Othello Journal 4

In his tragedy Othello, Shakespeare uses the metaphor of animals and mythological creatures to help the characters portray their thoughts.  Iago in particular uses animals and beasts as metaphors for other things quite a lot.  One instance of this is when he describes jealousy as "the green-eyed monster, which doth mock the meat it feeds on" (123).  Using this very visual object to describe an abstract idea such as an emotion, in this case jealousy, greatly helps the reader to understand what the character is trying to convey.  I personally find it very helpful to have something physical to represent an emotion or other less palpable concept.  It also helps to adjust the mood of the passage in which the metaphor is used.  Having jealousy compared to a mythological creature makes the whole passage seem more serious, which is relevant in that particular scene, as Iago is starting to plant the first seeds of jealousy in Othello's mind.