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Symbols
In European medieval and renaissance love poetry, the handkerchief is typically a symbol for a woman's romantic favor. For instance, there was a particular ritual in which a lady would drop her handkerchief for a knight to pick up and keep as a token of her regard. The handkerchief that Othello gives Desdemona is, similarly, a love-token and therefore a symbol of their love. But the handkerchief, which originally belonged to an Egyptian sorcerer, also comes to symbolize the illusions that Iago is "casting" through his plotting and subterfuge.
The Handkerchief Quotes in Othello
The Othello quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Handkerchief. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 3, scene 3
Quotes
"Be sure of it; give me the ocular proof."
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Explanation and Analysis:
Act 4, scene 1
Quotes
"Her honor is an essence that's not seen;
They have it very oft that have it not."
They have it very oft that have it not."
Related Characters:
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Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Othello LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Handkerchief Symbol Timeline in Othello
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Handkerchief appears in Othello. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Act 3, scene 3
...to tell Othello it is time for dinner. Desdemona tries to soothe him with her handkerchief, but Othello says it is too small and drops it to the floor. They exit...
(full context)
Iago enters. To his delight, Emilia shows him the handkerchief. He grabs it from her hand. She asks for it back unless he has some...
(full context)
Act 3, scene 4
When the clown exits, Desdemona wonders what has happened to her handkerchief. Emilia, who is also present, says she doesn't know.
(full context)
...to bring up Cassio's suit, Othello says he has a headache and asks for the handkerchief he gave her. When, Desdemona admits she doesn't have it at hand, Othello tells her...
(full context)
Act 5, scene 2
...happened. Othello insists again that Desdemona was unfaithful and brings up the proof of the handkerchief. Now Emilia explodes in anger, and explains that she was the one who found the...
(full context)
