Othello - 3

"Othello, the Moor of Venice" by William Shakespeare
"She told her while she kept it 'twould make her amiable and subdue my father entirely to her love, but if she lost it or made a gift of it, my father's eye should hold her loathed and his spirit should hunt after new fancies" (Shakespeare, III.iv.52-57).

The handkerchief that Othello gave to Desdemona plays a key role starting in Act 3. Deriving from Othello's story, the handkerchief displays Othello's opinion of the purpose of it. To Othello, the handkerchief symbolizes Desdemona's love and fidelity. In Desdemona's hand and to Desdemona, the handkerchief shows Othello and Desdemona's love for one another. When Desdemona gives the handkerchief to Othello to help with the headache, it is dropped and then taken by Emilia for Iago. By letting it drop to the ground, both Desdemona and Othello are falling to Iago's plans and corruption by letting what they had carelessly fall to the ground because they have both been manipulated by Iago to not focus on their marriage but what Iago wants. Furthermore, by characterizing the handkerchief to display love and virginity from the history of the handkerchief, Bianca takes possession which could symbolize that Iago is going after her next for manipulation of love to do what Iago wants. All of the characters seem to be so blinded by their love for another person that they are blind to what Iago is doing and therefore being manipulated by Iago. The handkerchief overall seems to symbolize the passing of the torch of Iago's manipulation through love.