Essay: Desire drives Jealousy: A Green Beast of Freight in Shakespeare’s Othello

Humans often learn by imitating others, which sometimes involves imitating others’ desires. However, this can be problematic because when two humans desire the same object, it can turn into conflict and violence, which can lead to destruction. According to Rob Wilson in “Othello: Jealousy as Mimetic Contagion”, “Desire is mimetic. It always focuses on some object already desired by the model, and it necessarily brings disharmony and rivalry…” (Wilson, 215). In other words, mimetic desire occurs when people see others possessing what they desire, and this can turn into rivalry. Jealousy caused by mimetic desires of the characters can be seen in William Shakespeare’s Othello, a play that centers around two conflicting, but similar characters: Iago, a deceptive, vengeful character, and Othello, an honorable but insecure soldier, who murders their wives. On the one hand, Iago is a jealous character who seeks Othello’s downfall, because he desires to have the Lieutenant position given to Cassio, as he feel he is entitled to it, and because he suspected that Othello slept with his wife, Emilia. On the other hand, Othello, an articulate, fearless, and honorable soldier, is jealous because he believes that another man desires the love of his wife, Desdemona. It is hard to determine why he is jealous because his actions are not based on what he claims he is jealous of for jealousy are not based.
It could be reasonably contended that Iago possesses the traits of a manipulative villain, and Othello of an credulous victim, however, this surface level categorization fails to explore the complex relationship each character has with themselves and their identity. By examining how Iago is able to he use his jealousy to stir and fuel Othello’s actions, and how Othello, a dignified man transforms irrationally, and murders his wife, this paper will argue that Iago stirs the jealousy in Othello, however, Othello’s jealousy is exacerbated as a result of his insecurities with his identity, which ultimately leads to his downfall. This paper will do so by first comparing Iago’s true intentions towards Othello, with how he acts around Othello, then discuss how Othello doesn’t feel confident in his own Identity, which makes it easier for Iago to stir his jealousy, to show how he ends up killing his wife.
Iago’s vengeful acts arises because of his lack of interest in finding the truth but interest in revenge only. In the beginning of the play, Iago give readers the first impression of Othello which readers might have believed to be the truth as he says, “And it is thought abroad that ’twixt my sheets. He has done my office” (1,3,380-81). In this scene, the word “office” is used to represent a wife. As Iago soliloquy, he is claiming that Othello is sleeping with his wife. This shows that Iago is trying to justify his actions, and bring the readers into his plans, by giving a reasonable reason for why he would desire to ruin Othello. Although there are no specific evidence that supports Iago’s accusations against Othello, “But I, for mere suspicion in that kind, Will do as if for surety” (1,3,382-83), he develops hatred against Othello and plans to bring him down. Using the word “mere” here shows how little Iago is interested in finding the truth. It show that Iago is a character who judge solely on what he hears, rather than what he witnesses. Iago’s real feelings towards Othello is reveleved as he says, “I hate the Moor” (1,3,362). The verb “hate” that Iago uses here shows a very strong and direct motives that he has towards Othello. The word “Moor” is associated with being black, therefore Iago chooses this word to describe Othello to convince the audience that he is a savage. With this, Iago’s true motives and intentions towards Othello can be seen.
It easier to influence someone when they think the other person is an ally, rather than their enemy. When interacting with Othello, Iago portrays himself as a “loyal” servant who is only doing his duties dutifully. Although he has already established his hatred towards Othello in the beginning of the play, he went on telling Othello that, “My lord, you know I love you” (3.3.118). In this scene, telling Othello he “loves” him is a way for Iago to establish trust between the two, so as to make it easier to achieve his vengeful desires. Othello trusts Iago genuinely, however Iago exploited this trust to bring him down. He wants what Othello has, and out of his jealousy of believing that Othello slept with his wife. As he sologuises, he says, “Till I am evened with him, wife for wife” (2.1.296). The phrase “wife for wife” shows that Iago is willing to use Desdemona to bring Othello down without caring about the consequences. Iago’s perception of others comes from his own self-narratives. Without having any proves, he soliloquize alone, make his devious plans alone, and executes them. According to Paul Cefalu in “The burdens of mind reading in shakespeare’s othello”, he claims that, “Iago’s challenge is the inescapable, generic problem of other minds… Iago’s outside status derives from thinking too much about what others are thinking, from never being in the moment” (Cefalu 269). When Iago soliguises, he uses his self narratives to justify his jealousy, and shares his plans with the audience. Through this, he makes judgments about each characters and based on what he “hears” and what he believes to be the truth.
In order for Iago to achieve his goals, he starts out by slowly poisoning Othello’s mind with doubt and jealousy. Othello’s jealousy was caused as result of Iago’s devilish and deceptive plans. This can be seen as Iago tries to convince Othello that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair. He says, “So loose of soul, that in their sleeps will mutter their affairs. One of this kind is Cassio. In sleep I heard him say,“Sweet Desdemona, Let us be wary, let us hide our love…” (3,3,415-19). In other words, Iago is telling Othello that he has seen “proofs” that shows both Desdemona and Cassio are in a relationship. Because Othello could not believe his wife’s infidelity without any proof, Iago tries to poison his mind, because only then can he achieve his plans of vengeance against Othello. To hide his true intentions, Iago tries to show Othello that he actually cares about him and that he shouldn’t be controlled by jealousy. He says, “ O, beware, my lord, of jealousy, It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on. ” (3.iii.167-68). This shows that Iago is trying to make Othello to believe that whatever decision he makes, it wasn’t as result of what Iago had told him, but rather based on what Othello himself wants. “The meat it feeds on” shows that jealousy is a feeling that can destroy someone. Although Iago’s intention is to stir jealousy in Othello, it becomes easier because of Othello’s insecurities.
