The significance of the handkerchief in the play

Proofreading and final editing :)‫لين رفعت خالد زيادة (انتظام‬

Origin of the handkerchief :)‫سهيلة محمود جابر محمود (انتظام‬
The handkerchief in Desdemona’s hand :)‫هبة طارق محمد عبد اللطيف (انتظام‬
The handkerchief in Cassio’s hand :)‫عصماء عبد االله عبد الواسع الخضر (انتظام‬
The handkerchief in Bianca’s hand :)‫رحمة جمال الدين عبد السالم (انتظام‬
The handkerchief in Iago’s hand :)‫هايدي هاني عبد هللا (انتظام‬
The theme of jealousy and the tragic hero /flaw :)‫رنا محمد السيد محمد (انتظام‬
 The journey of the handkerchief in the hands of the play's characters is
the most symbolic item in the play since it was the key to the major changes
that happened in Othello's character and in his marriage. It was used to
symbolize love, loyalty, fidelity, and infidelity. From the moment Othello
gave it to Desdemona as a wedding gift it was a symbol of love and
Desdemona's fidelity and purity. When Emilia stole it to give to Iago and it
ended up in Casio's house and then Bianca, the prostitute’s hands, it lost its
purity, and it was the major proof of Desdemona's infidelity. That was what
Iago used to bring Othello to his downfall by his tragic flaw, Jealousy.
The origin of handkerchief goes back to Othello's mother when she
got it as a love token from an Egyptian witch that told her as long as she had
the handkerchief, her husband will always be in love with her but if she lost
it, he will be drawn to other women. On her deathbed she gave it to Othello
to give it to his future wife. It was given to Desdemona as a wedding gift,
and this was the first gift Othello gave to her. Othello said that the
handkerchief was woven from silk by a 200-year-old prophet. It is
embroidered with small strawberries on a white base and dyed with the fluid
drained from the hearts of mummified virgins and it symbolized the purity
of Desdemona.
Several people throughout the play wanted to copy the beautiful
pattern but no one were able to do so. The handkerchief was used as a pawn
in Iago's evil scheme to frame Desdemona. The handkerchief played an
important role in the story. The handkerchief also symbolized Desdemona's
safety and Othello's sanity; her safety depended entirely on his sanity. When
Iago told Othello that Cassio was alone with Desdemona, the seed was
planted in Othello's mind that she had sexual intercourse with Cassio.
Desdemona saw Othello upset, but he told her that he had a headache.
She tried to use the handkerchief on his head, but he brushed it away,
knocking it to the ground. Emilia, Iago's wife, picked it up and gave it to
Iago who had been asking her to steal it for a while. When Othello knew that
Desdemona did not have the handkerchief, he became upset and believed
that she gave it to Cassio. As Othello's began to suspect Desdemona's
infidelity, his sanity spirals downward. Desdemona's safety decreasing as he
began considering murdering her for betraying him. When Othello realized
that Cassio had the handkerchief, all ability to see reason went out the
window. He lost his mind completely and as a result, murdered Desdemona.
 According to Iago's evil scheme, Desdemona's handkerchief would be
put in Cassio's room as "proof" that she and Cassio had been having an
affair. Iago was aware that a present like a handkerchief could seem
insignificant to some people but mean a great deal to others. Othello
assigned significance to the handkerchief since he was a jealous man. Iago
was aware that Othello's suspicions about Desdemona's loyalty had already
been sown by his lies. He expected that the handkerchief in Cassio's hands
would prove Desdemona's unfaithfulness, and ultimately result in the demise
of Cassio and Othello, two men he despised intensely "I will in Cassio’s
lodging lose this napkin and let him find it. Trifles light as air are to the
jealous confirmations strong as proofs of holy writ. This may do something.
The Moor already changes with my poison”. (Iago 3.3)
Iago played on Othello's tragic flow which was jealousy. he
manipulated Othello to see the handkerchief as a symbol of Desdemona
herself, her faith and chastity. By taking possession of it, he was able to
convert it into evidence of her infidelity and loyalty. Iago first started
making Othello suspect Desdemona by saying "to show the love and duty
that I bear you with franker spirit: therefor, as I am bound, receive it from
me. I speak not yet of proof: look to your wife, observe her well with
Cassio." (Iago 3.3)
As if he cared for Othello and wanted to warn him but with no proof
yet. "I know not that, but such a handkerchief, I am sure it was your wife's,
did I today see Cassio wipe his bread with" (Iago 3.3). If that's her
handkerchief then it's the final evidence against her "if it be that, or any that
was hers, it speaks again her with the other proofs" (Iago 3.3)
When Iago placed Desdemona's handkerchief in Cassio's room to
prove his theory about Desdemona's betrayal with Cassio. Cassio saw the
handkerchief in his lodging, he liked how it looks and asked his mistress
Bianca to make a copy of it, as he would return the original when he found
the owner. The man who was going to make the copy of the handkerchief
told her that he cannot make her a copy because the material of this
handkerchief is rare to find. Bianca at that time guessed that the one who
gave Cassio the handkerchief is a woman.
 The handkerchief suggested a number of different interpretations.
Bianca entered with the handkerchief that she described as 'some minx's
token' and refused to 'take out the work' or copy it, She was convinced that
the handkerchief belonged to another woman and maybe that woman was his
new mistress. Meanwhile, Cassio didn’t put her words in mind and told her
she was being silly. Bianca exited hastily, but not before being convinced
that Othello’s wife and Cassio are lovers and throwing the handkerchief at
Casio’s feet, feeling angry and betrayed. 

