Othello's Jealousy
Statement of intent
I have based this critical essay on the classic text Othello, with the purpose of proving why jealousy is not confined to Othello. The audience of this critical essay will be those who are studying Shakespearean texts and other critics of Othello.
The theme of jealousy is a product of Iago’s damaged pride in the play Othello, written by William Shakespeare. In the play, jealousy spreads like a plague through the main characters by using Iago as the host, thus not confining jealousy to the individual character Othello. The play Othello is mostly based around a Machiavellian character named Iago, who intentionally creates turmoil between characters in order to seek revenge on his General Othello and further his Machiavellian …show more content…
The critic Richard Raatzsch describes Iago as “egotistical, egoistic, and egocentric”, who “hardly seems to grasp the reality of other people,” he also observed that one of the main causes of Iago’s jealous destructive scheme was his wounded pride from being passed off as being Othello’s lieutenant. I agree with this as ‘egotistical’ people tend to have easily wounded pride, and for someone as egocentric as Iago, insults and rumours are more than enough to spark a desire for revenge and retribution. Therefore Iago’s mind was set on gaining revenge on Othello for the insult of not raising him to the rank of lieutenant, thus Richard Raatzsch thoughts on Iago correlate with my critical thesis. Iago starts to give into emotions such as empathy and decency, so he convinces himself he is justified in his actions by telling himself; “Now I do love her too- Not out of absolute lust, though peradventure I stand accountant for as great a sin, But partly led to diet my revenge- For that I do suspect the lusty Moor Hath leaped into my seat.” This is Iago’s soliloquy from Act 2 Scene 1, which he disclosed his suspicion and hate for Othello to the audience, and it also shows his willingness to submit to the rumour of Othello having an affair with his wife. Webster’s dictionary defines jealousy as ‘an unhappy or angry feeling caused by the belief that someone you love (such as your husband or wife) likes or is liked by someone else.’
I have based this critical essay on the classic text Othello, with the purpose of proving why jealousy is not confined to Othello. The audience of this critical essay will be those who are studying Shakespearean texts and other critics of Othello.
The theme of jealousy is a product of Iago’s damaged pride in the play Othello, written by William Shakespeare. In the play, jealousy spreads like a plague through the main characters by using Iago as the host, thus not confining jealousy to the individual character Othello. The play Othello is mostly based around a Machiavellian character named Iago, who intentionally creates turmoil between characters in order to seek revenge on his General Othello and further his Machiavellian …show more content…
The critic Richard Raatzsch describes Iago as “egotistical, egoistic, and egocentric”, who “hardly seems to grasp the reality of other people,” he also observed that one of the main causes of Iago’s jealous destructive scheme was his wounded pride from being passed off as being Othello’s lieutenant. I agree with this as ‘egotistical’ people tend to have easily wounded pride, and for someone as egocentric as Iago, insults and rumours are more than enough to spark a desire for revenge and retribution. Therefore Iago’s mind was set on gaining revenge on Othello for the insult of not raising him to the rank of lieutenant, thus Richard Raatzsch thoughts on Iago correlate with my critical thesis. Iago starts to give into emotions such as empathy and decency, so he convinces himself he is justified in his actions by telling himself; “Now I do love her too- Not out of absolute lust, though peradventure I stand accountant for as great a sin, But partly led to diet my revenge- For that I do suspect the lusty Moor Hath leaped into my seat.” This is Iago’s soliloquy from Act 2 Scene 1, which he disclosed his suspicion and hate for Othello to the audience, and it also shows his willingness to submit to the rumour of Othello having an affair with his wife. Webster’s dictionary defines jealousy as ‘an unhappy or angry feeling caused by the belief that someone you love (such as your husband or wife) likes or is liked by someone else.’