Reflective Essay

Kennedy Prentice, Period 1, February 13, 2012, Reflective Essay

The plays written by William Shakespeare are highly esteemed and taught by teachers to students and scholars all over the world.  What makes these plays so appealing to so many people is that their themes are considered timeless and universal.  One example of the timelessness of Shakespeare’s themes is from that which argues that jealousy is a destructive force. This theme can be connected to many aspects of our culture today.  The song “Jealous Guy” by John Lennon and the shocking true story of the last days of Stefanie Rengel are two sources that prove this timelessness of Shakespeare’s theme, which is presented in the play Othello.

            John Lennon is one of the most celebrated names in the history of music.  Even he can admit that jealousy can lead one astray.  This is demonstrated in his song “Jealous Guy” (Click on the link to view the song lyrics.) where he admits to his love that being jealous was bad and caused him to wrongfully hurt her.  Consider the line of the song that reads, “I was feeling insecure you might not love me anymore,” (John Lennon, 1).  This feeling is identical to the feelings Othello had in Shakespeare’s play when he thought Desdemona was cheating on him.  The problem is that both Lennon and Othello are only jealous which leads them into hurting the people they love.  Lennon admits that he “began to lose control” and “didn’t mean to hurt [her],” (John Lennon, 1).  Similarly, after finding out that he was deceived and Desdemona never cheated on him, Othello realized that he made a horrible mistake killing his true love.  He cries out in sorrow, “Whip me, ye devils, from the possession of this heavenly sight!  Blow me about in winds!  Roast me in sulphur!  Wash me in steep-down gulfs of liquid fire!  O Desdemona!  Desdemona!  Dead!  Oh!  Oh!  Oh!” (V, ii, 276-281).  Jealousy created problems for both of these men and caused them to do things they wished they had never done.  However, this idea that jealousy is destructive can be found in places other than songs and love stories filled with tragedy.

            Stefanie Rengel was a fourteen year old girl who was brutally murdered by her ex-boyfriend, David Bagshaw.  The reason David decided to stab her repeatedly was because his current girlfriend, Melissa Todorovic, became jealous of Stefanie and convinced David to kill her.  “After David remarked he thought Stefanie was pretty, Melissa began to obsessively examine her pictures on Facebook,” (Jiménez, 3).  This one remark is what prompted Melissa and David to plot the death of Stefanie Rengel.  In both this situation and the situation regarding Othello, the jealous person felt the only way to solve the problem at hand was by killing the other individual.  Othello plots to kill Desdemona when he speaks to Iago saying, “Get me some posion, Iago, this night.  I’ll not expostulate with her, lest her body and beauty unprovide my mind again.  This night Iago,” (IV, i, 188-190).  The theme from Othello that jealousy is a destructive force connects very clearly with this current event because both circumstances ended in death.  Life is taken for granted and the peoples’ views of what is right and wrong are clouded by their jealousy.

            Shakespeare’s writings are not only revered by teachers, professors, and scholars, but also feared by students.  His work is intimidating for the sole reason that it can be hard to decipher and difficult to understand.  However, if one takes the time to thoroughly study the material, he or she will find that the themes presented by Shakespeare are universal and timeless throughout all ages.  It could be helpful for people to look at his work more as lessons and examples on how to live one’s life.  Jealousy, as Shakespeare argues, never leads to anything positive and can become destructive if left to morph into pure negativity.

Works Cited

Perrine, Laurence. “Othello.” Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense. Fort
            Worth. Harcourt College. 2002. 1361-1462. Print.

Jiménez, Marina. "The Last Days of Stefanie Rengel." Toranto Life. Dec. 2009. Web. 9
            Feb. 2012. http://www.torontolife.com/features/last-days-stefanie-rengel/.

"John Lennon - Jealous Guy Lyrics." Lyrics.com. Web. 12 Feb. 2012.

            <http://www.lyrics.com/jealous-guy-lyrics-john-lennon.html>.