Shakespeares plays are not particularly the easiest to understand, but they do

provide timeless and universal themes that still apply to the twenty-first century.
For example, Shakespeares Othello provides timeless and universal themes of
jealousy and love which connect to modern tales such as Cinderella and The Twilight
Saga: Eclipse. Each of these works presents a different example of jealousy as a
human flaw. Jealousy is present in most aspects of life and has been for thousands
of years. Othello illustrates a quintessential example of the presence of jealousy in
mankind and its destructive nature.
Jealousy is a prevalent theme in Othello. Multiple characters experience this
feeling at some point in the play. Roderigo feels envy when he learns that
Desdemona married Othello. Then, Othello becomes jealous of Cassio because Iago
fed him lies about Cassio having an affair with Desdemona, his wife. Othellos
jealousy inflamed an internal conflict in him about how to handle the situation
because he loved his wife dearly. Othellos love for his wife and Iagos lies provoked
the jealousy within him, leading him to kill Desdemona. When Iagos wife Emilia
learned of Iagos deception, she described jealous men as not ever jealous for the
cause, but jealous for they are jealous. 'Tis a monster begot upon itself, born on
itself (III. iv. 154-156). Love makes people jealous because everyone is looking for
love in their lives and they do not like when other people have what they cannot
find. Jealousy caused by love is also a common theme in the novel Eclipse. In the
book, Jacob grows to love Bella, but she only loves him as a friend. Instead, Bella is
in love with Edward, which makes Jacob jealous of Edward. Jacob was there for Bella
when Edward left, but Bella still loved Edward even though he abandoned her. Jacob
confronted Bella with his feelings saying, You love me, too. Not the same way, I
know. But hes not your whole life, either. Not anymore. Maybe he was once, but he

left. And now hes just going to have to deal with the consequence of that choice
me (Meyer). Jacob knew Bella loved Edward more but he could not help being
jealous because he just wanted to be loved as well.
Iago becomes jealous of Cassio when Othello names Cassio lieutenant instead of
him. Iagos envy of Cassios position prompts him to create lies and manipulate
others to get what he wants. Likewise, the stepmother and stepsisters in Cinderella
act in a similar manner towards Cinderella. Cinderella lived with her father and
stepmother, who only married for the money. It was upon the untimely death of
this good man, however, that the stepmother's true nature was revealed. Cold,
cruel, and bitterly jealous of Cinderella's charm and beauty, she was grimly
determined to forward the interests of her own two awkward daughters
(Cinderella). The stepmother was so jealous of Cinderellas beauty that she treated
her like a servant and made her life miserable, similar to Iagos manipulation of
Othello. Cinderellas stepmother manipulated Cinderellas father and took over his
home and his fortune after his death without a care about what happened to
Cinderella. Her stepsisters also envied her beauty, which is apparent as they rip her
dress up when she is ready for the ball. They did not want to be out done or want
her to attend the ball so they destroyed her dress out of jealousy. Therefore, it is
obvious that jealousy will always be present in human nature, making Othello
timeless and universal for addressing such a prevalent aspect of human nature.