Handkerchief In Othello

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The handkerchief represents love within Othello and Desdemona just as in the play; Othello is torn when he is told that his love is cheating on him. Just like a handkerchief thread is once loose, it falls apart and untwines itself. When the handkerchief falls down it represents their love crumbling. Since the handkerchief represented their love, once each thread is loosened, it has no meaning to it as we see in the play by William Shakespeare. From the significance of the handkerchief between Othello and Desdemona leads to a twist in the play. The representation of love that the handkerchief represented is now represented as hate, anger and betrayal. The anger within Othello against the handkerchief is mixing up different thoughts in his…show more content…
First to be hanged, and then to confess: I tremble at it” (4.1.37-39). He does not know if he wants a confession from Cassio and then kill him or does he want to hang Cassio first and then get the truth out. He is a web of his own suspicions that is not letting him to act rationally at this point. He does not know how to satisfy his thirst and thinks more about murdering whoever is suspicious about than actually going on the path of looking for the truth. He feels like the truth is too much for him to handle so he’s not take the risk and instead just kill to not go through the pain of learning that he has been betrayed. With all the proof that is being brought forth to him, he wants to react based on that and less on what the person at “fault” needs to say. At this point he’s rather just kill Cassio and get it over with so he can get his…show more content…
He is stuck and does not see any way to find out the truth and instead he takes the path of evidence he is given by Iago. The significance of the handkerchief going from the love between Othello and Desdemona to the “love” between Desdemona and Cassio which leads to hatred on Othello’s end towards Desdemona. Instead of the handkerchief representing love at this point, it represents hatred and disgust. The handkerchief represented sacred eternal love but not anymore for Othello. Once Othello thought that the handkerchief has no meaning to it, he completely became numb of his feelings. Where once love was seen through his eyes, it turns into hatred and not being able to forget what was told to
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