"When I saw my charmer thus come in accompanied by a cavalier. I seemed to hear a hiss, and the green snake of jealousy, rising on undulating coils from the moonlit balcony, gilded within my waistcoat and ate its way in two minutes to my hearts core." (Bronte 200).
Mr. Rochester had fallen in love with an opera woman named Celine Varens. He went to visit her one night, but she was out. He sat on her balcony, waiting for her. She arrived in a carriage with another man. He became extremely jealous and could not stand it. The snake is a great symbol to use for jealousy. Snakes are thought to be evil in our culture because of the tempting serpent in Genesis from the Bible. Jealousy is among the worst emotions in this world. Therefore the metaphor between the snake and jealousy works very well, as snakes are conceived to be evil as well as jealousy. Mr. Rochester's jealously was like the snake because it slithered into his heart and caused him to loose the love in his heart for Celine.
Genesis 3:6
Excellent work on your description of the green snake of jealousy. It's also significant because of the color... have you heard the phrase "green with envy"? Also, did you notices that Jane uses this metaphor again later in the book? I think it was in one of the last chapters.
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