Thomas+W+Othello

Tommy Whiteside
 * __Money__**

In William Shakespeare’s tragic play __Othello__, Shakespeare uses the motif of money to emphasize an illusion of power because many time throughout the play, money is used to make someone believe they are more powerful and in control when they actually aren’t. However at the end of the play, money is also used to symbolize greed and jealousy, two central ideas of __Othello.__

In __Othello__, Roderigo tries to attain more power. To help him do so, Iago tells him to “Go, make money” (1.3.407). It is one of many times that Iago tells Roderigo to earn money in some way. He tells him to do so because Iago convinces Roderigo that having money will make Desdemona love him. Roderigo is convinced that once Desdemona sees the lavish gifts he can buy her, she will fall into his arms. In turn Roderigo sells his house to earn money. Roderigo believes he is powerful with money, because Iago convinces him he will be able to command Desdemona’s will. The problem with this is that he spends all of this money much too easily, and Desdemona doesn’t notice him at all for it. Money enables Roderigo to follow Desdemona to Cypress, and this helps to make him believe even more that he has power over her. As a result, Roderigo becomes frustrated that Desdemona doesn’t noticed him, and this makes him all the more vulnerable to Iago’s manipulations due to his desperation.

Money gives even Othello a false idea of power. He believes that he has complete power over those around him because he is a high ranking general. However, this is not the case. When Othello says, “the purchase made, the fruits are to ensue,” (2.3.11) he is asserting his belief that he is in control of his surroundings and what is happening to him. This quote easily symbolizes the idea that Othello believes he is in control. Iago proves his idea wrong. Despite Othello’s sureness, Iago begins stirring up Othello’s life. Othello doesn’t really have complete control over his life, because Iago is able to very easily change his path. Othello’s marriage and his life are ended by Iago’s plot. If someone were truly more powerful than all those around them, then this would not have been possible. The fact that Othello uses the word “purchase” implies that a connection to money can be made. For this reason, the motif of money can be used to show all illusion of power and control.



Throughout the play __Othello,__ the motif of money undergoes a change. During the latter half of the play, money becomes less associated with power and more associated with jealousy. This is because jealousy becomes a central idea in the play, and the motif of money changes accordingly. The connection between money and jealousy can be seen in the idea of the “ green-eyed monster, which doth mock the meat it feeds on” (3.3.166-167). Both money and jealousy are frequently represented by the color green, which allows the “green eyed monster” quote to be interpreted in a way relating money and jealousy. More precisely, this quote is possibly saying that money can lead to jealousy. For example, Othello has money, but money alone cannot satisfy him. Othello also needs Desdemona in order to be happy, but when he suspects her disloyalty, he becomes jealous of the man she is allegedly cheating on him with because Othello believes the other man is happy while he isn’t. This example proves how the motif of money changes in the second half of __Othello__ to represent a link between money and jealousy.