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Essay / Depiction of different types of jealousy in Shakespeare's Othello
As a human being, everyone is made up of emotions that cannot be ignored, while some are positive, others are not, it is believed that jealousy is often the secondary emotion to the primary emotion of anger or fear. Although jealousy is a common emotion, its destructive power is often overlooked. As John Dryden pointed out, "jealousy is the jaundice of the soul", where natural human emotions cannot be abandoned, and that it is often a reorientation of the conscious mind to respond to the needs of the unconscious mind. In the tragic play Othello by William Shakespeare, a psychological analysis approach is used to observe the logic behind the behaviors caused by many types of jealousy and its association with love, power, and betrayal. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Although the term jealousy often refers to the idea of romantic conflict, it can actually be presented and experienced in a variety of emotions. The nature of jealousy often arises from an unconscious feeling of inferiority, especially in a status competitive environment. In Othello, the character Iago is the perfect example of feeling envious due to one's social status. Introduced by a monologue, Iago is unhappy with Othello's decision to promote Cassio to lieutenant in his place. Immediately, Iago continues on about his greater qualification than Cassio and admits his true intentions behind serving Othello as "I am him to serve him my turn.", and that his loyalty to Othello is only temporary. While Iago intends to take advantage of Othello during his service, his malicious intent arises from his envy towards Cassio's new higher rank. Iago's conscious and unconscious state of mind can be explained by the "inferiority complex" defined by a psychologist named Alfred Adler. In this complex, Adler describes that the behavioral aspects of this type of jealousy are caused by the attempt to compensate for the present feeling of inferiority. While this theory perfectly explains Iago's subconscious, it also provides an early insight into his evolution into more irrational and dangerous behavior. Although Othello himself does not directly intend to anger or harm Iago, his neglect in providing Iago with what he wanted becomes a direct catalyst for Iago's destructive behavior. Iago's physical position in society is considered inferior to that of Cassio and Othello, so his inferiority stems directly from his physical status and lack of power, which further drives his jealousy towards the inferiority complex. Besides envy of status and power, the second most common type of jealousy concerns possessions and happiness. While people are often jealous of other people's wealth and inanimate objects, possession in Othello's case is not limited to that. Alongside Iago, another recurring character is Roderigo, a close friend of Iago. His importance lies in his enduring love for Desdemona, Othello's wife, and due to the lack of recognition and love in return, Roderigo is blinded by jealousy and becomes a sacrifice to satisfy Iago's jealous desires. Following Iago's instructions, Roderigo decides to wake Brabantio, Desdemona's father, in the middle of the night by shouting: "Even now, now, very now, an old black ram is killing your white sheep." », thus revealing Othello's hidden marriage to Desdemona to his father. While Roderigo's actions seem insignificant and not physically harmful, alarming Roderigo's father.