'Monstrous and Green Eyed'

By mine own womb, I am reborn again;
I am such that no life takes that of mine;
the more I die, the more I do survive;
ancient and deathless, I am omnipresent.

By mine own breasts, I am but fed Jove's juice;
I am such that m'elixirs are mine own;
the more I feed, the more I am but fed;
prey and predator, I am self-sustaining.

In mine own weakness, I am powerful;
I am such that I mock the meat that feeds me;
the more thou dotes, the more I make thee doubt;
monstrous and green eyed,

I am Jealousy.



18/12/15

Poet's Notes

This poem is written in the voice of a personified Jealousy. It is almost riddle-like, listing out the oxymoronic attributes of his character, beckoning the reader to infer and guess who he really is. Towards the end of the poem, however, well-versed literature fans may recognise words of phrases that allude to Shakespeare's Othello, where this poem drew its inspiration from, notably the famous line "the green-eyed monster." 

During the time of its conception, my A2 Literature class had just finished reading Act III, Scene 3 of Othello, where Iago hints to Othello of his wife's infidelity, warning Othello to "beware...of jealousy." I personally felt that this was one of Iago's most cunning tactics, and Kenneth Branagh's portrayal of Iago in this scene, I felt, was absolutely powerful. The oxymoronic nature of jealousy - making a man more jealous the less he knows - was one of the key ideas by my literature teacher that inspired my presentation of Jealousy in this poem. When I got home, I felt compelled to create a character much more malicious than Iago: Jealousy, the Green-eyed Monster itself.