It is something that can destroy relationships and also consume the mind. Jealousy can be seen represented in the play a number of times and ways from suspicion to competition, and in every case, it can be very destructive. The jealousy theme in Othello is very interesting because Iago, an evil and destructive character, displays jealousy from the very beginning of the play. Iago has a mind where he feels that he should take revenge on those who he feels have done him wrong. Iago is jealous of both Othello and Cassio because of the same issue.
It explains Iago’s insatiable desire for revenge against Othello, explores the theme of jealousy in the play, and gives light to Iago’s manipulative deceptions and dishonesties. The soliloquy highlights a lot of important facts about the central characters and themes in “Othello”. The extract explains Iago’s relentless desire for revenge against Othello. As Iago believes that the Moor has wronged him in many ways, he sees it somewhat appropriate to plot revenge against him and those close to him. Iago has many rather theoretical reasons for his revenge, one of which being his failure to receive the spot of lieutenant, and the other being that he “suspect[s] the lusty Moor” of sleeping with his wife, Emilia.
In all the tragedies, the hero has to suffer the tragic flaw. He is the only responsible of his downfall. In Shakespeare's play Othello, Othello brings all his misfortune on himself. His actions are led by his jealousy, his stubbornness and his gullibility. One of the main factor which push Othello to his death is his gullibility.
Iago is one of the most important characters in Shakespeare’s Othello. Iago is the one who creates the plot for the whole story. He is the obvious villain of the play, but his motivations and methods are not clear to most. Iago has several motivations that cause him to want revenge on Othello, but his real motivation is hidden behind the ones he openly states. The techniques he uses to ensnare are crude yet effective.
Jealousy can be seen as one of the main causes of Othello’s downfall as he is driven by it to ultimately murder Desdemona, his most valuable treasure, without whom, he is nothing. However, there are also other factors, such as his trusting nature, and his keen sense of honour that can be seen to lead to his downfall. His hamartia could be seen as his main flaw as it is through his grave error of judgement that allows Iago to exploits Othello’s insecurities and poison his mind. On the other hand, it could be said that honour is the main flaw that leads to Othello’s downfall. This idea is conveyed through the way Othello has achieved status in society and therefore, doesn’t seem to want to compromise his honour, as we assume, due to traditional Venetian rule that he had to work his way up through the ranks as Coleridge explains saying “Venetian society was noted for its ability to allow anyone to raise though the ranks”.
What is the difference between Hamlet’s madness and Ophelia’s? Is there a marked difference in their behavior and speech? The theme of madness is one of the main themes in the tragedy Hamlet. Hamlet pretends to be mad and Ophelia is driven to actual madness and even suicide. Hamlet starts to act as a madman to avenge the death of his father by his uncle.
He is directly or indirectly responsible for the deaths of Othello, Desdemona, Emilia, Cassio, and Roderigo, which happen to be all of the main characters. All of the problems he causes are through lies, treachery, manipulation, and a deep unknown hate. Some of this hate is fuelled by jealousy and revenge. The ironic part is that he wants to be known as "honest Iago". Every act contains an evil plot set up by Iago.
The character of Iago is presented to the viewer early on as the obvious villain of the play. His initial exploitation of Othello and Desdemona’s marriage makes the viewer aware of his calculating and manipulative nature, which is further emphasized by his continual deceit of Othello. Despite the ease with which he enacts his controlled and cunning plans, Iago sometimes seems to the viewer as an irrational, vengeful character acting out of jealousy. This trait can make him appear illogical and unreasonable but emphasis his pure evil nature. Iago’s initial soliloquies reveal his deceptive nature, he is presented as Janus, the 2 faced man, as he reveals his plan which becomes more and more complex and reliant on his continual manipulation of the people around him.
Jealousy and deception are central themes in many of Shakespeare’s plays, and are often what leads to the hero’s downfall. There are a number of key scenes in Othello that represent these themes of jealousy, deception and tragedy throughout the play. In Act 2 Scene 3 Iago uses different techniques in order to deceive Othello and change his opinions of Cassio. Iago says: ‘I would rather have this tongue cut from my mouth, then it should do offense to Michael Cassio.’ Iago is setting up his later deception, as he is tricking Othello into thinking that he likes Cassio and would never speak ill of him, which enables him to seem more believable when he later deceives Othello about Desdemona’s affair. This deception is confirmed when Othello says ‘I know Iago, thy honesty, and love doth mince this matter, making it light to Cassio.’ Othello is suggesting that Iago may not tell the whole truth as he wants to protect Cassio.
Many scholars have read this line, and taken the meaning as a rhetorical question, which shows that everything seen may not be true, and the actual character of the main players may not appear to be obvious. Shakespeare uses the final words, and lines leading up to the death of some of the main players, to show their true character, and to reveal themselves to the audience. This can be seen, when Hamlet shows that he reveals that he truly wants himself to die a noble prince, Claudius reveals his true self to the audience as the murderous villain that he is, Laertes also shows his true character in his final moments by making things right and tries to retain his honor and nobility. In the case of Laertes, as he dies he shows regret for what he did. In the events leading up to his demise, Laertes is corrupted by Claudius and his evil motives.