Message

The message in William Shakespeare’s play Othello is a warning against the dangers of allowing oneself to be controlled by jealousy. Both Iago and Othello give in to jealousy and envy, which leads to the final catastrophe. Othello becomes so paranoid and blinded by jealousy that he does not even stop to question if what Iago is telling him could be possible. Although he asks Emilia who tells him truthfully that nothing improper could have happened between Desdemona and Cassio, Othello still cannot believe this is true and thinks Emilia is the one being tricked.

The play also draws attention to the fact that appearances can be deceiving and that things might sometimes not be what they seem. Everyone believes Iago is honest when he is in fact a manipulator and a lia...