William Shakespeare’s Othello: What is the Meaning and Symbolism of the Handkerchief Scene In the Play?

OTHELLO'S DEADLY CATALYST: The handkerchief scene in William Shakespeare's Othello is the pivotal point of the play. It symbolises the love and marital fidelity between the couple, but later becomes a sinister weapon in Desdemona's demise.

WITHIN TRADITIONAL MEDIEVAL and renaissance poetry, the handkerchief is a powerful symbol of a woman’s romantic favour. This is well denoted within the cultural practice of old in which a lady would deliberately drop her handkerchief for a knight to retrieve and keep as a token of her affection.

THE HANDKERCHIEF IN OTHELLO: MEANING & SYMBOLISM

In William Shakespeare’s play, Othello, the symbolism of Desdemona’s handkerchief is central to the play’s tragic dénouement. Mentioned over 30 times within the text, the item is both distinct in design — white, and dotted with images of strawberries — and imbued with a deep history. Othello’s first gift to his wife, it was woven using silk from sacred worms, and bizarrely, dye extracted from the hearts of mummified virgins. It was originally a gift from Othello’s father to his mother, and was subsequently presented to Desdemona as a token of their love and fidelity. This backstory imbues the handkerchief with added meaning and symbolic value, rendering it more like a precious artefact than a mere piece of cloth.

IAGO MANIPULATES THE HANDKERCHIEF

The reverence with which Desdemona regards the handkerchief resonates throughout the play's scenes. As a symbol of his love and trust she keeps it with her constantly, “to kiss and talk to.” (Act III, scene 3).

When Iago learns of the meaning and symbolism of the handkerchief within Desdemona’s relationship with Othello, he skilfully manipulates it by placing it into Cassio’s unknowing possession, thereby presenting it as false evidence of Desdemona’s infidelity. The resulting chain reaction leads to her brutal murder at the hands of her enraged husband.

THE SOILED CLOTH

The handkerchief is a powerful metaphor within the play’s turning point. It becomes, as critic James Hodgson affirms, “an emblem of her reputation”: a pseudonym for the wedding sheets from their marital bed, now allegedly soiled by an intruder. Desdemona’s identity and sexuality become superimposed onto the handkerchief itself.

It is interesting to consider that if Shakespeare was working today, what symbolic turning point device would he use to portray Desdemona's alleged infidelity, now that the age of women and handkerchiefs is over? This idea was examined in the movie Internal Affairs (1990) in which the plot, like Othello, is similarly animated with the theme of jealousy. Andy Garcia's character, Raymond Avilla, is presented with a pair of his wife's panties by Richard Gere's Iago-esque character, Dennis Peck, as false proof of her adulterous nature.

THE DEADLY HANDKERCHIEF: Swiss actress Irène Jacob as Desdemona in the 1995 movie adaptation of Shakespeare's 'Othello'. The handkerchief becomes a false symbol of her infidelity towards Othello.

*THE HANDKERCHIEF IN SHAKESPEARE’S OTHELLO - ACCORDING TO GOOGLE SEARCH

1,000

The number of people worldwide who Google the phrase “Othello handkerchief”, each month.

4,000

The number of people worldwide who Google the phrase, “Othello handkerchief meaning and symbolism”, each month.

*All figures for “The Handkerchief in Shakespeare’s Othello - According to Google Search”, supplied by Google. Stats include global totals for laptop and desktop computers and mobile devices.

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