Due to Othello’s influence and good social position, one might assume that he’s completely secure with his identity, but his self image heavily relies on societal standards . When Othello hears that Brabantio is trying to defame his character, Othello responded by saying, “Let him do his spite…i fetch my life and being from men of royal siege, and my demerits speak as proud a fortune as that I have reached”(1.2.21-23). Here Othello regards his heritage highly and his dialogue also suggests that he values being from a “royal” background . Othello asserts that he came from high or “royal” society in this instance because it justifies his marriage to Desdemona. When Othello attributes his “life and being” to his social status, his identity heavily depends on how society regards him. His “demerits speak as proud a fortune [he] has reached” therefore he believes that he deserves Desdemona solely based on his social standing.Though it seems that he is secure in his position and feels that even a powerful man like Brabantio can not taint his honor, he attributes too much of his self worth to social status since his standards stem from the values Venetian society.
When Othello suspects that Desdemona is cheating on him, he projects his insecurities by comparing her alleged infidelity with his blackness. After Iago has successfully convinced him of Desdemona’s infidelity, he reacts by saying: “Her name, that was as fresh as Dian’s visage, is now begrimed and black as mine own face” (3.3.386-88). Here, he compares his blackness to being impure and “begrimed” and even explicitly states that Desdemona’s once pure “visage” became corrupted and likened it to his “own [black] face”. Publicly,Othello exotifies his Moorish identity, and presents himself as someone who has pride in his heritage. In his private conversations , however, Othello expresses his insecurities about his heritage and specifically makes self-deprecating comments about his blackness. The appearance of pride he promotes in the public eye can be mistaken for a genuine acceptance of his heritage. Yet Othello’s dialogue in many different contexts suggests that he’s ashamed of his blackness. His insecurities with his identity makes it easier for Iago to execute his vengeful actions.
Othello’s jealousy is growing because his mind has been poisoned by Iago. Othello is slowly losing himself to Iago, by believing everything he says. The scene where Othello falls into trance, “I tremble at it. Nature would not invest herself in such shadowing passion without some instruction. It is not words that shake me thus. – Pish – Noses, ears, and lips. Is’t possible? Confess – handkerchief ! O devil!” (4,i,38-42). This shows that jealousy is slowing killing Othello, and he seems to be losing his senses. Iago has finally succeeded in making sure that he has control over Othello’s mind. Jealousy as a result of personal desires drove Iago to wanting to destroy Othello, however it is different for Othello. Othello’s mind is being poisoned by Othello. While Othello believes that Iago has his best interest in mind, he allows himself to trust and rely on Othello. When Othello finally decides to kill Desdemona, he explained to Desdemona why he was being jealous saying that, “That handkerchief which I so loved and gave thee, Thou gav’st to Cassio” (5.2.46-47). This scene is when Othello finally told Desdemona why he was jealous to begin with. Although this doesn’t change anything, because Othello is already too blinded by jealousy. Everything Desdemona says doesn’t matter because to Othello because the poison that Iago put in his mind is already too deep for him to to believe anything that she says to him.
Othello is able to reflect on his actions while Iago did not grow throughout the play. As Othello is being taken away, he says,“Speak of me as I am. Nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice. Then must you speak Of one that loved not wisely, but too well. Of one not easily jealous but, being wrought, Perplexed in the extreme. Of one whose hand, like the base Judean, threw a pearl away richer than all his tribe” (5.2.341-47). This shows that Othello has grown and accept that everything he does was driven by jealousy, and to have let that happen on his side, was one of the greatest mistakes anyone could ever make. What brought him down and totally led to his tragic ending is that he allows Iago to brainwash and manipulates him,, and even though he had loved Desdemona, the love was overridden by jealousy. He owns this mistake, and finally understands how he could have done things differently. On the other hand, Iago never admit, deny, nor reflect on anything throughout the play. When asked why he did all he did, Iago simply reply saying, “Demand me nothing. What you know, you know. From this time forth, I never will speak word” (5.2.302-03). This shows that Iago has finally achieved what he had sought to gain from the beginning. His decision to keep quiet shows that he has no remorse and that he is absolutely a villain. He does not care that he had destroyed Othello’s live, killed his own, and caused a lot of damages. All that matters to him is the satisfaction that he has finally destroyed Othello. As shown in the text, Iago was set out to destroy Othello because he believes that he had slept with his wife, and because he wasn’t appointed as the lieutenant. However, this shows that Iago’s revenge plan might be more than what the text made available to reader, but what was certain was the fact that Iago was the main reason why everyone’s lives turned upside down.
Iago’s perception of others comes from his own self-narratives. Without having any proves, he soliloquize alone, make his devious plans alone, and executes them. According to Paul Cefalu in “The burdens of mind reading in shakespeare’s othello”, he claims that, “Iago’s challenge is the inescapable, generic problem of other minds… Iago’s outside status derives from thinking too much about what others are thinking, from never being in the moment” (Cefalu 269). Iago’s plan is to bring everyone down because of his doubt in everyone. Although one can not neglect Othello’s jealousy acts and the fact that he murders his wife, however, this was ignited as a result of Iago’s jealousy in the first place. Both ended up committing murder, however, because Iago’s jealousy was driven as a result of his own selfishness, and as a result of his own jealousy, he brainwashed Othello, leading to Othello being easily manipulated and controlled by Iago. Othello ended up accepting his mistakes and confessing to everything he did, while Iago does not seem to understand the consequences of his actions.