Thursday, January 28, 2010

Othello - Handkerchief analysis

Discuss the dramatic function the handkerchief has in this play. How does it function as a symbol of Desdemona's fidelity to Othello?

29 comments:

Trent Brock said...

The handkerchief is probably the most important symbol in the play. Othello tells Desdemona that it was woven by a 200 year old female prophet (or sibyl) using silk from sacred worms and extracted dyes from the hearts of mummified virgins. Othello also tells her that his mother used it to keep his father faithful to her. Therefore, it represents fidelity in marriage, and when it is given to Desdemona, it becomes a symbol of fidelity for her to Othello.

BritNichole said...

The handkerchief is the symbol that holds the story together. It is something close and guarded of Othello’s, just like his heart. The strawberries that embellish the while handkerchief represent the bloodshed that stained the purity of their love for each other and the tragic end of their relationship. The handkerchief was Othello’s way of putting his love for Desdemona into something concrete. When Othello found that the handkerchief was no longer in Desdemona’s possession, it turned his heart cold. The handkerchief in stranger’s hands made Othello’s heart become a stranger to him. He didn’t recognize the lifeless form that was in his heart’s place. The handkerchief is infused in the foundation and all throughout Othello and Desdemona’s relationship. When it found its way to Iago, the foundation cracked and their relationship fell apart.

Mrs. Hollifield said...

This is a test.

*christina* said...

The handkerchief is the symbol of fidelity and honesty in marriage. Othello's mother gave it to him so he could give it to his love just like his mother had it to represent her lfidelity to Othello's father. Othello gave it to Desdomona for the same reason, to represent her fidelity to Othello. Once Desdomona loses the handkerchief, conflicts start occuring between their marriage. Without the handkerchief Desdemona isn't faithful to Othello. The handkerchief is a symbol of loyality to eachother in marriage.

Joseph Drbohlav said...

I agree with Trent Brock, the hankerchief is probably the most important symobol in the play. Othello gives that hankerchief to Desdamona as a symbol of his love. The hankerchief also symbolizes the bond between the two of them and keeps them together as well as symbolizing the fidelity of Desdamona.

Mrs. Hollifield said...

This is Chris. The handkerchief is an important part of the play. It is used as a symbol of Othello's love for Desdemona, which is why he becomes so angry and jealous when he believes that she gave the handkerchief to Cassio.

Mrs. Hollifield said...

hey this is billy. testing log in

Mrs. Hollifield said...
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Mrs. Hollifield said...

through many computer hate crimes. .. Billy Palinchak has made it to the blog. the handkerchief represents Othello's serious love for Desdemona. the handkerchief was very meaningful to Othello, which symbolises Othello's many extreme emotions brought on by the handkerchief. it is always referenced as magical and wonderous. this brings attention to the handkerchief early in the play to emphasise and hint to the importance of the handkerchief in the plot. the handkerchief, simply an object, serves as Othello, the mighty warrior's demise...interesting.

Mrs. Hollifield said...

This is Kelly. The handkerchief is the most important symbol in the play. It symbolizes Othello's love for Desdemona as well as his hope that she will remain faithful to him. This is why Othello loses all trust with Desdemona when he sees Iago with the handkerchief. The handkerchief symbolized fidelity in Othello and Desdemona's relationship, but it ended up symbolizing Desdemonas infidelity, even though she didn't really have an affair with Iago. The handkerchief is how Iago turns everyone against each other.

Nate Malsch said...

The handkerchief is extremly important to the play. The handkerchief is a symbol to Othello that Desdemona is faithful to him. So when Emilia steals the handkerchief and it ends up with Cassio, Othello becomes very angry. When this happens, he then trully believes that Desdemona has cheated and become unfaithful to him.

Katharine Anne said...

The handkerchief is the most important symbol in the play. This handkerchief represented fidelity in Othello's father and mothers marriage. When Othello gives the handkerchief to Desdemona it then becomes a symbol of fidelity for her to Othello. It keeps Othello faithful to Desdemona just as it kept Othello's father faithful to his mother.

Anonymous said...

The handkerchief is the most important in the play. Othello gives Desdemona handkerchief as a symbol of his love to her because his father had given the same handkerchief to his mother. Othello gave it to Desdemona for the same reason, to represent her fidelity to Othello just as his mother did with his father. The handkerchief emphasizes the love and passion that Desdemona has for Othello. And it also represents the love from Othello to Desdemona just by him giving her the handkerchief in the beginning.

Elita said...

The handkerchief was used several times throughout the play, however, its meaning is different for different characters. To Othello, the handkerchief symbolized his love for Desdemona. Originally from his mom to his father and made from silk worms and mummified virgins, the handkerchief was very significant to Othello. The handkerchief was given to his father from his mother to keep him faithful. Therefore, Othello gave it to Desdemona in hopes of keeping her faithful to him. On the other hand, to Iago, the handkerchief was the source of his plan. He used it to trick Othello into thinking that Desdemona was cheating by giving it to Cassio. Iago knew that the handkerchief meant alot to Othello and therefore, it made it really easy for Iago to overthrow Othello.

Corrinne Bradley said...

