Examples Of Desdemona's Jealousy In Othello

Olson, Rebecca. “€Too Gentle: Jealousy and Class in Othello.” Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies, vol. 15, no. 1, 2015, pp. 3–25. MLA International Bibliography EBSCOhost, doi:10.1353/jem.2015.0006. Accessed 14 Mar. 2017.

Synopsis

Jealousy is evident in Shakespeare’s Othello through several sources, but most commonly seen as possessiveness over the female characters (with a focus on Desdemona) in the play. Brabanzio is the first to maintain ownership over Desdemona, but is clearly worried of her betraying him, which can be seen in the opening scenes. This sets up the argument on how gender and class produce jealousy, and less so to Othello’s race or manipulation. That is to say that a major factor in Othello’s jealousy is Desdemona’s

It is also important to note that there are different types of jealousy at play in Othello for different characters-- Iago’s envy of Cassio is not in the same branch as Othello and Brabanzio’s watchfulness and ownership over Desdemona. Unfortunately, in the case of Othello, Desdemona’s class is often hidden as a source of jealousy, due to her innocent characterization and place as the long-suffering victim. However, it is still made evident to the audience that Desdemona is a valuable resource to be had. This is made to be even more of a problem when race is brought into the equation-- not only is Desdemona of a higher class than Othello, she is also of a higher ranking race as a white

However, this changes quickly, as Othello can begin recognize his lower social status in later acts, with the main character transition taking place in Act III. This leads him to see just how valuable Desdemona is, and begins the spiral of jealousy and self doubt that continues our story. In Olson’s reading, Othello even credits his own fate as the problem, stating that he was destined to have an unfaithful wife, rather than recognizing the class divide in his