Othello Relates

Shakespeare’s “Othello,” though written several years ago, still aligns with life in the twenty-first century. This timeless work relays enduring themes of love, jealousy, lust, and loyalty. The theme of jealousy presents itself consistently throughout the play in various circumstances. Jealousy over love exists as the most prominent theme still applicable to modern life. As is apparent in both the novel New Moon, the second book in the Twilight series, and the movie 27 Dresses, love evokes jealous feelings from others.

Prevalent in “Othello,” the theme of jealousy conveys the loyalty, or rather lack of loyalty that the characters possess. Throughout the play, the characters experience the joy of love, and the envy that often accompanies this emotion. Roderigo first worries about losing Desdemona and her love when he hears that she will wed Othello. Roderigo loved Desdemona and she turned him down. He still has feelings for her and wants her love. Roderigo envies Othello, for the feelings he receives from Desdemona. Love evokes jealousy out of people because love is such a coveted emotion. Roderigo enlists the help of Iago to win the love of Desdemona. Also, Othello shows jealousy towards Cassio. He believes that Desdemona, his wife, is cheating on him with Cassio. This makes Othello jealous that Cassio receives Desdemona’s love. When Emilia learns of Othello’s feelings, she discusses the matter with Emilia. Emilia attempts to ease her frustration by saying, "[Jealous souls] are not ever jealous for the cause, but jealous for they are jealous. 'Tis a monster begot upon itself, born on itself (III, iv, 154-156)." The knowledge of love makes people jealous of that feeling. Everyone wants to be loved.

Presently, film and literature continue to convey the same message of jealousy. Both the novel New Moon and the film 27 Dresses contain jealous characters. They are jealous of the other characters’ love or their own lack of love. Just as Roderigo is jealous over Othello’s marriage to Desdemona, Jane becomes jealous of Tess’ marriage to George in 27 Dresses. Jane has had a crush on George for several years and her younger sister, Tess, comes to visit and gets engaged to George. Jane tries to cover up her jealousy by saying she is happy for Tess and that it is not Tess’ fault because she did not know how she really felt. Jane was in love with George first just as Roderigo was in love with Desdemona before Othello. Similarly, in New Moon, Jacob loves Bella first. After moving to Forks, Bella and Jacob are introduced by their fathers. They become friends and Jacob grows to love Bella. The problem is that Bella loves Edward. Jacob loved her first, but Bella loves Edward. This evokes jealousy from Jacob. In one of his angry fits, Jacob yells, “Well, I’m so sorry that I can’t be the right kind of monster for you, Bella. I guess I’m just not as great as a bloodsucker, am I? (Meyer 307)” He wishes that he could be perfect for Bella just as Edward is perfect for Bella. The consistency between the situations in all three of these prevails as jealousy over love. All three scenarios prove that often the one who loves someone first, continues to love them even after he or she is in love with someone else.

The jealousy of love exists even when someone is already in love. Once someone is in love, he or she does not become immune to jealousy. In all three works, the timelessness of jealousy over love is evident. Just as Othello becomes jealous of Cassio when he thinks that he is having an affair with Desdemona, Kevin becomes jealous of George. Jane loves George even though he does not love her back. Kevin wants Jane to love him, not George. Kevin calls Jane out after seeing her flirt with her sister’s fiancé by saying, “And then it dawned on me. Of course you’re upset, you’re planning your sister’s wedding to the man that you’re in love with (27 Dresses).” (See video from 2:45 to 5:00) The envy plagues Kevin because he loves Jane but she does not want to love him back. The jealousy also affects people who are already in love. Even though Edward and Bella are in love, Edward still envies Jacob’s friendship with Bella. Edward knows that he will never have the same relationship with Bella that Jacob has. As much as Edward loves Bella, he knows that she also loves Jacob. He worries about the security of their relationship because he sees the way that she looks at Jacob. He is jealous because he can never have the friendship with Bella that Jacob has. Jacob pledges his loyalty to Bella by saying, “Yeah, I’ll always be your friend. No matter what you love (Meyer 409).” Edward realizes Jacob will always be around and that is why he is jealous. The various works all prove that jealousy of love persists throughout time. Various forms of jealousy exist and prevail as people envy others for their love and relationships.

Proven to be a timeless writer, Shakespeare presents themes that persist over several years. Issues of his time remain prevalent in the current culture. While culture and society have changed, the themes Shakespeare writes about continue to exist. As would be expected, the themes should persist for several years to come. He wrote about timeless matters such as jealousy and love which will exist as long as humanity. The human nature people will allow his work to stay relevant in the future. Jealousy and love will not leave society because the human person is the root of society. People will not be immune to these natural human emotions so the themes included in Othello will still be applicable for years to come.


Works Cited

27 Dresses. Dir. Anne Fletcher. Perf. Katherine Heigl, James Marsden, Malin Akerman, Edward
Burns, Judy Greer. 20th Century Fox, 2008. DVD.

Meyer, Stephenie. New Moon. New York: Hachette Book Group, 2007. Print. Twilight.

Perrine, Laurence. “Othello.” Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. Forth Worth.
Harcourt College. 2002. 161-462. Print.