A ct 111 scene iii of Othello is often referred to as the Temptation Scene, although this is not a particularly good title. It is the lengthy scene, broken in the middle, in which Iago manipulates Othello into believing that his wife, Desdemona, is unfaithful to him with Cassio. I do not intend to examine Iago's villainous methods but to draw attention to two points in the dialogue. I will then argue against the reading that the eponymous hero's actions are governed primarily by jealousy.
The first crux is the moment at which Othello is convinced (l. 210):
Iago: ... when she seem'd to shake and fear your looks,
She lov'd them most.
Othello: And so she did.
Iago: Why, go to then.
Well acted, the Moor's voice takes a downward cast on: "And so she did", to indicate that this is his moment of capitulation. If the broken line is taken as one, there is an extra iambic foot to give it resonance. It is the fact that Desdemona has been capable of deception in the past that convinces him. This revelation is his gnawing fear.
The second crux is his statement: "Othello's occupation's gone", preceded by a detailed mourning for the sounds and glories of war. This argues against the interpretation that his main obsession is jealousy. That, in itself, would not entail the abandonment of a thrilling and renowned career.
Othello connects his wife's honour with his own: her virtue and his wartime laurels are one and the same. If she is unfaithful, he cannot be a true soldier. It is noticeable that Shakespeare has taken as his protagonist a military personage of high rank - not a royal. Also, the man who deceives him is a colleague and cannot be suspected of lying. In fact, Othello believes that Iago is holding back some details of Desdemona's infidelity out of a sense of comradeship in arms.
Although jealousy is a part of his motivation, it is Othello's loss of his identity as a leading soldier that affects him more. Note that it is Iago who puts the notion of "the green-ey'd monster into Othello's mind. That will poison the marriage and that is his aim.
