Explore how the theme of jealousy is portrayed in Othello

Theatre in Jacobean England acted as a form of didactic allegory, namely a means of teaching the public social lessons. In the case of William Shakespeare's 1605 play Othello, the play emphasises the importance of trusting loved ones, and the distrust of others. In the highly patriarchal social hierarchy, men in positions of power such as the titular Othello were wont to resolve thoughts of jealousy with violence; and in his tragedy Shakespeare attempts to emphasise the danger that envious thoughts can cause.
It is curious to note that in Othello, it is the villain Iago who highlights the central moral allegory. In Act 3, Scene 3, the character addresses Othello: "Beware of jealousy, my lord! It's a green-eyed monster that makes fun of the victims it devours." Through the use of the compound modifier "green-eyed monster" as a metaphor, Shakespeare manages to deliver the didactic theme with an ironic inflection, seeing as Iago is the root cause of Othello's jealous thoughts.