'Jealousy and deception in the play is not just confined to Othello'. Show how these themes are explored not only through the character of Othello, but the play as a whole

In William Shakespeare's play Othello, jealousy and deception are both central themes that play an important role in contributing to the fatal consequences that occur in this tragedy. The entire play revolves around the idea of being jealous of others and being deceived by those that are close to you. There are many critical interpretations regarding just how widely the themes of jealousy and deception are explored throughout the characters in the play, and my personal interpretation of the statement has lead me to agree with it. In my opinion, jealousy and deception is not only confined to Othello, it is present in other characters aswell. Othello's characteristics may make him more inclined to be jealous and deceived because of his insecurities, and gullible and trusting nature which is seen by many as a weakness, and it is this belief in deception, which later leads to an evil jealousy that results in dreadful consequences.

From the Library of Congress: TITLE: Thos. W. Keen...

English: Photographic full-length portrait of Edwi...

Illustration of Othello and Iago

However, there are other characters in the play who also display jealousy and deception. I will be exploring the characteristics of not only Othello, but the characteristics of the other characters in the play who also display these emotions.

There are many different critical interpretations regarding jealousy in the play. In William Shakespeare: The Tragedies, Paul. A. Jorgensen gives his views on the main motivation in the play: "Othello is a story of raging sexual jealousy prompted apparently by the least credible of motives". I agree with Jorgensen here, because Othello's jealousy is categorized as sexual, and this jealousy is caused by Iago's sick motives of obtaining revenge on Othello and Cassio. Othello didn't really need any motives to become jealous, because being the loving and passionate person he was, could have been a strong motive in itself. There would already be potential for deception since...