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The Manipulation Of Jealousy In William Shakespeare's Othello

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Alien to those around him, Othello – an outsider – is preoccupied on trying to gain acceptance from the Venetians; therefore, he left himself vulnerable to Iago’s manipulative tendencies. Shakespeare created Othello to be one of a different race, and this alone infulenced Othello to become self-conscious, enabling Iago to take control. Consequently, Iago knew that Othello depended heavily on the approval of those around him. Iago pretends to be Othello’s friend and declares that he’s venturing to help him but he essentially destroys Othello by making him so jealous that he goes into an envious fit then kills Desdemona. Once again in soliloquy, Iago ponders “And nothing can or shall content my soul till I am evened with him, wife for wife. …show more content…

Determined to eradicate Othello, Iago intends to provoke Othello until the Moor does something so heinous and unforgivable, which is caused by “a jealousy so strong that judgment cannot cure”, implicating how Iago wants Othello to become so jealous that he won’t be able to think straight or reasonably. When Iago is alone with Othello he announces “Look to your wife, observe her well with Cassio. Wear your eyes thus, not jealous nor secure. I would not have your free and noble nature out of self-bounty be abused”, ironically signifying how Iago is attempting to plant the seed of suspicion by subtly hinting at the notion that something is going on between Desdemona and Cassio. Othello believes and only trusts Iago, and Iago uses that trust against Othello, so in the end it will benefit him and only him. Iago’s motive for betraying Othello is jealousy and revenge, resulting in Iago betraying several characters to quench his thirst for

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This shows that Iago have real hatred in his heart for Othello and that he is fixed on getting revenge . Iago would not tell the truth . Carol Dweck states “ when you enter a mindset you enter a new world “.

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Jealousy is a major theme in Othello and this is illustrated through characterisation and the use of imagery. From the beginning of othello, the audience is aware iago is driven by jealousy and uses it as a tool to bring about the downfall of othello. His machiavellian nature was immediately shown when he stated “I follow him to serve my turn upon him.” The characterisation of Othello from the quiet and contemplated military pioneer to the visually impaired, infuriated 'darker demon ' that responders witness at last stresses, the powerful toxic substance that is jealousy. The remote chance of Desdemona 's unfaithfulness and the subject of her devotion are terrible for "valiant" Othello, he would rather "the general camp, Pioneers and all, had tasted her sweet body" than to have questions coasting in

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As the play begins, he trusts and pays Iago to be his wingman in getting Desdemona. As portrayed in the play, Iago is very cunning in his ways. Once they learned Othello married Desdemona, Roderigo instantly grew green with envy and hated Othello for this. Later during the play, Iago plants a seed of jealously in Roderigo’s head, against Cassio. He says: ‘’I must tell thee this: Desdemona is directly in love with him.

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Iago does not know for certain what he is accusing Othello of yet he vows to act as if they are facts. While one could attribute Iago’s disdain for Othello to many things, namely, feelings of envy towards Cassio, sexual interest towards Othello, or simple racism; the mere fact that there is no clear motivation for Iago’s actions is a clear indication that Iago cares very little for his relationships and does not wince at the thought of treachery and the vicious backstabbing of those closest to

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At the same time, he starts to think about revenge: “I have told thee often, and I re-tell thee again and again, I hate the Moor: my cause is hearted; thine hath no less reason. Let us be conjunctive in our revenge against him. (Shakespeare 1.3.367)”. However, Othello consider Iago as one of his trusted

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Logically Jealous Jealousy, at its core, is a compelling and omnipresent feeling that causes people to be vengeful or fearful of being replaced by another person. This emotion is prevalent throughout the tragedy Othello and is the catalyst of a myriad of events in the play. In addition to the drama’s core focus on the vices and follies associated with love, this drama features numerous malicious schemes which center around the marriage between Othello and Desdemona. Iago, Othello’s ensign, successfully utilizes jealousy to manipulate Othello, a highly esteemed general, and Roderigo, a rich Venetian businessman who loves Desdemona hopelessly, via logos.

