Themes: Jealousy (Grade 12 NSC Matric English HL): Revision Notes

Themes: Jealousy

Introduction to jealousy in Othello

Jealousy stands as the central destructive force throughout Shakespeare's Othello. Iago famously warns: "O beware, my lord, of jealousy: / It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock / The meat it feeds on" (Act 3, Scene 3). This powerful metaphor reveals jealousy's harmful and self-destructive nature.

Shakespeare presents jealousy as more than just an individual emotion. Rather than occurring in isolation, jealousy emerges as a symptom of broader social and institutional problems. The play explores various forms of jealousy:

• Sexual jealousy - Othello's suspicions about Desdemona's faithfulness
• Professional jealousy - Iago's resentment over his military promotion
• Revenge-driven jealousy - Iago's plot against both Cassio and Othello

The tragedy unfolds because sexual jealousy ultimately drives Othello to murder Desdemona, transforming their love story into a devastating tragedy.

Race, religion and jealousy

Religious and cultural influences

Religious beliefs significantly shape how characters behave in the play. Othello's conversion to Christianity allows him to integrate into Venetian society, suggesting that abandoning Christian principles leads to moral downfall. The play reinforces the constant battle between good and evil forces that characters must face both externally (through warfare) and internally (within their own minds).

The concept of introspection

In Jacobean England, people were encouraged to be introspective - examining themselves from within and appealing to their own conscience. Othello demonstrates this internal struggle when he declares: "I had rather be a toad / And live upon the vapour of a dungeon / Than keep a corner in the thing I love / For others' uses" (Act 3, Scene 3).

This quote reveals Othello's inner turmoil as Iago manipulates his perception of Desdemona's faithfulness. His haunted conscience becomes evident as he progresses towards either salvation or damnation. Before killing Desdemona, she notices: "Alas, why gnaw you so your nether lip? / Some bloody passion shakes your very frame" (Act 5, Scene 2). This shows the crucial connection between jealousy and conscience in understanding Othello's spiritual journey into destructive passion.

Racial stereotypes and geohumoralism

The play begins with racially-charged language that contemporary audiences would recognise. However, as Othello becomes increasingly aggressive towards Desdemona, Shakespeare offers different explanations for his behaviour. Shakespeare draws upon the stereotype that African men are inherently and extremely jealous.

For example, Desdemona comments on Othello's origins: "Who, he? I think the sun where he was born / Drew all such humour's from him" (Act 3, Scene 4).

Othello himself recognises this stereotype, acknowledging he is "not easily jealous but being wrought, / Perplexed in the extreme" (Act 5, Scene 2). However, his supposed racial impulsivity becomes evident when he claims: "I am black / And have not those soft parts of conversation" (Act 3, Scene 3). Iago exploits these racial insecurities, describing jealous confirmations as being "strong/As proofs of holy writ" (Act 3, Scene 3).

Femininity and jealousy

Jacobean attitudes towards women

Jacobean ideas about female infidelity and its consequences feature prominently in the play. Initially, Othello remains reluctant to believe Desdemona could be unfaithful. He dismissively tells Iago that being deceptive goes against her nature: "My life upon her faith" (Act 1, Scene 3).

This suggests complete trust in her, yet Iago's manipulation leads Othello to become obsessively jealous over his wife's sexuality. The thought of Desdemona's unrestrained sexuality threatens Othello as it represents a challenge to his honour as a husband and to his masculinity. In Jacobean society, a man who could not control his wife's sexual behaviour was considered a laughing stock.

Female sexuality and social control

Othello begins doubting Desdemona's loyalty, declaring that "her name, that was as fresh / As Dian's visage, is now begrimed and black" (Act 3, Scene 3). This reflects fears surrounding female sexuality, purity and corruption.

This explains Othello's anger when he perceives Desdemona's infidelity as a question of his authority. He refuses to appear passive in response to her assumed actions. These underlying concepts of femininity and sexuality enable Iago to deceive Othello more easily.

The handkerchief as a symbol

Symbol of love and betrayal

The handkerchief serves as an important, continuous symbol throughout the play, representing the progression from Othello's love to jealousy. Initially, it appears as the first gift he gives Desdemona as a sign of his love. However, Iago quickly manipulates this meaning to represent her unfaithfulness.

When Othello explains: "If she lost it / Or made gift of it, my father's eye / Should hold her loathed and his spirits should hunt / After new fancies" (Act 3, Scene 4). He reveals that his mother used it to keep his father faithful, and its design - a white background with red strawberries - represents female virginity and marital fidelity.

The handkerchief's symbolic power

The handkerchief carries deep symbolic meaning: if lost, the spouse will seek love outside their marriage. Desdemona understands this significance, telling Emilia that losing the handkerchief "'t were enough / To put him to ill thinking" (Act 3, Scene 4).

When Iago possesses the handkerchief, he can position Desdemona as an adulterer. She cannot produce it when Othello demands evidence of her loyalty. Iago states: "The Moor already changes with my poison" (Act 3, Scene 3), demonstrating how his words affect Othello destructively. This manipulation culminates in Othello's rage: "I saw my handkerchief in's hand. / O perjured woman! thou dost stone my heart, / And makest me call what I intend to do / A murder" (Act 5, Scene 2).

The handkerchief and narrative structure

Controlling the plot

The handkerchief passes through multiple characters - Othello, Desdemona, Emilia, Iago, and Bianca. Since the handkerchief represents marriage, its handling by various characters suggests how everyone becomes involved in private relationships. This creates problems by causing misunderstandings and allowing doubts to spread.

The handkerchief becomes a central object that documents the conflict between Desdemona and Othello's marriage, highlighting the fallibility of the marital institution as a whole.

Key moments in the narrative

The handkerchief's introduction, loss, theft, and discovery prove central to how characters meet their fate. For Desdemona and Emilia, it leads to death; for Othello, eternal grief and repentance. Iago alone walks free, having controlled both the plot and the handkerchief. This suggests that the narrative surrounding the handkerchief plays a crucial role in dictating how the story unfolds, depicting the downfall of Othello's mind and marriage.

Act 3, Scene 3 - the turning point

The conversation emphasises concepts such as observing and perceiving - Iago warns Othello to become more aware of his wife's language and actions, making him more sensitive to her words and more likely to misinterpret her behaviour as cunning or deceitful.

Othello's speech acts and their consequences

Character development through language

Othello's characterisation of himself significantly defines and influences his jealousy. Comparing his speech patterns with Iago's reveals different intentions and motives. Iago uses more directives in his monologues, preferring to give instructions in an authoritative manner. This characteristic makes Iago more manipulative.

In contrast, Othello demonstrates more candid, assertive speech, suggesting reason, rationality and calmness. This indicates that initially, Othello was much more level-headed, making his transformation more profound and shocking.

Early confidence and self-assurance

When discovering that Brabantio seeks him to confront him about courting Desdemona, Othello declares: "My parts, my title, and my perfect soul / Shall manifest me rightly" (Act 1, Scene 2). He remains unfazed by Brabantio's threatening behaviour, staying grounded in his belief that he committed no wrongdoing.

This confidence relates intrinsically to reality and appearances, connecting to jealousy themes. Othello initially develops a clear way of perceiving reality, pursuing truth. His transformation into a distrustful lover becomes more emphasised through his belief in his inner sense of self. His self-assuredness appears when he describes his soul as 'perfect' (Act 1, Scene 2), suggesting complete confidence in others' favourable perception of him.

The deterioration of rational speech

When confronted by Brabantio, Othello responds: "That I have ta'en away this old man's daughter, / It is most true; true I have married her / The very head and front of my offending / Hath this extent, no more" (Act 1, Scene 3). His honesty and refusal to hide behind pretence make him a sympathetic character.

However, as the play progresses, Othello's speech acts become increasingly violent towards Desdemona, revealing his insecurities and jealousy. For example, he exclaims: "Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul // But I do love thee! And when I love thee not, // Chaos is come again" (Act 3, Scene 3).

This quote demonstrates the changing nature of his love as he questions his own feelings for her. The religious imagery suggests his readiness to be damned for eternity to keep her as his alone. The concept of excessive love and jealousy parallel each other, positioning Othello's madness around his wife's sexuality as a result of loving her intensely.

Desdemona's voice

Changing dialogue and characterisation

Othello's rising jealousy inadvertently affects Desdemona's character development. Her lack of dialogue as the play progresses depicts this change. Initially, her voice was quite assertive because she followed her own decisions. However, her speech becomes distorted to both the audience and Othello once Iago influences it.

When she defends another man and insists on helping Cassio, this behaviour incites jealousy in Othello, as any behaviour directed towards men is perceived as treacherous.

