1) How does Shakespeare explore the theme of jealousy in these extracts?
Shakespeare deliberately uses structure and dramatic devices to portray the theme of jealousy, in the extract from lines 82 to 178 and lines 284 to 310 Act 2 Scene 1. Othello and Desdemona are reuniting after a terrible storm that destroyed the Turkish fleet, while Iago schemes a plan to undermine their marriage.
Shakespeare intelligently sets the setting in Cyprus after the Turkish fleet has been destroyed by the storm. Creating this setting allows the audience to sense the isolation on the characters from expect moral standards. In Venice, we are shown that characters such as the Duke and Brabantio is capable of influencing the marriage between Othello and Desdemona, however, now that they are on a different island the audience are then automatically set to view how the characters in the island is able to influence the marriage between Othello and Desdemona. Furthermore, since Iago are amongst the characters on the island, and as shown from Act 1, the audience is then therefore focused on the actions that Iago schemes maliciously to undermine the marriage. Shakespeare uses this setting so that the audience focuses on Iago’s action which allows Shakespeare to display the jealousy from Iago and his skills of exposing jealousy from other characters.
Iago’s jealousy of Othello is first explored when Shakespeare uses his dialogues to unjustly accuse Othello of having slept with Emily. This is shown in Iago’s Soliloquy when Iago says “wife for wife”. He wants to make Othello feel as jealous as he feels by making him think that Desdemona slept with Cassio, because he is jealous as he thinks that Emily has slept with Othello. Furthermore, Shakespeare uses this Solilquy to show the extent of his jealousy towards Othello’s marriage. This is shown in “poisonous mineral, gnaw my inwards”. This gruesome imagery of immense pain is used to describe is jealousy for Othello and thus shows how clouded and overwhelmed Iago is by his jealousy. On top of that Shakespeare personifies his jealousy by saying “diet my revenge” as though his revenge needs to be fed thus showing the magnitude in his determination to achieve his revenge which then heightens the jealousy that drives him to “diet” his revenge.
Shakespeare also explores the theme of jealousy as Iago exposes jealousy from other characters. He does this to Roderigo. He makes Roderigo jealous of Cassio because he states that “Desdemona is directly in love with him”. He uses this jealous feeling to manipulate him.
2) How would an audience react to Iago’s plotting against Othello, Desdemona and Cassio?
Shakespeare deliberately makes Iago’s plotting and scheming “Aside” and within a “Soliloquy”. These dramatic devices do not only heightens the tension but also does not allow the audience to enjoy or relax from the happy union of Desdemona and Othello. Furthermore these dramatic devices strengthen the magnitude and power of the scheme that it makes the audience feels as though helpless and empathetic for the characters whom are victims of his scheme. For the Soliloquy, the use of punctuation shows the intelligence behind Iago’s improvised scheme and thus makes the audience believe that the scheme is capable of tackling its victims. Furthermore the description of his need to “revenge” Othello heightens the determination from Iago on his scheme, which then increases the potential threat of the scheme. For the dialogue “Aside”, Shakespeare has set this up so that on one end of the stage the audience can see the happy reunion of the couple, while on the other end of the stage the audience can see the malicious and evil scheme of Iago’s. This therefore does not allow the audience to enjoy or relax from the fact that the couples are happy, because his scheme foreshadows that they will be successfully made, victims to his plots.