"Oh, beware, my lord, of jealousy!"

Human beings are convinced that trust and love can help overcome any hardship, however, lack of communication and manipulation leads to jealousy; an emotion that can consume an individual and a relationship. There are three characters in Othello that follow the theme of jealousy.

The first character is Iago. Iago fueled jealousy in Othello by implanting lies about Desdemona and Cassio having an affair. Iago plots his revenge to bring Othello crashing down. Iago is consumed by his own jealousy, believing his wife, Emilia, had an affair with Othello and is also upset about Cassio being lieutenant. In Act II, scene iii, Iago delivers a soliloquy where he informs the audience of his plan to plant Desdemona’s handkerchief in Cassio’s room, inflaming Othello’s jealousy.

The second character is Othello. Iago’s constant reminder of Desdemona’s infidelity causes Othello to be consumed by jealousy. He is unstable and aggressive and murders his wife at the end of the play. Othello hits his wife when she told him she has lost the handkerchief.

The final character is Desdemona. She blames herself for the actions of her husband. She believes that she is not contributing enough to her marriage, when in reality, her husband is to blame. She is used in Iago’s plan to make Othello jealous.

Shakespeare utilizes rhetorical devices in the theme of jealous. He demonstrates imagery and allusion. For example, Iago uses imagery to create a lucid picture that makes it hard to believe that anything is true. For example, in Act III, scene iii, Iago describes Cassio’s naughty dream about Desdemona to Othello. “In sleep I heard him say ‘Sweet Desdemona, Let us be wary, let us hide our loves.’” Iago framed Cassio to make it seem like he’s sleeping with Desdemona. This was all part of his plan to make Othello jealous.

An example of allusion is when Othello alludes to religious ideology found in the bible. For example, Othello makes an allusion to the bible Act IV, scene ii, when he states, “You, mistress, / That have the office opposite to Saint peter…” Here Othello is referring to Desdemona as the guardian of the gates of Hell. Othello is implying that Desdemona will go to Hell. At this point he believes Iago’s lies and sees Desdemona as a sinner.