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The Handkerchief In Othello Essay

Decent Essays

The Handkerchief of Mislead Passions
The handkerchief is the most dominant symbol in the tragedy. A present that Othello gave to Desdemona, with the purpose of showing his love and passion to his virgin wife. In the beginning, he make it seem as a relation of the pureness of her virginity and their married sheets; however, this symbol of their love transcends to represent Desdemona’s fidelity instead.
Othello is an exaggerated case of how prejudice distorts our reason and leads us to dismiss ideas that might not make sense but affect us and the ones we love. The iconic present, attests to the sensibility of Othello’s jealous mind, and how small things can be magnified as a proof of love. If he would not trust everyone but his beloved one, …show more content…

Othello was becoming like Iago, or at least he was extremely manipulated by him and his words. As a consequence, his naivety and jealousy changed his mindset and he became manipulative as well but only with the weaker one, his wife. Now, Othello only believed Iago’s lies but he also became worried for his honor, he wanted revenge to her and his love became something …show more content…

As he seems to remind the story about his mother, he claims” If she lost it (his mother), or made a gift of it, my father’s eye should hold her loathed, and his spirits should hunt…Make it darling like your precious eye. To lose it or give it away were such perdition”. Evidently, Othello want her to feel guilty, because he forehand knew that she gave it away.
Desdemona, one step away of her own misery, feels the guilt while he madly claims “Is it lost? Is it gone? Speak, is it out of the way? “And, despite of her innocence, she feels guilty. Thus, Desdemona realizes that she is lost, she understands her perdition.
I think it’s possible that Othello lied to Desdemona adding a mystic and exotic value to the present because he already was told that Casio had it, and, his madness and weird manners started showing off. The loving and carrying husband, had become a monster. Othello was convinced that she Desdemona cheated and he was full of hatred and anger, he only wanted to make her pay and rise his pride while humiliating and mistreating

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