred Simmonds, Horse Slaughterer and Glue Boiler ... They are taking Boxer to the knacker's!" ... Three days later l it was announced that he had died in the hospital at Willingdon, in spite of having received every attention a horse could have." (Orwell, 82) Even though Boxer was a loyal comrade to Napoleon, just as Roderigo was to Iago, he was manipulated, betrayed, and exploited to pay for all of Napoleon's selfish desires and wishes. There are many ways to manipulate those around you, as displayed by the characters in these pieces of literature, and nobody knows them better than Napoleon and Iago. Both characters seem to care nothing for those around them, and stop at nothing to achieve their