What Does The Handkerchief Represent In Othello?

The handkerchief initially is a gift given to Desdemona by Othello as a love token. It is subsequently symbolically transformed into

Desdemona’s bedsheets

, which she uses to reveal her true innocence and fidelity to Othello; and finally, Desdemona requests that the bedsheets be used to cover her as a death shroud.

What is the meaning of the handkerchief in Othello?

The handkerchief, a gift to Desdemona from Othello, symbolizes so much more than a mere token of affection. … To Othello, the handkerchief

symbolizes fidelity and his giving it to

Desdemona represents a promise that he will be true to her, and a request that she stay true to him.

What does the handkerchief symbolize to Othello at the end of Act III?

More immediately, to Othello the handkerchief represents Desdemona’s chastity, and her giving it away is a sign that she has given her body away. In Act III, scene iii, Iago mentions that the handkerchief’s much-discussed embroidery is a design of strawberries.

What does the handkerchief represent to Othello quizlet?

Terms in this set (5)

Because Othello gave it to Desdemona as a first gift, the handkerchief functions as a token of his love, which Desdemona cherishes (3.3. 1). The handkerchief symbolizes

Desdemona’s fidelity

. When it shows up in Cassio’s possession, Othello is convinced that Desdemona is unfaithful.

How is the handkerchief in Othello ironic?

Othello believes that

Desdemona gave the handkerchief to Cassio when he actually is the one who pushes the handkerchief out of her hands as she is trying to soothe him

. … This is another example of situational irony in which the cool, rational Othello becomes superstitious and accusatory.

What does handkerchief symbolize?

The handkerchief initially is a gift given to Desdemona by Othello as a love token. It is subsequently symbolically transformed into

Desdemona’s bedsheets

, which she uses to reveal her true innocence and fidelity to Othello; and finally, Desdemona requests that the bedsheets be used to cover her as a death shroud.

What does giving a handkerchief mean?

Some gift-giving superstitions are quite literal—giving a handkerchief is said to

signify tears to come

. … Soap is also supposed to be an unlucky gift, as it will wash your friendship away.

What is the meaning of white handkerchief?

From the late 18th century white handkerchiefs were

waved

, generally by women (men usually waved their hats), to demonstrate approval at public events such as processions or political rallies.

Who found the handkerchief in Othello?

As Sanity and Safety. After Desdemona leaves, another character named

Emilia

comes in and picks up the handkerchief. Emilia is married to Iago, the mastermind who is planning to make Othello crazy with jealousy. As she picks the handkerchief up, she points out that her husband has asked to her steal it a hundred times.

How does the handkerchief function in Act 4?

In Act IV, the handkerchief falls to the ground and Iago picks it up; this is showing that love is lost and that now Iago is

in control of manipulating Othello’s feelings

. Why is the handkerchief so important to Othello? The handkerchief represents Othello’s love for Desdemona.

Which of the following is the most important symbol in the play Othello?

However, at some point in the play, the symbol of love becomes proof of Desdemona’s infidelity. It becomes the essence of the Shakespearean tragedy. Some critics even say that

the handkerchief

in Othello is the most dominant symbol in the entire play.

What is the effect of Emilias silence about the handkerchief?

She asserts that when Emilia steals the handkerchief she acts in accord with the “wifely virtues of silence, obedience, and prudence” (Neely 1993:131), and that when she gives it to Iago,

she is “thereby making herself subservient to him and placing her loyalty to her husband above affection for Desdemona

.

What is a symbol in Othello?

The most predominant symbol in Othello is

the handkerchief

that Othello gives to Desdemona as a token of his love. Othello describes it as a token of love from his mother, who received it from an Egyptian sorceress. The strawberries embroidered on it were known to be a symbol of chastity.

What does Cassio do with the handkerchief?

Cassio gives Bianca Desdemona’s handkerchief, which he found in his lodgings (Iago had placed it there) and

asks her to make a copy of it for him

, as he will have to return the original when he finds the owner.

What happens when Desdemona offers her handkerchief to Othello What does Emilia do with the handkerchief What does Iago plan to do with it?

They go in to dinner, and Emilia picks up the fallen handkerchief, one that her husband, Iago,

often urged her to steal from Desdemona

. Emilia decides to have a copy made to give to Iago, but he enters, sees the handkerchief, and snatches it from her.

Who had the handkerchief at the end of Act 3 Why?

Who had the handkerchief at the end of Act III? Why?

Cassio gave it to Bianca, his prostitute friend

, for her to take out the design.

What color is the handkerchief in Othello?

The

white

handkerchief orients reader interest toward Desdemona, Othello’s Venetian (and white) wife. The black handkerchief reaffirms the play’s interest in the character Othello while forcing readers to question the implications of this alternate reading.

When did people start using handkerchiefs?

Handkerchiefs show up in world history

as early as the first century BC

, when they were mentioned by the poet Catullus and used for utilitarian purposes, such as wiping one’s brow or general-purpose cleaning. They would not become fashion accessories until at least the 17th century.

Why does Desdemona lie to Othello about the handkerchief?

As Desdemona hands

him a normal handkerchief

, Othello asks her where her special handkerchief is. Desdemona simply says she doesn’t have it with her, likely because she doesn’t want to upset him by saying that it’s lost. … But, if she lost it or gave it away, Othello’s dad would hate her and go back on the prowl.

Why do girls drop handkerchief?

Back in the Victorian era, there were all sorts of subtle little ways young ladies used to

communicate

to young gentlemen, in social situations where it would have been improper to speak to them directly. Dropping a handkerchief or glove was one of them.

How do Bianca and the handkerchief affect the plot and contribute to the meaning of the play?

Bianca is a woman of ill-repute (a prostitute); so when Othello sees her with the handkerchief not

only does it give credence to Iago’s affair theory

, but it also angers him to think that his prized possession was worth no more to his wife than for her to give it to a man who would in turn bestow it upon a prostitute.

Who has the handkerchief in Act 4?

Othello, in his thinking, assumes it is a symbol for his wife’s honor, but

Iago

plays at thinking it is only a handkerchief: “being hers, she may, I think, bestow’t on any man” (13). He repeats again the word “handkerchief,” and Othello cries out.

Where does the handkerchief move to from in Act IV?

In Act 4, the handkerchief

reappears in the hands of Bianca, Cassio’s mistress

. Cassio had found the handkerchief in his room and given it to Bianca to copy the work. Bianca, thinking it the token of another mistress, gives it back to Cassio. This scene in enacted while Othello is eavesdropping.

When did Othello give Desdemona the handkerchief?

As long as Othello’s mother kept it, she would keep the love of her husband, but that “if she lost it / Or made gift of it, my father’s eye / Should hold her loathed” (3.4. 60-62).

When she was dying

, Othello’s mother gave him the handkerchief and told him to give it to his wife when he married.

How does Desdemona lose her handkerchief?

As he can tell that Othello is suspicious, he tells him to just watch his wife when she’s around Cassio. How does Desdemona lose her handkerchief? …

Iago’s going to put the handkerchief in Cassio’s home.

What does the color red symbolize in Othello?

Orange symbolizes her warm personality, kindness and enthusiasm. Red signifies

her love and passion for Othello

.

Why did Emilia give Iago Desdemona’s handkerchief?

She knows that her mistress loves the thing, and doesn’t want to lose it. She knows that

Iago is

not an altogether savory person, and yet she says she will give him the handkerchief anyway. Iago calls her foolish, he obviously does not appreciate his wife. She is doing this behind Desdemona’s back.

What handkerchief why that the Moor first gave to Desdemona that which so often you did bid me steal?