ealousy is a disease that is built upon hatred and insecurity, forever present in an individual but simply awaiting a trigger. It is evident in William Shakespeare’s Othello that envy is a common human characteristic and that “jealous souls are not ever jealous for the cause, but jealous for they are jealous. It is a monster born on itself.” The characters Othello, Iago and Roderigo exhibit the innate nature of jealousy through their actions and beliefs. Othello reveals the monster inside of him when he murders his wife, Desdemona, which is a result of his envying of Cassio. The monster inside of Iago is visible throughout the whole text as all his actions are an attempt to feed his jealousy and although the monster in Roderigo is meagre in comparison to the other characters, he allows his envious soul to lead him to his death.

Shakespeare’s Othello is a man of colour and the general of the Venetian army, however, the heroism he portrays and the stereotypes he breaks does not stop him from allowing his jealousy to control his actions. The “ocular proof” of Desdemona’s handkerchief being found with Cassio drove him to ultimately murder his wife. Since the handkerchief had been the first ever gift from Othello to his wife, the author uses it to symbolise his love for her and its presence with Cassio drove his jealousy to completely consume him. Othello’s “heart is turned to stone” and his envy of Cassio’s supposed relationship with his wife leads him to kill her. In Othello, the Venetian generals gradual change in personality and way of thinking because of his assumptions and jealousy portray how an uncontrolled envy over someone can lead to the monster within to unleash itself. Essentially, Othello’s jealousy of Cassio was always present, but the extent of its damage is drastically increased throughout the play.

The agonist of the play, Iago, is a character with typical villainous c