Jealousy- Othello

What themes does the play present? To what extent do the thematic materials of the play have an effect on the dramatic experience?

One theme I previously mentioned was hate. In acts IV an V a new theme seems to be more prevalent: jealousy.  The jealousy is the root cause for the death and downfall of Othello and Iago. Iago acts on this weakness, creating several lies that will ultimately lead to Othello's, Roderigo's, and even his own misfortune. Iago encourages Roderigo's jealousy of Othello's marriage in order to get him to erase Cassio from the picture. Because Roderigo is so in love with Desdemona, he is willing to do anything. By the end of Act IV, Iago had easily convinced Roderigo to kill Cassio so that Desdemona would remain in Cyprus.With Othello, Iago carefully explained and "proved" that Desdemona was cheating on him and then allowed his jealous rage to take over his everything in his life. Othello, who was originally described as calm and collected, transformed into a jealous monster. He began to mistreat Desdemona, even going as far as to hit her while she remained honest and confused as to why Othello was acting so strange. Othello, overtaken by jealousy willfully wants to kill his wife. "Get me some poison, Iago, this night."(IV.i.188) Iago acts out of his own jealousy to destroy others. First, he was jealous of Cassio for the fact he was named lieutenant, and then later he states there is a rumor that Othello had slept with his wife. Determined to seek revenge, Iago's jealous nature is what causes the plot to advance. The true actions of jealousy are carried out in acts IV and V.