Othello's Jealousy

English literature has greatly evolved over the course of many centuries. Themes within texts and the way they are portrayed have changed to adapt to the different etiquette, mannerisms and ways of living that society adopted over the course of its evolution. William Shakespeare’s writing, however, has stayed relevant throughout societies timeline as his characters, although set in olden times, have shown the fundamentals of human nature. Jealousy, being a main topic in Shakespeare’s playwriting, is shown heavily in his plays including the As You Like It, Othello and Twelfth Night.
Initially, when jumping into Shakespeare’s literature, one is able to note that he bases his plays on two major genres, comedy and tragedy. Comedies in Shakespeare …show more content…
He attempts to undermine Othello and torment simply due to his envy and jealousy that he feels toward him. “I hate the Moor,And it is thought abroad, that 'twixt my sheets 'Has done my office. I know not if't be true, But I, for mere suspicion in that kind, Will do as if for surety” Iago takes on a character by which he feels entitled to determine the faith of the other characters in order to benefit himself. The source of his jealous nature is obviously an insecurity that he feels. He seeks to have this insecurity fulfilled by ranking up in society, but since Michael Cassio is promoted in his place, he actsc upon his disappointment and worsened inferiority complex. This next quote exemplifies Iago’s devilish nature fueled by jealousy and envy. “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock. The meat it feeds on” (Act 3 Scene 3 Othello). In this quote Iago warns Othello of the dangers of jealousy. Meanwhile, the only reason why Othello was so jealous was because of the false allegations made by Iago regarding his wife, Desdemona. Much like in As You Like It, Iago tries showing Othello as the jealous one, attempting to clean his reputation in order to be trustworthy, giving him leverage in his plans of manipulation. In general, one can see that jealousy as portrayed by Shakespeare is a vicious cycle, fueled by an initial …show more content…
The way that jealousy is most evidently portrayed in the love triangle between Olivia, Orsino and Viola. “I’ll do my best To woo your lady—(aside) Yet, a barful strife—Whoe'er I woo, myself would be his wife.” While Orsino is trying to get Cesario to get Olivia to fall for him, Olivia falls in love with Cesario. This is problematic, because for one, Cesario was in fact Viola. Viola on the other hand, Viola was in love with Cesario which proved problematic because she needed to persuade a woman who the man of her dreams loved to love him back. Evidently, this poses a problem and creates a rivalry between characters that even they are unaware of until all the love stories comes to light. Viola, although overall a positive character, clearly does not want Olivia to be in love with her man. She is therefore jealous of Olivia, the source of which being love. In another case of jealousy seen in Twelfth Night, Sir Toby Belch and Maria are clearly jealous of Malvolio. This form of jealousy is most comparable to Iago’s jealousy towards Michael Cassio and Othello. While Olivia disapproves of her uncle’s drinking habits, she often praises Malvolio and rewards him with compliments for doing his job. These compliments also pain Maria, as she aspires to be Olivia’s favourite servant, and more so her friend. Toby shows clear jealousy towards Malvolio as he also wants

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