Infidelity is one of the leading causes of marital breakdown. To have a successful marriage, it takes two people to make it work. There are factors that can cause a marriage to fail, but infidelity in marriages is the biggest because it can impact the individuals themselves. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on 'Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned'? Get Original Essay Infidelity in the Marriages of Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn and Shakespeare's Othello brings out the emotions that can lead to outbreaks of sociopathic acts, which can affect the livelihood of their relationship. After infidelity, an epidemic is inevitable. The three modes of action that lead to outbursts result from loneliness, and it comes from lack of communication, from feeling helpless, it comes from one partner dominating the other partner and finally jealousy is the point of rupture in both novels, and this determines the fate between the two couples in Gone Girl and Othello. For a strong and healthy relationship, communication is a key element. In Gone Girl and Othello, the protagonists both lack communication skills with each other. As their spouses were suspected of infidelity; it is their loneliness that has prevented them from communicating with each other, as this can cause serious harm to those around them and to themselves. In Gone Girl, Amy knew her relationship with Nick was deteriorating when things started to change. Nick and Amy both knew they really weren't happy. Amy saw Nick with a younger woman and realized that “her husband had abandoned her for a younger woman” (Flynn 234). Although she knew about the affair, she never confronted him about it, as she hid her emotions beneath her. Relationships are based on trust, compromise and mutual understanding. Betrayal in marriage is one of the quickest and most painful ways to break an individual's trust. Nick was “desperate to please [his] wife[. . .] for two years [he] tried while [his] old wife slipped away[. . .] [he] tried so hard – no anger, no arguments” (Flynn 211). This shows that marriage requires equal attention to each other to be stable and healthy. Both partners should communicate and compromise, rather than avoiding the truth, because it will all eventually build up and create chaos. When this is not taken into account, it can cause a lot of unhappiness in the relationship. Amy and Nick were unsupportive of each other because they were unable to confront how they really felt. They both tried to make an effort but it wasn't enough. In the novel, he describes how poor communication affects a relationship. Although their spark is gone, they once loved each other, but their lack of communication made them feel alone. Much like Amy from Gone Girl, Othello lacks the key element of his communication skills in his marriage. Othello and Desdemona are newlyweds who love each other dearly. With the snap of a finger, Othello's entire view of his wife changes as Iago corrupts his mind, making him doubt his marriage. Iago assures Othello that his beloved Desdemona was unfaithful to him by having an affair with Cassio. Although he does not believe him at first, he later trusts Iago's judgment rather than himself. He said to Iago “if you perceive more, let me know” (Shakespeare 3.3. 245). Rather than confront Desdemona or even Cassio, he tasks Iago with gathering more evidence, when he could havejust ask them. Othello never demands enough of Iago to obtain concrete evidence of Desdemona's alleged affair. Rather, he is content to jump to conclusions and not know the whole truth. If Othello had not been so ignorant and asked Iago to give him concrete evidence rather than implications, he might have been able to understand Iago's selfish project. As Othello suspected his wife of infidelity, he never spoke to her directly, but when he approached her, he alluded to her by telling her to swear that she had been faithful to him when she assured him by telling him "Your wife, my lord. Your true and faithful wife" (Shakespeare 4.2.36). Desdemona was confused when he approached her. He accused her of lying and disrespected her implying that she is a whore Although he couldn't confront his wife, he also refused to talk to Cassio after he removed his post. If he had, Cassio wouldn't have. had to go through Desdemona to get his position back and Iago would have no way of initiating that she was unfaithful In Gone Girl and Othello, infidelity in their marriage causes them to feel alone and hopeless because. of their lack of communication This shows that marriage is hard work and requires two people to function properly; Without it, they collapse. Not only does infidelity in marriages bring out feelings of loneliness due to lack of communication, but it can also bring up feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. In most relationships, there is always one partner who dominates the other. The roles of are reversed between the two novels, In Gone Girl; Amy Dunne has control and power over her husband, whereas in Othello, Othello has complete dominance over his wife, Desdemona. The feeling of ineffectiveness and helplessness is what Nick and Desdemona feel