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Examples Of Greed In Othello

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“Surrounded by the flames of jealousy, the jealous one winds up, like the scorpion, turning the poisoned sting against himself ”. These wise words which were said by Friedrich Nietzsche can be used to portray the themes of jealousy and greed in William Shakespeare’s literary work, Othello. In the late sixteenth century, the time this tragedy took place, these themes of jealousy and greed played a big role during these times. Jealousy and greed were also seen as deadly sins of envy or infections which had no cure. Not only this but jealousy was viewed as something irrational and as something that dissolved the bonds holding together marriage, families, and even social frameworks. These concepts were thought to cause chaos and was a state which …show more content…

At the beginning of Shakespeare’s play, Othello is portrayed as a man who is confident in himself and his position. He is deeply in love with his wife, Desdemona, and we can see their relationship was both strong and stable. However, while the play and its events start to unfold, with the help of Iago’s evil plans, these factors don’t stay the same. When Iago begins to plant the seeds of doubt in Othello's mind about Desdemona's unfaithfulness, his once strong faith in love quickly is replaced by suspicion and jealousy. “Othello displayed signs of a man no longer sane. Jealousy is a monster who spirals out of control and destroys anything in its path...” (Reynoso 1). This quote supports the idea that as Iago manipulates Othello's mind by saying lies, making Othello believe that Desdemona is truly having an affair with his lieutenant, Cassio, he starts to believe it all and eventually loses himself. “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy!; it is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on” (Othello, III, III, 165-167). This quote said by the villain Iago himself contributes to how jealousy can be portrayed in Othello.
Othello's jealousy ends up consuming him, and he ends up becoming obsessed with the idea of his wife's infidelity. In conclusion, Othello’s corruption of jealousy over love impacted several outcomes in this tragedy, varying from himself as a character to even the fate of those around

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Throughout the course of a person's life, he or she may experience bouts of jealousy. Jealousy can cause one to act irrationally, displaying negative behaviors. Examples of these behaviors are found throughout Shakespeare’s, Othello. Jealousy was first exemplified by Iago. He believed he was deserving of the lieutenant position but was overlooked by Othello who gave the position to Cassio.

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In Act 3 of Shakespeare’s play Othello, Shakespeare uses foreshadowing to demonstrate the catastrophic results that will occur when Othello accumulates enough proof to believe Iago’s accusations, and the effect jealousy has on a person, like Othello, who will begin to abandon all morals and exact revenge. Iago makes an aggressive effort to persuade Othello that his wife has been unfaithful. As a result, Othello contemplates whether or not to believe him, but ultimately determines that “to be once in doubt/Is (-- removed HTML --) to be resolved” (III.iii.210-211). At first, Othello rejects this notion of jealousy as he believes he has nothing to be insecure about, “for [Desdemona] had eyes, and chose [him].” (III.iii.220).

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The following passage is significant to the play ‘Othello’ in retrospect to the plot progression, as it reiterates themes and introduces important facets to the plot development. Through Iago’s cunning manipulation and Shakespeare’s crafting of language, this passage is constructed as a pivotal point of the play, marking the transition of Othello’s personality and revealing his deepest insecurities that eventually lead to his downfall and tragic ending. Iago wields a lot of power over all the characters throughout the play, but in this passage in particular he is presented at his most powerful. The passage is riddled with subtle suggestions and insinuations by Iago to raise Othello’s suspicions of his wife’s fidelity, opening with the admonition to “beware, my lord, of jealousy!

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In the beginning of the tragedy Othello tells Brabantio to “Keep up your bright swords signior, for the dew will rust them” (1.2.72-73). This statement gives the reader insight to Othello’s level-head and smart decisions, before he allowed jealousy to cloud his vision. Othello becomes convinced that Desdemona has cheated on him with Cassio; therefore, he is angered and beings to seek revenge for a crime that was never committed. Iago tells Othello “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster, which doth mock the meat it feeds on” (3.3.187-189).

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“Jealousy is just love and hate at the same time (Drake).” In the opening scene of Othello, Iago and Roderigo were having a discussion. Iago explains how he is enraged over Othello choosing Cassio to be his next in command instead of Iago himself after all the time he spent serving him. Also, Roderigo explains how upset his that Othello is married to Desdemona because Roderigo has bin trying to be with her for a long time. So long that he is in love with her and want her back.

