REVISION BOOKLET
Themes in ‘Othello’
, Jealousy – ‘The green-eyed monster’
Jealousy is heavily linked to the deadly sin of envy – both convey a desire to own or
possess.
Is Othello jealous?
Aristotle said that the inevitable downfall of the protagonist, which is the central element to
any tragedy, is the result of his hamartia (or fatal flaw/mistake). Is jealousy Othello’s fatal
flaw?
‘Othello was not jealous, he was trustful.’ (Dostoevsky)
‘I do not think that there is any jealousy, properly so called, in the character of Othello.’
(Coleridge)
He is described in the play as having a ‘free and open nature.’
Jealousy may be attributed more to Iago than Othello. He is jealous of Cassio for having
been given the lieutenancy, for having manners and good looks, of Othello’s relationship
with Desdemona and of Othello for having apparently slept with his wife.
Iago describes sexual jealousy as a ‘gnawing of the entrails’.
Desdemona is jealous of Othello’s life of danger and excitement. She is adamant that she
must accompany him to a war zone. Are the women in the play jealous of the freedom and
power of men?
Notes:
Themes in ‘Othello’
, Jealousy – ‘The green-eyed monster’
Jealousy is heavily linked to the deadly sin of envy – both convey a desire to own or
possess.
Is Othello jealous?
Aristotle said that the inevitable downfall of the protagonist, which is the central element to
any tragedy, is the result of his hamartia (or fatal flaw/mistake). Is jealousy Othello’s fatal
flaw?
‘Othello was not jealous, he was trustful.’ (Dostoevsky)
‘I do not think that there is any jealousy, properly so called, in the character of Othello.’
(Coleridge)
He is described in the play as having a ‘free and open nature.’
Jealousy may be attributed more to Iago than Othello. He is jealous of Cassio for having
been given the lieutenancy, for having manners and good looks, of Othello’s relationship
with Desdemona and of Othello for having apparently slept with his wife.
Iago describes sexual jealousy as a ‘gnawing of the entrails’.
Desdemona is jealous of Othello’s life of danger and excitement. She is adamant that she
must accompany him to a war zone. Are the women in the play jealous of the freedom and
power of men?
Notes:
