Othello Essay, Research Paper

Jealousy is a green-eyed monster. Jealousy can corrupt a person into a monster. In the

play Othello, by William Shakespeare, the character Othello was corrupted by jealousy

because of somebody else planting ideas in his head. The play began with Othello in

love with Desdemona, but by the end of the play the vengeful Iago tricked him into

thinking she was cheating.

In the beginning of the play, Othello and Desdemona were madly in love. She

fell further in love after listening by the door to Othello telling her father stories of his

adventures. They renewed their love for each other when they met again in Cyprus. This

was after Desdemona found out that the Turkish fleet was taken down by the storm.

She was scared that Othello did not survive the trip. When they saw each other, they told

each other how they loved another, and what there love was like.

When Othello and Desdemona began to realize that their love was real and they

were meant for each other, Iago started to plant awful ideas in Othello s head. Iago was

doing this not to break up the relationship, but rather to get Cassio fired from his job.

Iago wanted Cassio fired because he got the job of lieutenant instead of himself. Iago

broke Desdemona and Othello up by telling Othello that Desdemona was cheating on

him with Cassio. Iago was given the name Honest Iago by Othello. He was given this

name because Iago told Othello every thing that was happening with Desdemona.

One of the ideas that was planted into Othello s head was that Cassio was having

a dream about Desdemona where he was telling her how much he loved her. He also told

Othello descriptive details about the dream when Cassio put his leg on Iago and told him

how they have to keep their love from Othello. These things that Iago was telling Othello

were putting awful pictures into his head. This is an example of imagery. Imagery is

when a vivid picture is put into the reader s head. Iago planted such an awful in picture

in Othello s that he just could not believe his wife would do such a thing.

Another idea that Iago planted in Othello s head was that Desdemona gave Cassio

her handkerchief. Actually Desdemona dropped the handkerchief, and Emilia, Iago s

wife picked it up. To Make it more realistic, Iago gave the handkerchief to Cassio to

have him get the print on it copied. The handkerchief meant a lot to Othello because his

mother got it from a Gypsy. The handkerchief had a spell on it ,that if kept your love

would last forever, but if you loose it, or give it away ,your love would end. Othello

believed this spell and feared that the cheating was true.

Near the end of the play, Iago had pushed Othello so hard into believing that

Desdemona was cheating that Othello could not even look at her. Othello killed

Desdemona.

Othello was corrupted from jealousy throughout the play. He believed what

honest Iago told him , and he fell into the trap. Othello became so jealous that he

killed his wife. Even though she was innocent and she did not have a clue what he was

talking about when he