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Over time Othello come to trust Iago and exclaims how honest he is. Iago uses this misplaced trust to convince him that his wife has cheated on him. Othello enraged kills Desdemona his “whore” of a wife and then a few minutes too late finds out from Iago’s wife that there was never any sort of affair. As common with Shakespeare's plays almost all of the main characters suffer because of their own stupidity, a motif of the story.

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Contrary to Iago’s immoral values, Othello’s righteousness and connectedness are contradicted by his doubt and uneasy feelings later in the play. Promptly after talking with Iago, Othello begins to doubt Desdemona’s loyalty, questioning “Why did I marry? This honest creature doubtless sees and knows more, much more, than he unfolds” (Shakespeare 3.3. 283-284). After just a few conversations with Iago, Othello’s confidence in his relationship begins to crumble, going against his steadiness, as a general should be.

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Iago’s goal to destroy Othello’s image reveals the importance of trust in relationships. In order for bonds to be secure, the bonds of trust need to remain unbroken in order to keep the peace. Once Iago’s trust in Othello is broken Iago decides to vain Othello’s life by destroying his trust in all he values. Iago’s trust is his wife and his promotion, they were both broken and Othello was completely responsible for both even one was not true. Iago is making his move because he is angry with Othello and sees he is vulnerable, but doesn’t know it yet.

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Iago believes that he is much more qualified, he has jealousy for Cassio that can only be because he feels like he is in competition with him. One psychologist thoughts on the subject was that,” The distrust of others and or of oneself that is experienced as jealousy usually serves the goals of PROJECTION, PROTECTION, and/or COMPETITION” (Firestone). Cassio is in much better standing with Othello than Iago is, even though throughout the play Othello seems to learn more towards the opinion of Iago. Iago has a master plan on how to get back at Othello.

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Iago uses very clever methods of persuasion and manipulation aimed to use Othello’s hamartia against him, pointing out that “ “She (Desdemona) did deceive her father, marrying you,” so much so that Brabantio “thought ’twas witchcraft”. Through this, Iago is subtly raising the issues of Othello’s cultural differences with Desdemona; a root cause behind Othello’s insecurities with his wife – along with inadequacy due to race, degree of sophistication and age. As Iago prompts Othello to think the worst, his utterances are short and uneasy, revealing the beginning to his downfall, whilst Iago’s dialogue is at length highlighting his growing power of

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This statement is directed towards Othello, and is significant for many reasons. This statement directly relates to how Iago is targeting Othello’s major weakness, which is jealousy. However, this quote also adds dramatic irony to the play because Iago’s major motive throughout the tragedy is his own jealousy of Cassio. This statement also foreshadows how jealousy will ultimately be the cause of the demise of many characters throughout the

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1344 Words | 6 Pages

Unfortunately, he trusted the wrong person due to his growing lack of self-esteem. Iago, a hypocrite who hid his evil thoughts by appearing as a man of extreme honesty, saw that he could erode Othello’s self-esteem because of who he was, a moor living in European society. He realized he could manipulate Othello for his own evil ends. He slyly used pathos to gain his trust, saying, “My Lord, you know I love you” (III.iii.118) to convince him of his honesty and reliability. Then he suggested the unpredictable nature of Desdemona by saying, “Ay, there’s the point: as, to be bold with you, not to affect many proposed matches of her own clime, complexion, and degree, whereto we see in all things nature tends - Foh!”

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Throughout the play, he would often talk about Iago in the same manner as in Act 2, scene 2, “a man he is of honesty and trust”( II,ii. 323-324). Given that Othello trusted who he thought was his best friend, it was easier for Iago to bring Othello down. The root of Iago’s evil intentions is jealousy, which he describes to be like a “green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on” (III,iii. 196-197). He speaks of it in a way that captures how it affects man because that is what he was going through after Cassio got the lieutenancy.

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This idea is clearly seen throughout the play in Iago’s most cunning of actions; his attempt to murder Cassio, and his malicious lies which tear Othello and Desdemona apart. Not only does Iago’s jealousy lead to delusion, but also to deception. Iago is in search for something to sooth his envy, and this leads him to vast lies which will please

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