Monday, April 25, 2011

Symbolism in Othello

Desdemona’s handkerchief holds a great amount of symbolic meaning in Othello. In Act III, scene iv, Othello knows Desdemona no longer has the handkerchief he has given her as a gift and has made up his mind that she must be having an affair. He tells Desdemona the history of the handkerchief, where it first belonged to an Egyptian sorceress who gave it to his mother and said it would keep her desirable and keep her husband faithful. Before Othello’s mother passed away she passed the handkerchief down and told him to give it to the woman he would one day marry. The handkerchief represents Othello’s mixed Christian and Venetian heritage. It also serves as a symbol of loyalty and chastity and since Desdemona has lost it he believes she is not being loyal and is cheating on him with Cassio. To Desdemona the handkerchief serves as a symbol of Othello’s love. Since she knows the importance of the handkerchief she does not immediately tell Othello she has lost it she just acts like she has misplaced and truly believes it will turn up. The handkerchief serves as a symbol of manipulation to Iago and becomes a driving aspect of his evil plot. If Iago did not have the handkerchief is it possible Othello would not have truly believed his wife was no being loyal to him? Before Iago brought it to attention to Othello do you think the handkerchief was a symbol of Desdemona’s loyalty and chastity? To me it seems like Othello did not make this symbolic connection until Iago imposed the idea. The handkerchief is also suspected to symbolize virginity since it was woven with silk worms and the dye was extracted from the hearts of virgin mummies. The pattern on the handkerchief has strawberries embroidered on the white silk. The red dye of the strawberries symbolize the bloodstains left on the sheets on a virgin’s wedding night. Does the handkerchief hold the most symbolic meaning in the Othello? Would Iago be able to convince Othello of Desdemona’s unmoral love without the presence of the handkerchief.

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