What Is The Handkerchief In Othello

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In the play Othello, the handkerchief played a huge role, the entire plot essentially revolves around that small piece of fabric. This handkerchief, that the Moor of Venice named Othello, had given to his wonderful wife named Desdemona was a symbol of their love and affection; it represented the strength of their marriage. As the play delves deeper into their relationship and the people surrounding them, we start to see the meaning of the handkerchief turning into something a little more diabolical. Iago, who is the antagonist in Shakespeare’s play Othello, acquires the knowledge of just how important the handkerchief is to the Moor and his wife, begins to use it to his advantage and warps the meaning of it, turning it into a symbol of disloyalty and dishonesty. The villainous Iago makes it all seem as though Othello’s wife Desdemona had given it to Michael Cassio, the Moor’s lieutenant, this part of the intense plot of the play shows the handkerchief as being the trust and stabilization in Othello and Desdemona’s relationship being broken and torn apart. …show more content…
Irony is featured all throughout this popular Shakespearean play. One memorable part is when Iago, who is envious towards Cassio, stated in the play, “O, beware, my lord, of jealousy! It is the green-ey’d monster which doth mock The meat it feeds on.” (Shakespeare , Act 3, Scene 3) Iago states this to Othello ironically , because he is the one planting the soul of the green eyed monster within Othello, and also this whole tragedy began with Iago’s envy towards Cassio getting promoted to Othello’s

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