In Othello, jealousy is a major theme among the characters and

almost directly influenced the plot of events. Most characters within the play
experienced jealousy at turns, most noticeably Othello and Iago, whose
dynamics of jealousy were spawned by their own feelings of insecurity. Iago
was immediately revealed as a jealous character in the first scene, he
complained that Cassio had been promoted instead of himself even though
“I am worth no worse a place” (Iago 1.1). He also later implied that his
hatred of Othello is rooted in jealousy. Iago was jealous of both Othello's
success and the fact that Othello made Cassio a lieutenant. Iago claimed that
Cassio had never set a foot on the battlefield, and he was more worthy of
Cassio’s position. “Mere prattle, without practice, Is all his soldier ship”
(Iago 1.1).
The main character, Othello, was unaware of the jealousy that he was
experiencing due to the betrayal and manipulation of Iago “Strangle her in
bed, even the bed she hath contaminated” (Iago 4.1). Jealousy caused
Othello to make decisions that he would never normally make. He changed
from a sweet and loving husband to a cruel and abusive husband who
eventually went on to kill his own wife “Even so my bloody thoughts with
violent pace, Shall ne’er look back, ne’er ebb to humble love” (Othello 3.3).
Othello was a tragic hero because he was noble, he suffered from a
fatal tragic flaw, and he went through a tragic downfall. All these traits that
Othello exhibited lead him to be known as one of the most well-known
tragic heroes in all of literature. Othello was seen as a tragic hero since he
was doomed from the start because of his race, which eventually lead him to
do something bad as the result of his very poor judgment. Othello’s anger
and jealousy had caused him to go to the extreme and kill Desdemona.
When he realized Iago had been lying the whole time he was filled with guilt
as he realized he killed the love of his life because of Iago’s manipulation of
him and his failure to see through that manipulation “Then must you speak
of one that loved not wisely but too well” (Othello 5.2).
With that guilt, he decided that killing himself is the best option for
taking responsibility for what he had done. Aristotle said, “A tragic hero is a
person who does something because of bad judgment and later takes
responsibility for it”. Iago, by suggesting that Othello should kill her, which
he eventually did. After doing so, Othello’s guilt, combined with his passion
for Desdemona, and his low self-esteem, caused him to take his own life.
Othello changed because of his actions, which resulted in his
downfall. His anger and jealousy grow as more lies are told to him, enough
that made him stop listening to Desdemona and others telling him the truth.
Othello had different changes throughout the story as well as different
characteristics that showed him as a tragic hero.
The handkerchief used in the play to symbolize love, fidelity, and
infidelity in the hands of Othello's mother, Desdemona, Iago, Cassio, and
Bianca. At first it was a symbol of the love and loyalty between them but the
moment it got stolen from Desdemona to end up in a prostitute's hands, it
lost its purpose and meaning and that's when it all went down. Desdemona
losing the handkerchief meant losing the love and the bond they have
together and Desdemona's loyalty to Othello. The significance of the
handkerchief to their marriage is what made Iago use it to arouse Othello's
jealousy and bring him to his downfall by his tragic flaw.
The information used in this research are in these links:
- https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/o/othello/summary-and-
analysis/act-iii-scene-4
- https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bianca_(Othello)
- https://www.ukessays.com/essays/literature/othello-as-a-tragic-
hero-and-his-downfall.php
- https://study.com/academy/lesson/jealousy-in-othello-examples-
quotes.html
- https://schoolworkhelper.net/shakespeares-othello-as-a-tragic-hero/