Othello by Shakespeare Essay

Submitted By Tasia-Bruton
Words: 967
Pages: 4
Open Document
Radish 4
Humanities, period: 4th
May 10th, 2015
Shakespeare’s
Othello
­­ 4 Paragraph Essay
Prompt 3: Handkerchief

Helen Fisher once said, “
Once you fall for someone, their smell can be a powerful thing. Women will wear their boyfriend's' T-shirts, and throughout tales in history men have held on to their lover's handkerchief.” Items are given symbolism even something as insignificant as what wipes one’s nose.
Things can become tokens of love, remembrance, tests, fidelity and much more. In
Othello
, written by
Shakespeare, Iago is angry with Othello for not giving him a job and possibly sleeping with his wife. He is determined to destroy Othello by using his new bride Desdemona and the man who took his job. In the end, many die due to his lies. The handkerchief is the perfect weapon, or prop for Iago to use against Othello, Cassio and Desdemona; which then morphs into a character itself.
The handkerchief is a perfect weapon for Iago to use because it’s a symbol of Othello’s love and trust in Desdemona. Othello was speaking to Desdemona when he was talking to her about what his mother’s handkerchief meant and that if she lost it or give it away, it would be an unspeakable loss, a loss nothing else could match (Act 3, Scene 4, Page 4). Othello gave Desdemona his mother’s handkerchief as a token of his love for her to hold onto. The handkerchief can also be viewed as being a test of their love and devotion for each other. If Desdemona were to lose the handkerchief, misplace it or give it away, the result would be unspeakable - which may lead to huge problems with their marriage, and possibly one or both of their lives. Later on in the storyline, Iago asks Emily, his wife, to steal Desdemona’s handkerchief, “I am glad I found this napkin, this was her first remembrance of the
Moor” (Act 3, Scene 3, Pg. 13) and she continues to talk about how her husband wanted her to take,
“My wayward husband hath a hundred times wooed me to steal it, but she loves the token (for he

conjured her she should ever keep it) that she reserves it evermore about her to kiss and talk to” (Act
3, Scene 3, Pg, 14). Emily is saying that she’ll take it to please her husband’s needs for the handkerchief but she doesn’t approve of what she’s doing for him. She also knows how much the
‘kerchief means to Desdemona so she’ll only take the cloth and copy the embroidering onto another, so she can give it back to her as fast as possible. Emily has no clue what Iago wants to do with the
‘kerchief but she doesn’t want to know either. However, after she takes the ‘kerchief from
Desdemona, the handkerchief slowly becomes a character all in itself.
The handkerchief is more than a hand-me-down snot rag - it’s a symbol of love, devotion and a test of responsibility between two lovers. Othello and Iago are discussing how Iago has “proof” of
Desdemona cheating on Othello because he saw Cassio with the handkerchief and in bed with her, “Lie with her? lie on her? We say “lie on her” when they belie her! Lie with her--that’s fulsome.
Handkerchief--confessions--handkerchief!” (Act 4, Scene 1, Pg. 3). He’s so distraught at the fact that
Desdemona may have cheated on him. What’s even worse about this situation is that Iago never really found proof of anything, he’s just twisting what he says to make the Moor (Othello) go mad. He’s acting as if the handkerchief would tell him the truth--as if the handkerchief is going to confess what exactly happened, as if it were a human being. After Othello kills Desdemona, Emilia confronts Iago and questions him of his actions, as well as accusations and Othello states, “It’s
Show More

Related Documents: Othello by Shakespeare Essay

Othello and Shakespeare Portrays Othello Essay

How does Shakespeare present the journey of Othello’s character throughout the play and to what extent is he a tragic hero? Shakespeare portrays Othello’s character as a complex one. Throughout the whole play Othello experiences different emotions such as love, hate and even jealousy. Othello’s journey is shown through a intense series of ups and downs. At the beginning of the play Othello was known as a hero of ‘being in the military success’. He was known to his people to be confident, brave…

Words 1043 - Pages 5

Othello by Shakespeare: Stereotypical Barriers Essay

ENG3U0 September 23rd 2012 Stereotypical Barriers In the play, “Othello” by Shakespeare, though the expectations of women are to remain silent and obedient towards men, Desdemona tends to voice out her opinion whereas Emilia conforms to the stereotypical barriers by following the image of what women are expected to be like. To begin, Desdemona shows confidence in her love and fights for her opinion in marrying Othello, the love of her life. After hearing her father’s response to her decision…

