Othello

I thought Othello was a very interesting play. Jealousy infected the characters like a disease and the plague ravaged them and brought death down upon them. It was customary to kill one's wife after finding out about infidelity. If Desdemona had truly been unfaithful, Othello would have been supported in his actions. I was appalled at Othello's unwillingness to listen to his wife and to trust her seeing as he did love her. I would have thought he would have given her a chance to try to explain or prove her innocence, but he never gave her a change in his jealous rage. I think it is amazing what some people will do because of jealousy. I wouldn't call it revenge, really, because nothing was really done in the first place, but that is what Othello, Roderigo, and Iago all sought. It is hard for me to understand what would motivate someone to take such elaborate actions to get back at someone for passing them over for a promotion. Roderigo didn't really come up with much of anything and just did what Iago told him to, so I can't say that this was partly fueled by the jealousy over a woman. Iago was the 'mastermind' behind all of this and all that was done to him was that he was not promoted. He wasn't even demoted or anything. People will surprise you though I suppose. Overall I thought this was a wonderful play and while the revenge plot wasn't completely thought out and not really well executed, there was a level of intelligence to it and it was enjoyable to watch it play out.