The handkerchief as symbol in Othello

Shauna Solaman

In William Shakespeare’s Othello, Shakespeare makes use of a symbol that helps to weave the
entire story together. This symbol is that of the handkerchief, a gift from Othello to his new wife,
Desdemona. The symbol is from the very beginning of the book that marks an important event in
their new life together to the end of the book, which marks their very demise.
The handkerchief that Othello owns is that of his mother, which she then passed on to him, for
his wife. The story that comes along with the handkerchief is that it was woven by an Egyptian
sibyl with silk worms and dyed in the mummies of conserved maidens’ hearts. The sibyl then
gave Othello’s mother the handkerchief and assured her that as long as she kept this
handkerchief, then his husband would stay devoted to her. However, if the handkerchief were
ever lost to its owner, then the unfortunate wife would lose her husband. So in the beginning of
the book, the handkerchief is a symbol of fidelity. Othello gave it to his wife, and told her the
story with it.
The meaning of the handkerchief alters according to the person. For Othello, the importance of
the handkerchief lies in the words passed down from his mother as well as the assurance of
fidelity and virginity expected of Desdemona. For Desdemona, this is a symbol of Othello’s love
for her. She cherishes the handkerchief, not only for the meaning that Othello gives to it, but it
was also the first gift Othello bestowed upon her – a true gift of his love for her. Emilia sees the
handkerchief as a way of finally be able to fulfill one of her husband’s desires of her, which is to
retrieve the handkerchief and relinquish it to him. Iago sees the handkerchief as a way of finally
being able to get to Othello. Iago feels that the handkerchief is a symbol of Desdemona’s faith to
Othello. By obtaining this symbol of her faith, he is able to deploy his plan of revenge against
Othello. For Cassio, the handkerchief is nothing more than a pretty object and for Bianca, the
same symbol is one that signals to her that Cassio doesn’t care for her.
The handkerchief moves through many hands throughout the play. However as it is physically
moving through the play, it is silently putting a wedge between Desdemona and Othello. The two
of them don’t quite realize how really important this symbol is. The reader at this point already
realizes that this handkerchief is something more than it seems to be. After all, how could one
symbol move through so many hands and hold so many different meanings?
Othello at the beginning of the book holds the handkerchief to mean Desdemona’s fidelity to
him. With the help of Iago’s cunning words, doubt of this fidelity is placed deep within the
crevices of Othello’s mind. The one thing that he goes to, to prove that Desdemona is faithful or
not is the handkerchief. He doesn’t even think to ask Desdemona directly about his suspicions
and later his charges. He asks her for the handkerchief and when she isn’t able to produce it for
him, he charges her with infidelity. The same symbol that once represented this love between the
two of them now represents Othello’s anger and Desdemona’s confusion. All this time, since he
doesn’t charge her until he has decided to kill her, she doesn’t know what is going on. Not at any
point does she realize that he is relying on the handkerchief to confirm his suspicions. Now by
the middle of the book, the very same symbol that represented love now represents betrayal.
Interestingly enough though, the handkerchief still heeds its makers warnings. Desdemona lost
the handkerchief and now she must suffer the consequences of this. The twist to this is that she
didn’t lose Othello; for he didn’t stray, rather she loses herself.

The symbol of the handkerchief makes it’s way from beginning to end of the book. Every hand it
touches, the meaning changes. However when Othello reveals the history behind the
handkerchief, it was a direction to the end of the book. It also marked that this meaning, these
two people, Othello and Desdemona, and their meaning would be most important, and most
altered. This symbol of love could easily be lost if it itself is lost. From the beginning of the
book, the handkerchief held two beings together in marriage, and by the end the handkerchief
represented betrayal and hatred. Othello killed his wife even though she tried to deny the
charges. Still in her death she protected her husband and took the blame for herself. In the end,
the handkerchief marked Desdemona’s death and Othello’s death. Iago achieved what was
necessary, and was able to do so with the aide of wife, whom he killed. Nonetheless, he still
achieved what he needed to do, all through cleverly chosen words at the right time and a simple
handkerchief. Had it not been for the handkerchief, or at least the loss of the handkerchief, then
Iago never would have been able to achieve the results he wanted – revenge on Othello.