In Othello the handkerchief symbolizes the faithfulness of the couples in the play and also the conflicts of emotion and inner thoughts. Othello’s mother gave it to him and told him that the handkerchief had kept his father faithful to her. Likewise, Othello gives it to Desdemona to keep her faithful. Othello views the handkerchief in the hands of Cassio as proof that Desdemona is cheating on him and being dishonest about it. Meanwhile, Desdemona is upset about losing it, and is unsure of what Othello is accusing her of. The handkerchief also plays a role in the relationship of Cassio and Bianca, when she finds it in his bedchambers she is sure that it is some other woman’s token, which was not the case. He is innocent of any deceit but it shows the insecure feelings of Bianca when finding the obvious object of a woman who was not her in his room. In Iago and Emilia’s case, it was used to show Emilia’s attempt to please Iago by stealing it. She decreased her morals in order to make her husband happy with her. I think it shows her longing for a good relationship between them.

Amanda R. said...

The handkerchief serves as a symbol of Desdemona's fidelity to Othello because he gave it to her as a token of his love. It also wasnt just a handkerchief. It was one that had been passed down from his mother to him, which made it important to him.

Mrs. Hollifield said...

This is Terry Burgess.
The handkerchief is a very important reaccuring symbol throughout the play. It was Othello's mother's handkerchief, so it was very important to him. He gave it to Desdemona as a token of his love. It functions as a symbol of Desdemona's fidelty to Othello because it was the 1st gift he gave to her. When he saw Cassio with it, he assumed that Desdemona gave it to Cassio as a token of her love for him.

Max said...
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Max said...

The handkerchief symbolizes the love of Othello. Desdomona, with the acceptence of the handkerchief, is symbolically accepting the love of Othello. This explains the brash reactions of Othello once he discovers that the handkerchief in the possesion of Cassio. Its like she had taken all her love for Othello and passed it onto Cassio.

Mrs. Hollifield said...

This is Terry Burgess.
I agree with almost everyone else in this section in that the handkerchief is a very important symbol and it is integral to the story. Without the handkerchief, it would have been harder for Iago to frame Cassio for the affair and the story might have ended with everything turning out to be okay.

cassandra said...

As annoying as it is for me to have to say I must agree with everyone that the handkerchief is very important in the plot against Othello. It is annoying how the handkerchief could carry so much suspicion with it. That a simple piece of cloth can be the downfall of the relationship that was so strong between Othello and Desdemona. A very nice symbol of the tainted, purity of the love between the two it is a curse that should have been a warning to Desdemona when recieved by Othello. My thought is that if she had made sure the importance of that handkerchief was known to all around her then maybe Emilia with her conciousness when it came to the pure Desdemona, might have left the handkerchief to reweave the broken strands of Othello's and Desdemona's strained relationship.

Josh Davis said...

Even though I didn't comment on this one to begin with, I agree with everyone. The handkerchief is a symbol of the love between Othello and Desdemona and Iago capitalized on the situation by using it to frame Cassio, who is completely oblivious to everything going on around him. Of course, I don't believe that it is made out of what Othello says it is. Mummy hearts? Yeah, whatever.

Courtney said...

The handkerchief is a very important symbol in the play. It symbolizes their faithfulness to one another and without the handkerchief there isn't a relationship. When Desdemona loses the handkerchief Othello believes that she is no longer faithful, even though she is. To him the loss of the handkerchief is like the loss of her faithfulness and it tears him apart.

Joseph Drbohlav said...

I agree with Brittany. The hankerchief does hold the story together. If the hankerchief wasn't stollen and used to frame Casio then the story probably wouldn't have ended up differently. The handkerchief was, in my opionion, the turning point in the story.

Sonia Kaur said...

The handkerchief is a family treasure of Othello’s which he treasures dearly. When Othello hears of Cassio using his beloved handkerchief, he is told by Iago that it was Desdemona herself who gave it to him. Othello believes the handkerchief is the symbol of their marriage and due to the fact that she has given it to another man, he believes that Desdemona has given herself to another man. The red strawberries on the handkerchief can represent jealousy and rage that overcome Othello when he finds out the new owner of the handkerchief. If Othello cannot have Desdemona, then nobody can.

Sonia Kaur said...
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Asa F* said...

I agree with "everyone" too Cassandra. The handkerchief is the most important symbol in the play and it does represent fidelity and purity. While representing the bond between Othello and Desdemona, the handkerchief holds their love together as a gift from Othello's heart to hers. When the handkerchief is no longer in possession of its true "owner", Othello becomes very upset and jealous.

Mrs. Hollifield said...

Shelby-
The handkerchief is a symbol of Desdemona's loyalty and respect for Othello. The handkerchief is very important to Othello because his mother gave it to him to represent fidelity within his marriage. When Desdemona loses the handkerchief, Othello takes it as her being unfaithful and unconcerned. This action leads to the downfall of both characters.

tegally mushiirah said...

the handkerchief represent different things to different characters. To Othello, it is a sign of marital fidelity, to Desdemona, a "token" gifted by her husband,to Emilia a way to please her husband Iago, to Iago, a way to trap Othello and to Cassio a mere handkerchief.BUT PRIMARILY, THE HANDKERCHIEF WITH ITS EMBROIDERED STRAWBERRY REPRESENTS THE BED SHEETS OF OTHELLO AND DESDEMONA UPON THEIR FIRST CONSUMMATION OF THEIR MARRIAGE AND THE STRAWBERRY A SYMBOL OF VIRGINAL BLOOD.