Critical perspectives on Desdemona

Ironically, Desdemona also confirms certain characteristics of other male characters. Frank Kermode observes: "Desdemona aids the process, twice commending Iago's honesty, a conviction of which in the other characters is now essential to his design". This conviction has fatal consequences for her, as she appears to confirm her own infidelity by supporting Iago's truthfulness.

Other critics note that her insistence on helping Cassio becomes annoying not only to Othello but to audiences too. Edward A. Snow suggests: "Even when her suit on Cassio's behalf starts to wear on our nerves as well as Othello's, the focus is not so much on a fault in her character as on the pathological reverberations that even a woman's trivial indiscretions have in the minds of men".

This reflects Jacobean conventions surrounding female voices - they were not taken seriously but rather dismissed as 'trivial'. As Desdemona begins to be dismissed by her husband due to his jealousy, she fails to fight back and assumes an expected submissive position.

Jealousy and redemption

Tragic heroes and fatal flaws

Othello's noble disposition and naivety result in the exploitation of his loyalties alongside his beliefs about male authority. His inability to act quickly costs him his own life and prolonged suffering. Macbeth's ambition leads to his demise. Othello fails to contain his jealousy and succumbs to his chaotic temper.

The concept of redemption

Shakespeare's use of fatal flaws proves important in these heroes: their morality and sense of responsibility become destroyed by their own decisions and personality traits. This leads audiences to question whether they can achieve redemption for their actions.

Othello's redemption can be observed in the last act of the play. His first sense of redemption was achieved when rescued from slavery. This detail about his life establishes him as an individual who was saved by others to serve in the military and aid others in return.

His conversion to Christianity represents a conventional sign of this redemption - he upholds Christian values through his actions, words and morals. By being freed and accommodating to Christian values, he was positioned higher in the social hierarchy, depicting gratitude that made others perceive him as noble and worthy.

The loss of redemption

Othello's gradual loss of his redeeming qualities leads him to regress into a more primitive state of mind. Consumed by jealousy, he reveals simplicity in his thinking about his own beliefs. Believing in Iago's words while dismissing objections, his primitive nature appears when he avoids deep reflexion about evidence presented, choosing to defame his wife's fidelity to confirm his assumptions.

His ideas become absolute - if he believes something is wrong, no room exists for other thoughts. This makes him easier to control, as Iago abuses this simple-mindedness. The feelings become all-absorbing; consumed by jealousy, he also becomes easily consumed by guilt.

Final redemption through recognition

In Act 5, the pivotal climax occurs when Iago's plan becomes exposed, Emilia defends Desdemona's innocence, and Othello realises the terrible turn of events. Having killed his innocent wife, his lack of trust in her compared to his trust in Iago results in tainting their love and marriage.

To atone for the sin of murdering his wife, Othello chooses to redeem himself by rejecting his jealous feelings and recognising her innocence: "...You must speak of one that loved not wisely, but too well, of one not easily jealous, but being wrought....one whose hand...threw a pearl away rich than all his tribe" (Act 5, Scene 2).

Overview

Jealousy as the driving force

Jealousy in the play serves as one of the main factors that drives the main characters. Iago's jealousy motivates the main revenge plot - he feels jealous about not being appointed lieutenant and assumes that Othello has made him a cuckold. The language Iago employs contains malice, making his evil intentions clear from the start.

The play utilises jealousy throughout. Othello's jealousy becomes a barrier to his redemption. Shakespeare explores how redemption and jealousy connect closely - Othello's initial societal redemption becomes overwritten by his inability to contain his jealous disposition.

Historical and social contexts

Although jealousy can appear to emerge due to unfolding events in the play, some theories attribute jealousy as an inherent characteristic in people from exotic countries. Geohumoralism argues that people from warmer climates become more prone to aggressive or jealous behaviour if provoked. Such widespread beliefs at the time may have inspired the way Iago manipulates Othello.

His use of racial difference justifies Othello's descent into jealousy, as insecurities surface through believing his wife was unfaithful. The handkerchief fuels this jealousy because it serves as the symbol of betrayed love.

Patriarchal structures and gender

Another factor explored was the influence of patriarchal structures that shaped how Othello's jealousy emerged. Female infidelity was especially condemned because of social limitations placed on women. Transgressing beyond their passive position as housewives was considered criminal.

Contemporary audiences, however, perceive such possessiveness and control as abusive. Social regulations on female and masculine behaviours have transformed, and individuals have greater freedom in how they act. This can be attributed to the rise of feminism, which changed perspectives on women and the opportunities available to them.

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