Johann Lovater once said, "the jealous are possessed by a mad devil and a numb spirit at the same time." This is a very true statement. Jealousy will always have a negative effect on people, which can make them do things they normally wouldn't do. It makes them make irrational decisions and not realize it until it is too late. Two works that highly support that jealousy causes people to do irrational things are Othello by William Shakespeare and a poem entitled "Jealousy" by Katrina A. King.
             A major theme in Othello is how jealousy causes people to make irrational decisions that can lead to terrible consequences. When Iago says, "O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on" (Shakespeare 3.3, 178 – 80), he agrees with the above statement by Lovater. Othello's jealousy makes him do irrational things and causes distress for many people. As the story progresses, he begins to distrust Desdemona and Cassio and is not sure what he should do. Then his feelings begin to show outwardly. At one point in the play he even strikes her, saying, :
             If that the earth could teem with woman's tears,
             Each drop she falls would prove a crocodile.
             In the end of the play, Othello murders Desdemona because of his jealousy. His jealousy causes him to do all these things without any evidence. When he found out that he was wrong, he kills himself because he has just realized the irrational actions he has committed.
             In the poem "Jealousy", there is a good description of what jealousy is and how it can effect a person to do things they wouldn't normally do. It likens it to a "serpent that twists and curls , it's coils tightening , gripping relentlessly" (King 2-3). This is referring to the way one can feel jealousy within themselves. The poem
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