Episode 53 - Jealousy in Shakespeare

Shakespeare's ability to write convincing human emotions is one of the reasons why he remains such a popular playwright to this day. His works explore what it truly means to be human -- warts and all. And the warts are what we're talking about in today's episode, in which we take a look at the roots of jealousy in Shakespeare's plays. 

From the murderous rage of Othello to the living room comedy of The Merry Wives of Windsor, jealousy gets its hooks into Shakespeare's characters in ways that are both surprising and surprisingly mundane. Whether it's the ridiculous farce of Sir John Falstaff's attempts at cuckolding Masters Ford and Page, the somewhat Oedipal longing underpinning Hamlet's madness, or the shocking descent faced by Othello or The Winter's Tale's Leontes, Shakespeare has a way of making jealousy appear out of nowhere and yet feel like a natural part of the worlds he creates; one might even go so far as to say that the 'green-eyed monster' is its own unique character whenever it arrives.

So join us as we look at the function of jealousy in Shakespeare's plays.

Ancient Bickerings:

Who is Shakespeare's most jealous character?

Notes:

• Cuckoldry in Shakespeare (Prezi)
• Love, Revenge, Jealousy and Legacy: The Psychology of Shakespeare
• https://geoffrey-gibson.com/2019/12/05/here-and-there-envy-and-jealousy-in-shakespeare/
• Theorising Early Modern Jealousy A Biocultural Perspective on Shakespeare’s Othello
• https://www.nosweatshakespeare.com/quotes/famous/green-eyed-monster/