![]() ![]() The handkerchief represents Desdemona’s faithfulness to Othello, though his perception of it changes for the worse over the course of the play. Othello views the handkerchief as a sign of fidelity, which is why he originally gave the handkerchief to Desdemona. He later mentions the handkerchief’s history within his family, and “if lost or made a gift of it, my father’s eye should hold her loathed” (3.4.71-74). ![]() Not only does this brief history foreshadow what Othello would do if Desdemona were ever to cheat on him, but also emphasizes the personal connection Othello has with it, therefore making any betrayal of the symbol that it holds all the more magnified. When Iago tells Othello that Desdemona had given the handkerchief away to her supposed lover, Cassio, Othello’s faith in Desdemona crumbles. At that point, the handkerchief comes to symbolize motivation for murder. Instead of simply punishing Desdemona, he instead chooses the extreme option of ending her life, an uncharacteristic act of Othello. Even a minor character, Lodovico, later wonders if Othello was the same “noble moor…whom passion could not shake” that people thought of him as, which highlights the change in Othello’s behavior (4.1.299-301). ![]() Thus, Othello’s association of his passionate love for Desdemona with the handkerchief ultimately causes him to uncharacteristically commit a heinous crime.Įmilia initially views Desdemona’s handkerchief as an opportunity to fulfill her role as a good wife to Iago in order for her to be in his good graces. She sees the handkerchief as a “way to please her husband Iago by doing what he wished” (3.3.343). Because she wants to “please” her husband, Emilia wants him to appreciate and perceive her in a positive light. By the final scene, however, Emilia realizes that the handkerchief was a catalyst for the destruction of love and trust between Othello and Desdemona. ![]()
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