Handkerchiefs

"I am glad I have found this napkin.
This was her first remembrance from the Moor,
My wayward husband hath a hundred times
Woo‘d me to steal it, but she so loves the token,
For he conjur‘d her she should ever keep it,
That she reserves it evermore about her,
To kiss, and talk to." - Emilia, Act 3, Scene 3 (p. 146, ll. 294)

• within the context of European medieval and renaissance love poetry, the handkerchief symbolizes a woman‘s romantic favor (ladies would drop a handkerchief for a knight to pick it up and keep it as a proof of her regard)
• it‘s the first gift that Othello gave to Desdemona which is why Desdemona always carries it with her
  
  • it is thus a symbol for Othello‘s love and trust for Desdemona
  • Othello got the handkerchief from his mother which enhances the effect that he is giving it to her out of love and trust
  • however, the handkerchief was woven by a 200-year-old Egyptian female prophet who used the silk from some holy worms to weave it and the hearts of mummified virgins to dye it
  • Othello‘s mother used the handkerchief to keep his father from betraying her; hence, it is a symbol of his parents‘ faithfulness towards each other
  • the handkerchief is a symbol of Desdemona‘s chastity and faith
• the handkerchief carries the pattern of strawberries (dyed with the virgins‘ blood)
  
  • on the white background, the red strawberries remind the reader of bloodstains on bed sheets after a virgin consummated a marriage
  • the handkerchief symbolizes the guarantee of virginity as well as fidelity
• as Desdemona loses it and Emilia finds it and hands it over to Iago, Iago comes in control of the symbolism of the handkerchief
  
  • by taking the handkerchief, he turns the symbol of love and trust into a symbol of unfaithfulness and betrayal
  • hence, he manipulates the meaning of the handkerchief
• losing the handkerchief equals losing Desdemona to Othello

The Song "Willow"

• in Act IV, Desdemona prepares herself for going to bed and sings a song
• the song "Willow" is about a woman who is betrayed by her lover
• her mother‘s maid taught her the song (herself having been betrayed by a lover) and she even died with that specific song on her lips
• in the song, it seems as if both man and woman are betraying each other
• the willow tree in the lyrics symbolizes Desdemona‘s sadness, melancholy and resigned acceptance over her having lost Othello‘s affection
• it foreshadows the death of Desdemona and Othello‘s marriage as well as her own death
• however, Desdemona still expresses her belief that nothing could make her betray Othello
• Emilia also dies singing about willows