In some cases, love acts as a catalyst to one’s demise. It is commonly associated with and acknowledged as a beautiful concept, but when taken to extreme levels, love’s beauty diminishes and is replaced by obsession and violence. 

“I will incontinently drown myself.“

– Roderigo (1.3, 347)

In the play Othello by Shakespeare, Roderigo is a young man whose unrequited love for Desdemona, the wife of Othello, shields him from the harsh reality of rejection. He is unable to face the truth, explaining that “[He] will incontinently drown [himself]” (Othello, 1.3, 347). Because of his obsession with Desdemona, Roderigo is willing to end his life when he discovers Othello and she is infatuated with each other. However, the main antagonist, Iago, convinces him otherwise, using manipulation tactics and false empathy to gain Roderigo’s trust. Roderigo’s obsession with Desdemona allows him to become an easy target as he blindly follows Iago to his own downfall. His lust for her body even after finding out she was already married crosses multiple boundaries including Desdemona’s and those around her. Dante, a Renaissance writer who wrote about the circles of hell in his book “Divine Comedy,” promoted the idea that lust is punishable by eternal storm winds in circle two of upper hell; this upper hell being reserved for those who have “unbalanced passions, emotions, and desires.” This description perfectly fits Roderigo as his desires are unfulfilled, yet he refuses to back down.

Obsession is not only an issue in regard to human relationships but also an issue with inanimate objects. For instance, the Mojave’s Phone Booth’s rise and downfall was due to Doc Daniels, whose at first innocent curiosity turned to an obsession. After he created a website for the Mojave Phone Booth, “park officials hadn’t taken kindly to all the new foot traffic, or for that matter, the ringing” that interrupted natural wildlife and habitats. Daniels called the Phone Booth at least once every hour with anticipation of a response. But, what he doesn’t know is the reality on the other side of the phone line: persistent ringing and constant disturbance. As a consequence of Daniels’ adoration, the Mojave Phone Booth eventually got removed, leaving nothing but memories behind.

To offer a comparison, “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”, a classic children’s story many of us are familiar with growing up, displays a similar message about excessiveness in an ambiguous manner. When Goldilocks tasted all of the bowls of porridge, she discovered that the best-tasting porridge was the one served warm– not too hot, not too cold. Similar to when the porridge is served steaming hot, when people display too much adoration or obsession, love becomes dangerous. To create a perfect, “warm-porridge-like” relationship, the role of balance is incredibly important.