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Jealousy - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Iago is jealous of Cassio's promotion as he has more work experience than him and therefore thinks he should have been promoted, seeing this as unjust. Because of this, Iago directs his anger towards Othello, trying to sabotage Othello's reputation and life, framing Cassio when he convinces him to meet up with Desdemona, framing him for having an 'affair' with her, to ignite Othello's jealousy in ACT 3 SCENE 3,
        
        . "I hate the Moor and it is thought abroad that twixt my sheets?" Act 1 scene 3 page 15, said Iago. Here he reveals that there have been rumors that Othello has slept with Emilia, which just acts as fuel to the fire of Iago's jealousy.
  - - - Roderigo feels his friend Iago, who is helping him win the love of Desdemona, should know about what is happening in Desdemona’s life. Iago defends himself by explaining Desdemona’s marriage to Othello was sudden, and he had no knowledge of it. In order to protect his interests, Iago convinces Roderigo to inform Desdemona’s father of his daughter’s new marriage to cause a lot of problems throughout the rest of the play, “Never tell me; I take it much kindly, that thou, Iago, who hast had my purse, as if the strings were thine, shouldn’t know of this” [Translation: Psh! Don't say that. Iago, I am not pleased that you've known about this, especially since I've given you access to my wallet as if it were your own. ]. ACT 1 SCENE 3 PAGE 3
        
        Just like Othello, Roderigo himself was so consumed by jealousy that he immediately gives into Iago and follows whatever Iago says without much consideration.
  - - - Iago uses Cassio's personality, good looks, and friendly nature to manipulate Othello into believing Cassio is having an affair with Desdemona. Othello has always had an unhealthy dependency on Desdemona's mutual love, Iago knew that and used it against him. Just thinking about the fact that Desdemona was cheating on him made him lose all his rational thinking and let jealousy consume him.
- - - - Othello has requested that Iago ask Emilia to keep an eye on Desdemona, and has urged Iago to report anything he sees back to him. As Iago leaves, Othello says to himself that Iago is honest and probably knows more than he is letting on. Once again, Othello has made an accurate observation without realizing its true meaning.
    - - This is the second time that Othello has referred to himself as a crude and unskilled speaker, and yet all evidence points to the falseness of this statement. Meanwhile, the fact that he is older than Desdemona is hardly significant, considering it was common for young women to marry older men at the time. The only objective fact that in this speech is that Othello is black; however, at no point in the play does Desdemona express even the slightest concern over this fact. The theme of Appearance Vs Reality once again pairs with Jealousy. Othello's jealousy has once again triumphed over his trust and love for Desdemona, making him believe that she could never love him as he's black
    - - when Othello suddenly enters in a frantic, enraged state, and demands that Iago show him "ocular proof" of Desdemona's infidelity. The fact that Othello behaves aggressively and threateningly to Iago––whom he has multiple times praised as honest and righteous––shows that Othello has already been driven wild by jealousy and is no longer capable of making rational assessments of the situation. The fact that Iago is carrying the handkerchief during this interaction, however, reminds the audience that appearances can be just as misleading as rumors. Now that Iago has reduced Othello to a state of paranoid jealousy, it is easy for Iago to manipulate visual evidence to support his false claim that Desdemona is unfaithful. Othello's trust in visual appearances reflects his mistaken trust of Iago––and both will soon bring about his downfall.
    - - At the time, folklore held that a cuckold––a man whose wife was unfaithful––would grow horns, making his humiliated status visible to the rest of society. Although irrational, this clearly represents a significant fear for Othello. Not only would Desdemona's infidelity ruin his reputation as a noble and manly husband, it would confirm the racist beliefs that, as a Moor, Othello is more like an animal or supernatural creature than a human.
    - - The light in this passage can also be interpreted as a symbol for purity, and Othello's resolve to murder Desdemona is stoked by the fact that he believes she has already destroyed her purity and innocence by having an affair with Cassio. Both these metaphors emphasize the fragility of women's existence in the play, as both their honor and even their lives are at the mercy of men, who––as Othello demonstrates––cannot always be trusted to act rationally.