Topic > The Green-Eyed Monster in William Shakespeare's Othello

Othello is a tragic play written by an English playwright, William Shakespeare, which contains several themes: love, racism, honesty, Christian values ​​and reputation, to name just a few some. The play takes place in Venice, but soon moves to Cyprus, which the Christians had conquered from the Turks. By setting the beginning of the play in media res, Shakespeare introduces that Iago will seek revenge on Othello. Iago then manipulates the characters' minds and feelings so that he can achieve his goal, which ultimately fails. Almost every character in this tragic comedy suffers from one of the most corrupting and destructive emotions: jealousy. Only Desdemona and Cassio, the true innocents of the story, do not feel jealous while the other characters demonstrate how jealousy can unleash disaster. Throughout the play, with Iago's expression, jealousy arises between the characters; however, Iago himself behaves as he does in the play due to his own jealousy. However, he apparently manages to unleash the xenophobia of others to manipulate their jealousy to take revenge on Othello. In this play it is clear that jealousy is an important theme. Jealousy is a common feeling that every human being experiences. The BBC states that “According to clinical psychologist Ayala Malach Pines, 'jealousy is a complex reaction to a perceived threat to a valued relationship or its quality.' Unlike envy, it always involves the fear of loss and requires three people” (“Relationships and couples” - 1). Ayala Malach Pines basically explains that jealousy is the feeling of wanting control over something or someone and starts from the fear of losing that something or someone. Furthermore, Ayala states that jealousy is complex as it involves emotions, thoughts and behaviors. In addition to all these factors, when people feel jealous, they tend to experience pain, anger, envy, humiliation, fear, sadness, hurt or anger, and behaviors such as “feeling faint, shaking and sweating, constantly asking questions and seeking reassurance, be aggressive." actions, even violence” (“Relationships and couples” - 1). can be seen. Often the word "envy" is defined as jealousy. It's true that when people feel jealous, they may feel envious; however, feeling jealous is different from feeling envious. The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines envy as "painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another combined with the desire to possess the same advantage" (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary), which means that envy is a frustration or a desire caused by another person possessing something they do not have, such as skills, talent, money, or a job.