“Jealousy is a tiger that tears not only its prey but also its own raging heart.”- Anonymous. From the beginning of time, jealousy has always been a part of human life. It has showed its ugly face in some of the most righteous people ever to walk this earth. There have been few people who have not experienced some feeling of envy towards another. Many times, jealousy grows out of control and makes horrible things happen, sometimes even death, and just as the quote above states not only kills the envied, but also the person it infests. This is the case in the book “Othello” by William Shakespeare. The emotion is seen several times in the play by several characters including Iago, Roderigo, and Othello himself. It is a very important part of the play that develops the plot tremendously and aids in making the play as exciting as it is.
From the very beginning of the play, jealousy is evident in Roderigo and Iago. While walking with Roderigo, in the first few lines of the play, Iago reveals that he is jealous of Michael Cassio who has just been promoted to the position he was hoping to attain in the army. Othello, the general who promoted Cassio, was the target of Iago’s anger. He goes on to badmouth Othello telling Roderigo of an intricate plot he has devised leading to Othello’s downfall. Although Iago does not state the precise reason for his actions against Othello in the play, from the first few lines it is evident that Iago is angry with Othello because of his envy of Cassio. This is a pivotal point in the play, for Iago may have never preformed the terrible actions he did if he had not let his jealousy run rampant.
In the same conversation between Iago and Roderigo in the beginning of the play, jealousy is evident yet again, this time in Roderigo. Roderigo mentions his love for Desdemona, now Othello’s wife. He grows very jealous of Othello and calls on Iago to split Desdemona and Othello apart, leaving Desdemona open for Roderigo’s...