02-The green-eyed monster - Shakespeare Speaks

Narrator
It was late afternoon. William Shakespeare has just arrived at his favourite pub, The Duck
and Whistle. His actor friend Thomas Swann is already there.
Barmaid
Mr Will. Can you do something about that Mr Thomas? He's been drinking and shouting all
afternoon. If you can't shut him up, I'm going to throw him out.
Thomas Swann
I'm a wonderful husband. I give the woman everything and this is how she treats me!
Barmaid
Be quiet, you silly old fool. See, Mr Will? His head's full of jealous nonsense about his wife.
That Robert Harley said he saw her talking to Henry Darcy, and now he's all in a rage…
Thomas
That filthy toad… I'll burn his house down… and when I get my hands on her…
Will
Oh dear. The green-eyed monster attacks again!
Barmaid
Hmm. Jealousy: the green-eyed monster. You're right Mr Will, jealousy is a monster: it gets
inside people, eats them up. Makes them think the worst, like Mr Thomas here, makes them
say and do terrible things.
Will
The green-eyed monster. It's rather clever, isn’t it Bess? It's in my play, Othello. The evil
Iago warns his friend, Othello, about the dangers of jealousy. He says: Beware, my lord, of
jealousy…
Robert Harley as Iago
Beware, my lord, of jealousy;
It is the green-ey'd monster, which doth mock
The meat it feeds on.

B B armaid
Beware the green-eyed monster… that's good advice!
Will
It is good advice indeed, but Iago's true plan is to make Othello believe that Desdemona, his
wife, is cheating on him.
Barmaid
And is she?
Will
No, but Iago knows jealousy makes people do crazy things, and his plan works. Othello
murders Desdemona!
Barmaid
That's terrible. Poor Desdemona! We'd better keep an eye on that Mr Thomas!
Narrator
We'll leave them there for now. In Shakespeare's day, the man was the head of the
household, and an unfaithful wife was a great dishonour. The phrase  the green- - eyed
monster is still used today to describe the dangers of uncontrolled jealousy in relationships.
For example, Irish pop singer Ronan Keating said of his marriage:
Clip 1 1
The green-eyed monster rears its ugly head and brings out all my insecurities. I don't like it
if Yvonne is out without me. I just can’t help it.
Clip 2
I thought I'd got over my ex, but when I saw him with his new girlfriend, the green-eyed
monster got me.
Will
And now I must go home: Mrs Shakespeare feels that I've been spending rather too much
time in the pub. Come on, Thomas…
Barmaid
Ooooh - it sounds like Mrs S has got the green-eyed monster too!
Thomas Swann
Come on, Will! Stay for another beer!
Will
Hmmm… To stay, or not to stay: that's a tricky question.