When jealousy is inserted in an individual’s heart; it begins to grow into evil and results
in the ultimate destruction of the victim and the culprit. Consequently, the emotion of
jealousy causes destruction of one’s self, leading to the manipulation, revenge, betrayal
and even the death of others. An illustration of jealousy is a seed. When a seed is
implanted, it turns into a plant; afterward the plant turns into a fruit, then humans as
part of their nutritional needs consume it. The same thing occurs with jealousy, however
this phase is within an individual’s emotions. First, jealousy starts as an emotion, but
once an individual starts to become more and more jealous, the more it will reflect on
his actions. Iago is the one responsible to plant the seeds of jealousy in Othello.
Othello's villain, Iago, is undoubtedly is one of literature's most impressive masters of
deception. The play’s main villain, Iago, is perhaps the most dangerous strategic person
in the play. Throughout the play, Iago plans with sophistication, to manipulate Othello
into making him believe that Desdemona has cheated on him by being unfaithful. “Get
me some poison, Iago; this night! I’ll not expostulate with her, lest her body and beauty
unproved my mind again”. The manipulation of Iago is so astonishing that it even
convinces Othello to kill the love of his wife Desdemona. The brutality of Iago is
distinguished that the only way to create the situation even worse is to make Othello
murder Desdemona with his bare hands. Iago’s craving throughout the play is to
become a greater rank than Cassio. To do so, Iago uses his intelligent skills of
manipulation on Othello and Cassio to try to make his dreams become reality. If it were
not for Iago manipulating the dark side of Othello, the outcome of the play would have
been significantly different. Another demonstration of Iago displaying his unpleasant
jealousy towards Othello is when Iago attempts to convince himself that Othello has had
an affair with his companion, Emelia. “For that I do suspect the lusty Moor hath leap’d
into my seat; the though shereof doth, like a poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards; and
nothing can or shall content my soul till I am even’d with him, wife for wife” (2.1.284-
288). This quote show that he must needs to blind himself with jealousy so he does not
see the truth. It is this type of jealousy that contributes to the build up to Othello’s
thoughtful revenge. Nothing significant could really remediate the deepness of Othello’s
jealousy as it stands. It develops as evidence throughout the play that Othello is giving
into the seeds of jealousy planted by Iago. Betrayal in this play is somewhat like a
married couple; they both eventually lead to misery and regret. In this play, the act of
betrayal has tremendous actions to the plot of the play. This contributes to the fact that
reality is not always something that someone sees, however it is more often of what an
individual does not see. Iago’s character is a suitable example of how the acts of
betrayal can change individuals negatively. “I follow him to serve my turn upon him”
(I,I,44). Iago expresses these sentiments to Roderigo, presenting that he plans to betray
Othello by pretending to be a friend and turn on him when the time is right. Iago’s plan
of betrayal is in place so that he can eventually succeed in his ultimate plan of bringing
Othello to his demise.
As a consequence of the built of jealousy that exists within the character of Iago,
death is the product. As the play develops, it is evident that Iago’s lies are seen as truth
and that Desdemona’s innocence and true love are seen as lies. This misunderstanding
of characters leads to a severely tragic ending. “The lord have mercy on me And have
you mercy too! I never did Offend you in my life; never lov’d Cassio“(IIIII,II,57-58).
Desdemona maintains her virtues into her death and does not betray her true love,
Othello. Upon realizing what he has done, Othello chooses to kill himself finally realizing
what he has lost and how he has been deceived. “ I kissed thee ere I killed thee. No
way but this, Killing myself, to die upon a kiss.” (IIII,III 420-421) This quotation reveals a
fallen Othello. He comes to understand that the jealousy that Iago so carefully built
within him led him to commit unclear judgments and actions towards the one individual
that showed him true love and commitment. It is clear to see that Shakespeare uses the
feelings of jealousy during this play to demonstrate the motives of each character. The
mindsets of jealousy could really contribute to destroying one’s life and having an
immense impact on several parts of their lives such as betrayal, manipulation, revenge,
and the death of others. This play “Othello” proves that most human beings experience
periods of jealousy in their lifespan. Once a human goes through the emotion of
jealousy, it could certainly conquer and regulate the live of theirs.
