Iago’s Own Jealousy

Act 5 Scene 1 lines 19-22 ” He hath a daily beauty in his life / That makes me ugly; and besides, the Moor/ May unfold me to him – there stand I in much peril. / No, he must die. But soft, I hear him coming.” These lines make me think that Iago is jealous of Cassio which is why he wants him dead. When Iago says Cassio has daily beauty and makes Iago ugly, it sounds like Iago is jealous of Cassio’s attractiveness. Either he wants his looks or he just doesn’t like how much Othello likes him prior to the whole affair that Othello thought that Cassio was having with Desdemona. Iago was also jealous of Othello which is why he plotted to have him killed. Iago felt that Othello was not suitable to be in charge and wanted it for himself. Iago was so jealous that he didn’t care who died as long as he got what he wanted. He wanted Othello to suffer so bad, he murdered his own wife after she told everybody that Iago was behind everything. Multiple lives needed to be ruined just so that Othello would lose his power and no longer be in charge. Jealously was a large theme in this play and Iago’s jealously could arguably be the worst in the play. He was so jealous that he wanted Othello, Desdemona, Rodrigo, and Cassio dead. Othello killed his own wife out of jealously and stupidity, but he at the very least was under the impression that his love was purposely going out behind his back and hurting him by sleeping with another man.