Thoroughout ROTS, Anakin seems to be wary about Obi-Wan being around Padme, perhaps even suspicious, even before he turns to the Dark Side. He senses Obi-Wan's presence has been to visit Padme earlier and seems to react rather negatively. He grows tired of Padme mentioning Obi-Wan in their last talk. He believes that Obi-Wan is the reason Padme can't "follow (him) down the path he's going"; "Because of Obi-Wan?" he asks It just seems to me that Anakin had some suspicion that Padme was cheating on him with Obi-Wan or perhaps had some paranoia, to put it better, about this possibly happening. Am I misreading this? Or do you guys agree?
Not cheating on him romantically, I think more from the standpoint of ideology or not staunchly supporting him.
I thought they would go there, with Padme being in between Obi-Wan and Anakin's ages, and the first part of AotC seemed to confirm this. I think Anakin in RotS was just very wary of letting Obi-Wan interact with Padme because he knew Obi-Wan would be very good at figuring things out in short order.
Which took him a while, but he did figure it out. That's why he went to see her before leaving for Utapau. He just had no clue as to how far it had gone. But no, it was never about adultery. Lucas even addressed this. "One of the problems of Sith is that they are always quick to anger. This scene with her, it was very important that we set it up to the point where he chokes her as he does with one of the generals in ANH. But at the same time he doesn’t kill her and he just causes her to faint, but you get to see that flash of anger which he now doesn’t have much control over. The whole point in a Jedi is that you completely control your anger and now he’s at a point where he can't control it at all and it's because of his need for his control for power and he gets very upset when he can't have it. And now he’s assuming that she’s with Obi-Wan, not necessarily in a love relationship or anything, in the basis that they are both on one side of the path and he’s going down the other." --George Lucas, ROTS DVD Commentary.
As far as Obi-Wan knowing about Anakin/Padme is concerned, I'm of the belief Obi-Wan knew, in his heart, in AOTC and ROTS and chose to willfully turn a blind eye or pretend it wasn't happening.
That is one thread I'm happy was cut from III. As far as I'm concerned the answer is a definitive NO. The whole concept was just too weird for me.
In old scripts/unreleased deleted scenes he did think this, but George cut it all out because he felt that there'd be too much "Othello" in the film.
Even just talking behind his back/scheming would have been enough to provoke a reaction. Anakin came to see the Jedi as traitors, and Obi-Wan no better than the rest.
IIRC, there’s an old screenshot showing Padmé and Obi-Wan kissing. That said, I doubt this is what Anakin feared. It was more of suspecting Obi-Wan didn’t have his best interest at heart, that he (and the other Jedi) would gladly just let Padmé die without even chancing for a second that they could save her.
I think that, in many ways, Anakin looked up to both Padme and Obi Wan. Obi Wan was Anakin's teacher and mentor. Anakin described him as being "as wise as Master Yoda and as powerful as Master Windu". Obi Wan was the closest thing that Anakin had to a father and Anakin was aware that he had often disappointed Obi Wan. Obi Wan was also a very upright man and it would be difficult for Anakin to level criticisms against Obi Wan's character or integrity. Being around someone like this would have made Anakin very conscious of his own failings and inner turmoil. Padme was older than Anakin and they were at polar opposite ends of the social spectrum when they first met. Padme was a woman of impeccable integrity and occupied the highest offices from a very young age. I think that Anakin placed Padme on a pedestal and probably felt very inadequate in comparison, especially as she had witnessed him at his most vulnerable (after Shmi's death and his confession to the slaughter of the Tusken Raiders). I think that Anakin was very wary of criticism for Obi Wan or Padme. I think that he felt inadequate and unworthy in comparison to both. This would have fostered a strong paranoia in Anakin. I do not believe that he suspected a romantic affair, but I do think that he feared they would uncover his inner turmoil and his life would be unraveled. Obi Wan and Anakin spent a huge amount of their lives together. Obi Wan must have had some serious suspicions about Anakin and Padme's relationship status. Padme and Obi Wan were, in many ways, the adults in the room and they both loomed very large over Anakin's life from an early age. I think that Obi Wan stepping out from the shuttle on Mustafar confirmed Anakin's long held fears in this regard and he was faced to see the enormity of his transgressions in the eyes of the two people whose approval meant the most to him. I think that Anakin felt the sting of judgement and saw these two people standing united against him. At that point, Anakin had nothing left but rage and violence.
This is in the full script and deleted scenes. It's meant to show how paranoid and delusional Anakin is becoming.
I believe so, yes. After Anakin has (partly) turned, when he comes to see Padme before leaving for Mustafar, he senses that Obi-Wan just has been there and suspects that Padme may be cheating on him. This is probably caused by a mix of paranoia and anger. When Obi-Wan turns up at Mustafar, walking out from Padmes ship his suspicion is possibly confirmed. At least for the moment being, and in his state of mind at that point in the story.
