One of the explicit bases of tragedy Othello is the theme of groundless jealousy. Othello is effortlessly deceived by provoking and waspish comments of Iago to such an extent that he believes in the existence of Desdemona’s infidelity. “I do not think but Desdemona’s honest/ And yet, how nature erring from itself (3.3.265) Why did I marry? (3.3.280) Ha, ha, false to me? (3.3.380) I think my wife be honest and I think she is not. (3.3.440)” This distressing jealousy originates not in the Othello’s nature, but in the Iago’s evil mind, which impacts on the Othello’s trusting soul and creates suspicion about alleged adultery. He had no reason to doubt the fidelity of his wife, yet so easily succumbed to Iago’s manipulations and unjustly killed her.
Would be significant to note that the Shakespearian storyline is not unique. The similar idea of groundless jealousy could be found in Homeric Odyssey, Indian epic The Ramayana and the text of The Arabian nights.
In Odyssey the theme of jealousy is not so explicit. However, the particular scene from the book 11 The Kingdom of The Dead sets up an interesting predicament, evidencing the Odysseus’ s distrust and inner wariness about Penelope’s faithfulness to him. When Circe sets Odysseus “down to the house of death and the awesome one, Persephone, there to consult the ghost of Tiresias, seer of Thebes”(10. 620) during the conversation Odysseus has with his mother’s soul, he asks her about Penelope, and in particular whether she is still waiting for him: “Please, tell me about my wife, her turn of mind, her thoughts… still guarding our great estates, secure as ever now?/ Or has she wed some other countryman at last, the finest prince among them?”(11.200). What makes this particular scene even more interesting is that Odysseus has also spoken to the shade of Agamemnon, whose unfortunate story was following us throughout the poem; he was betrayed and killed by his wife Clytemnestra, when he returned from Troy to his homeland. There is an interesting parallel set up, and Odysseus is keen to work out whether he might face a similar fate, or whether Penelope, unlike Clytemnestra, has stayed loyal to her husband during his long period of absence. Therefore, we can see that Odysseus is questioning Penelope’s loyalty, and the story of the King Agamemnon is, in this case, raising additional suspicion, similarly to Iago’s manipulations with Othello’s mind.
Likewise, the same theme could be noted in The Ramayana story. Rama also was doubtful about Sita’s faithfulness. In Interlude part, after he salvages her from Ravana, he says to her: “I must tell you that it is not customary to admit back to the normal married fold a woman who has resided all alone in a stranger’s house. There can be no question of our living together again. I leave you free to go where you please and to choose any place to live in.” (13.p.148) And even after the trial by the fire, and proving her purity, Rama still doesn’t trusts her, and let “a second parting” between them to happen. (p.157) He finally starts to believe in her innocence right after she has left “this world and returning to her original home in the heavens.”(ibid), so, basically died. Apparently, we could draw a parallel with Othello story. Sita shares the same fate as Desdemona; they were trying to prove their purity, but were able to do so only after the death. While Rama, similarly to Iago’s poisonous jealousy, was influenced by social prejudice and traditional views, which have provoked his suspicion about Sita’s loyalty.
Also we could find the example of similar predicament in The Arabian Nights, in a particular, The story of The Three Apples. Where a slave deceived a young man about his wife’s infidelity. This man did not possess sufficient serenity or prudence, similarly to Othello; he was blind with his anger “the world turned black before my eyes”(p.152). He wasn’t trying to find out the credibility of slave’s words he was just “mad with resentment and fury”. Only a minute argument about the absence of one of three apples convinced him that the slave was right about his wife’s unfaithfulness.( Same as Iago told Othello about the handkerchief, absent from the Desdemona’s hand.) Right after it, he “took a sharp knife and stealing behind her silently, knelt on her breast, worked the knife into her throat, and cut off her head”(ibid). This cruel murder without any clarification of reasons is resonating with Othello’s story. Since wife of this man is faithful, this makes this story even more similar to Othello’s plot, where one of the leitmotifs is the “unjust death” and “groundless jealousy“.
Therefore, after comparing four different texts of different epochs and cultures we could trace the same basis among them. Theme, that is as old as time- venomous, dangerous “the green-eyed monster”(3.3.195) – the groundless jealousy.
