Themes
Othello
little more than Iago’s word and Cassio’s possession of Desdemona’s handkerchief, Othello becomes Desdemona’s judge, jury and executioner. Emilia recognises how jealousy evolves out of groundless suspicion rather than meaningful
proof. She explains how jealous men are often irrational and have little reason for their imagined fears:
‘But jealous souls will not be answered so. They are not ever jealous for the cause, But jealous for they’re jealous. ’Tis a monster Begot upon itself, born on itself’ (Act 3, Sc 4).
However, despite the irrationality of jealousy, Emilia still acknowledges its destructive nature by comparing it to a ‘monster’. Like his wife, Iago too sees that jealousy is often the product of unfounded fears: ‘Trifles light as air / Are to the jealous confirmations strong / As proofs of holy writ’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Despite jealousy’s baseless foundation, Iago understands that it has the power to ‘Burn like the mines of sulphur’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Shakespeare is keen to show that groundless origins do nothing to detract from the destructive potency of jealousy. Othello’s personal insecurities help feed his jealous state. Iago plays upon Othello’s self-
doubt to bolster the notion of Desdemona as an unfaithful wife. We first are given the suggestion that Othello lacks confidence in the first act. He expresses fears about his ability to speak with eloquence: ‘Rude am I in my speech, / And little blessed with the soft phrase of peace’ (Act 1, Sc 3). Othello sees this supposed lack of refinement as symptomatic of his race: ‘Haply, for I am black / And have not those soft parts of conversation / That chamberers have’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Othello has internalised the racial prejudices of Venetian society and as a result questions whether he is good enough for Desdemona. Iago capitalises on this, suggesting that Desdemona’s supposed infidelity is the result of her marrying below her station. Iago argues that Desdemona should naturally choose someone ‘Of her own clime, complexion and degree, / Whereto we see in all things nature tends’ (Act 3, Sc 3). These doubts and personal anxieties help to feed Othello’s jealousy and make the possibility of an affair between Cassio and Desdemona more plausible in Othello’s mind. Othello illustrates how destructive jealousy can prove. Ironically, it is Iago who pithily articulates this idea:
‘O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds
on.That cuckold lives in bliss Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger. But O, what damned minutes tells he o’er Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves!’
(Act 3, Sc 3).
Iago points to the disastrous results of unchecked jealousy, picturing it as a ‘green-eyed monster’. He highlights how a lover can be consumed by his own jealousy as it ‘doth mock / The meat it feeds on.’
Othello’s violent outbursts and diabolic language illustrate the destructive consequences
of jealousy. He exclaims: ‘Death and damnation!’, ‘I’ll tear her all to pieces!’, ‘O, blood, blood, blood!’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Othello employs hellish imagery as he embraces dark vengeance: ‘Arise, black vengeance, from thy hollow hell!’ (Act 3, Sc 3). Othello’s violent language serves as a precursor to his final tragic act: the murder of Desdemona. Jealousy, the ‘green-eyed monster’ that Iago prophetically refers to, reaches its fullest
expression in the final scene. The audience watches with horror as Othello’s jealousy drives him to kill his wife. In the process, he destroys himself spiritually and emotionally. So corrupted has Othello become by his jealous thoughts that he fails to recognise that he is acting out of a sense of
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