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“I swear by the entire world, I think my wife is faithful, and yet I think she isn’t. I think you are truthful, and yet I think you aren’t. I must have proof.” The poison of jealousy courses through Othello’s mind, infecting everything in its

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Othello shows the two types throughout the story and the play, envy and fear, and how they can claw and chew away the the fragile human psyche, like a monster, trying to claw out of a deep dark hole that has had a trap on it for days without end. Othello is one of the great examples of how jealousy can teach us not to be overcome by dark things, to always stay strong and believe in our own thoughts, and that the poison known as jealousy, can make or break even the best of people a slow killing venom that makes the weak sick and twisted. This play teaches us that jealousy has no good outcomes, only horrid and how it shows no mercy to anyone. Jealousy is a card no one should or ever want to play with a deck full of

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In Othello, it is jealousy that ultimately leads to the downfall of three characters, Roderigo, Othello and Iago. " O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green eyed monster" (III.iii.163). Although, Othello is not the only play where William Shakespeare has made jealousy a central motivator. He did it in Macbeth also. Jealousy has many faces between these two plays and in both they lead to the downfall of characters.

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In the play of Othello jealousy caused anger and distrust, which in the end led to much bloodshed. The first time we see jealousy towards Othello is in the council chamber, everyone is gathered together when Othello and Desdemona share how they truly feel about each other and Brabantio was displeased. Brabantio told Othello with much anger, “look to her, moor, if thou hast eyes to see: she has deceived her father, and may thee.” (Othello I.III 293-294)

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Shakespeare 's Othello centers around the power of jealousy and how it can end up causing the death of a couple and some of those around them. Othello seems to grow incredibly jealous of his wife, Desdemona, and his lieutenant, Cassio’s fake affair that Iago, the villain, has convinced Othello of. As an act of jealousy, Othello decides to kill Desdemona to prevent her from hurting more men and then after realizing everything was part of Iago’s plan he kills himself due to the guilt he feels after having killed his wife. Shakespeare’s use of figurative language and symbolism in act 5 scene 2 reveals how even though Othello truly loves Desdemona, his jealousy for what he believes she has done has completely clouded his judgment and taken over

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Melony Galicia Ms. Zongker AP English lll February 20, 2017 Driven by Jealousy In Othello, Shakespeare illustrates the dangers of jealousy through the belligerent actions of the characters. Jealousy can be incited by circumstantial proof, that can ruin lives. Shakespeare uses dramatic techniques to aid him in conveying his message.

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Shakespeare’s play, Othello, deeply explores the effects of jealousy on a person. Shakespeare also portrays the different types of jealousy and alludes to the causes of them. Othello is a tragic play written by William Shakespeare around 1603, about a man, Iago, who plots to take revenge on a Moorish soldier, Othello, for he has “done my (Iago’s) office”. The deaths of several people, including Othello’s wife Desdemona, Iago’s wife Emilia, Othello and Iago’s companion Roderigo, were all directly linked to Iago’s actions. Othello illustrates that jealousy often leads to revenge, jealousy can prevent a successful relationship, and jealousy leading to one’s downfall.

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Iago also manipulates Othello with jealousy. When Othello is gone at war, Iago tells him that Cassio and Desdemona were getting too close. At first Othello does not believe him, but by Iago saying “nothing,my lord; or if- I know not what” Othello starts to question if it is true (III. III. 39). Iago constantly uses his “innocence” to make Othello jealous and start to assume that it is true. These actions eventually lead to a tragic event.

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"Othello" by Shakespeare is a well-known and outstanding literary composition which pays distinctive attention to the dangers associated with jealousy. The play deals with the root and driving force of all evil and exemplifies how far jealousy can induce a human being as well as destroy lives by mere circumstantial evidence. According to Godfrey (1972), “Jealousy, once awakened, becomes self-perpetuating, self-intensifying, and where no evidence for it exists, the jealous person under the impulse of an extraordinary perversity will continue to manufacture it”. Jealousy manages the characters’ lives in "Othello" from the beginning of the play, when Roderigo feels jealousy towards Othello because he desires to be with Desdemona, and to the ending of the play, when Othello is furious with envy because he supposes Cassio and Desdemona have been engaging in a love affair. Some characters’ jealousy is generated by other characters.

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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.

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