from their spouses, which leads them to have a reputation for infidelity. Amy and Othello display their dominance in contrasting ways. In Gone Girl, Amy had controlled her husband's life since the day he disappeared. Before disappearing, Nick “took everything from her until she no longer existed” (Flynn 367); he had it wrapped around his finger. Nick was the dominant one in the beginning of the relationship, causing her to do anything and everything just to please him. Amy felt helpless, but the situation reversed from the day she left as she took power over the relationship. Since the day she left, she had planned Nick's entire life for him. For their fifth anniversary present, she gave Nick Punch and Judy dolls “giving [Nick] the story of [his] frame-up” (Flynn 363). Punch and Judy dolls carry meaning behind them. The original story of the dolls is that Punch kills his child, his wife Judy. In the story of Punch and Judy, Punch kills his child, then murders Judy when she discovers the crime. “This is the way to do it,” is the tagline of the story in which Punch. , said every time he gets away with murder. Amy uses the puppets as a way to describe what was going to happen to her dear husband and as a metaphor. They are used in a way to depict Amy's manipulative actions in order to do so. control the people around her. Nick was essentially his puppet on a string; she controlled everyone from that point on. He was trapped with every step he took; she controlled his life and how others viewed him as a person. Nick was still in charge, but he was convinced he was going to divorce him, but with Amy's controlling and manipulative mind, she tricked him into staying with her.However, the dominance roles in Othello are different. Although both novels depict that there is one partner dominating the other, men dominate women. Mainly, the women in the play have no dominating roles. Desdemona is an obedient and submissive wife, as she continues to obey Othello's orders from the beginning of their relationship. She responds to Othello with very obedient words like "I will, my lord" (Shakespeare 4.3.9) or "commend me to my kind lord" (Shakespeare 5.2.139), speaking to him as if he were au- above her, showing that he has power above them. Brabantio talks about women as the true Venetian ideology of how women should be. As the Venetian Senate, it sets traditional expectations among women. We know that it is natural for a woman to be feminine, but everything else is “contrary to all the rules of nature” (Shakespeare 1.3.104). Desdemona was expected to make endless compromises and sacrifices to make this a practical option for her husband. Society makes women feel the need to always have the support of their husbands, even if their actions are questionable. The women in Othello act in accordance with ideological expectations, as is the norm. At the end of the play, with Desdemona knowing that she herself was going to die, she chose to continue in her role as a subordinate and obedient wife. Othello has all the power and control over his wife; he believes he has the right to determine his wife's fate when he murders her. The act of killing Desdemona allowed Othello to gain a greater sense of power due to his wife's infidelity. Additionally, Amy and Othello have power over their spouses. They are both in control of their lives. Desdemona and Nick live their lives dominated by their loved ones. Amy Dunne from Gone Girl and the men from Othello exhibit similar dominated characteristics as they control their spouse's lives and therefore it benefits them. Infidelity can make you vulnerable and lead to jealousy and hatred. In Gone Girl and Othello, the fate of the two main characters is determined by their spouse. However, both characters have similar motivations behind their actions. Both Amy and Othello are worried and jealous because of their spouse's betrayal and this is what provokes them. Despite Amy's actions and choices, she loves her husband very much. Nick destroys their relationship by cheating on Amy with his student Andie. Even though the marriage seems to have fallen apart on Amy's end, she is furious because he disrespected her. She cannot accept that her husband feels unhappy with her and replaces her with a younger girl. This makes her jealous of Andie because “cool girls are, above all, sexy.” Warm and understanding. Cool girls never get angry [. . .] and let their men do what they want” (Flynn 222). Amy was once the "cool girl," but when she stopped pretending to be something she wasn't, her marriage fell apart. She was pretending to be the girl Nick wanted her to be and what everyone else wanted her to be. Now Andie is his new “cool girl.” As a result, Amy handles the situation resourcefully. Deception is the motivation that drove her to create her master plan to get revenge on her husband. Amy and Nick's marriage failed and this is the reason for Amy's psychotic pattern. Infidelity in Nick and Amy's marriage brought out the emotions that led to his psychotic outbreak. Amy uses Nick's flaws as bait to destroy him, imbibing Nick's sample she saved from the fertility clinic, so she can "stand against him like a climbing, coiling vine until it invades.