The green-eyed monster

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Meaning

Jealousy personified as a destructive, self-consuming force that distorts judgement and relationships. Literary but widely understood. It refers specifically to jealousy, not anger or greed in general. Regional use: Origin in English drama; now international English.

Origin

English had long associated greenish colour with sickness, and Shakespeare used 'green-eyed jealousy' in The Merchant of Venice around 1596. In Othello around 1603-04, Iago warns that jealousy is 'the green-eyed monster which doth mock the meat it feeds on'. That exact personification is the source of the fixed phrase; it should not be confused with the broader and later expression 'green with envy'.

Research Sources

  1. Othello - Entire Play Folger Shakespeare Library
  2. Green-eyed monster Phrase Finder

Variants

  • Green-eyed monster
  • The monster of jealousy

Usage Examples

  • The green-eyed monster appeared as soon as her colleague won the prize.
  • He blamed the green-eyed monster for his sudden suspicion of an old friend.
  • Success can awaken the green-eyed monster in even a close partnership.

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