Words 569 - Pages 3

Essay on To what Extent do you think Shakespeare s Presentation of Othello Fulfils the Requirements of a Tragic Hero

think Shakespeare’s Presentation of Othello Fulfils the Requirements of a Tragic Hero? Aristotle’s criteria for a tragic hero is that the character: Comes from nobility, has a tragic flaw (caused by a simple mistake or a character flaw) which may be pride/hubris, undergoes a reversal of fortune (falls from high to low), has a downfall and recognizes his mistakes (in a catharsis or purgation of pity and fear). In Shakespeare’s play Othello it would seem that Othello fulfills this criteria except for…

Words 1394 - Pages 6

Othello Essay1

Complete the practice essay question below. Your response should be approximately 750-1000 words. You may submit either a hard copy or an electronic copy. "How has your understanding of human nature been shaped by your personal reading of two scenes from the play?” Focus on at least two scenes from the play (you may choose from the list above) and be sure to support your ideas with relevant language and dramatic techniques. Shakespeare’s 'Othello' successfully explores the human nature aspect of…

Words 1294 - Pages 6

Essay about Compare The Ways Writers Present And Develop Human Flaw For Different Effects In

develop human flaw for different effects in “Pride and Prejudice” and “Othello”. Pride and Prejudice, arguably Austen’s greatest book, and Othello, one of Shakespeare’s many masterpieces, have captured people of all historic backgrounds, as a result of intriguing themes, ever changing plotlines and emotive language, presented through the power of human flaws. Despite following similar human imperfections, Austen and Shakespeare finish with heavily contrasting outcomes; despite the writings being fitting…

Words 633 - Pages 3

Femininity In Shakespeare's Othello

The works of English playwright William Shakespeare epitomize arts of the Elizabethan Era. Through Shakespeares’ focus on the social conventions of this milieu, Shakespeare’s tragedies substantive meaning of his social context in order for us to understand how women became victims of the autocratic patriarchal supremacy of the sixteenth century, where the independence of women was hindered and conformity was demanded. Elizabethan society, built upon Renaissance beliefs, uncloaks how the expected…

Words 2752 - Pages 12

Jealousy In Othello

In this essay, I’ll be answering the following question on how jealousy is presented in Shakespeare’s play Othello and Tim Blake nelson’s movie production called ‘o’. Also, how important the theme is and what techniques is used to portray it. In Shakespeare's Othello, the theme of jealous is apparent throughout the play. Shakespeare uses techniques such as characterisation and imagery to illustrate this theme. By characterising his characters with jealousy, Shakespeare successfully emphasises the…

Words 583 - Pages 3

Othello Essay Final Copy

ENG2D1-05 7 November 2014 Emilia’s Tremendous Influence in Othello In literature, various authors use characters in plays to exemplify dramatic literary devices. Some of the dramatic literary devices demonstrated throughout plays are foreshadowing, suspense, irony and pathetic fallacy. William Shakespeare, who is considered as the greatest writer in English language uses characters to convey messages through dramatic literary devices. Shakespeare effectively uses characters to express dramatic literary…

Words 1552 - Pages 7

Love And Loss Displayed In Shakespeare's Othello

The story of love and loss explored in Othello is one many have very strong opinions on. Some say Othello was innocent, some say he deserved everything he got. I will analyse two critic responses as well as having my own input to review the story of Othello and to answer the question of weather the idea that Othello’s actions were caused by jealousy. Personally I think Othello was a lot like Shakespeare’s other pieces. Lovers who aren’t meant to be together, someone who is jealous of them…

Words 1027 - Pages 5

Othello and Desdemona Essay examples

Essay #1 [5] In the tragedy Othello, Shakespeare illustrates how all humans are vulnerable to destruction even if they're in a position of power. Othello marries young, white Desdemona, something not so daily in the Venetian society. All the relationships in the play are used to demonstrate the vulnerability of people when involved personally with other people. Each of the relationships in Othello portrays insecurities in each person, except Iago. All of the relationships with Iago…

Words 936 - Pages 4