Love Nudge Competition. Wednesday: Jealousy

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Image: Pixabay

Welcome, wordsmiths to Wednesday’s Love Nudge

Today’s Love Nudge word is

JEALOUSY.

And what a dark, corrosive little word it is. More dangerous than acid for a relationship, jealousy inspires lovers to check pockets, to search mobile phone histories and that’s the least of it. Think Othello, poor doomed Desdemona and that blessed hanky: think Medea‘s jealousy of Jason’s new Corinthian love and the awful price their children pay for their mother’s envy.

Jealousy can be deadly.

Poetry, prose, elegy, ranty email, whatever you fancy- pop it in the comments box.

Take a look here for the rules and happy writing.

***

And in honour of the day, today’s Wednesday Word Tangle word is also

JEALOUSY

According to Online Etymology Dictionary, jealousy derives from the Greek zelos, which could mean jealousy but in a good sense – sort of competitive and enthusiastic rather than Green Eyed Monster.

The Swedish word for the feeling is svartsjuka literally ‘black-sick’, whilst the Danish is skinsyg, meaning ‘skin-sick’. Marvellous, eh?

And the phrase Green Eyed Monster? No, it’s not some cheap, rubbery 1950s sci-fi alien. It’s from Othello, spoken by that king of the double crossers, Iago.

O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feeds on; that cuckold lives in bliss
Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger;
But, O, what damned minutes tells he o’er
Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves! (3.3.163-168)

Thanks to Kat for W4W – and for everything else.

 

19 thoughts on “Love Nudge Competition. Wednesday: Jealousy”

    1. Old Iago – what a bad, bad man he is! Who needs enemies when you have ‘friends’ like that. Mind you, to say Othello overreacts is an understatement. The translations are great, aren’t they? Spot on.

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      2. Sounds right to me, though it sounds a bit of a cop out coming from the murderer himself. ‘Well, you see, problem was I just loved her too much – what can you do?’

        Liked by 2 people

      4. I think blaming the victim is a defence used very often – ‘it was her fault’, ‘she drove me to it’, ‘what could I do’ – poor me, boo-hoo! Though, as poor Othello was a ‘Moor’ in Tudor England, it would have been a surprise if Shakespeare had written him as a good guy, wouldn’t it?

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  5. I had a bit of trouble with this one. Couldn’t think of anything, but then two ideas came along together. Isn’t that always the way. The first one is true, the second pure fiction 😀
    Jealousy – He told me he was leaving, that he’d found someone new. I know he thought I’d rage and fight to keep him. But I packed his bags with a smile.
    Jealousy 2 – Why are women jealous when I talk to their men, thinking I’ll steal them away. When really it’s the men who should worry, when I talk to the girls.

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    1. Ah, so great! Love them both for their twists – the first, contorting her partner’s expectations of how valued he is. The second for twisting the reader. Love that! Used to know a girl who moved in on couples and romanced the woman – it actually worked too, at least once to my knowledge.
      Great stories 🙂

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  6. Jealousy ~ She walked quickly, almost breaking into a run at times. She crossed the commons and climbed the steps of the English building. In the hallway outside their instructor’s office, she glanced right, then left. Seeing no one, she crept to the door, slipped a key in the lock and let herself in.

    The instructor arrived a few minutes later. He fumbled through his pockets, not finding his key. Puzzled, he was about to return to the lecture hall when the door swung open, and there she stood, smiling coyly. She hooked her fingers in his waistband and pulled him inside. The latch clicked behind them.

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    1. Hell, that’s risky! I kind of assumed on first reading, she was a student – but second time round I’m not sure why I thought that. That frisson of excitement at doing something illicit, the risk of getting caught – you can feel the tension in the writing. A great addition, Walt – thank you. 🙂

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