Othello- Act 3

"Othello" 

By: William Shakespeare

"Dangerous conceits are in their natures poisons (III. iii. 327)." The simile presented by Iago suggests the complex idea that ideas in themselves can be harmful and deceiving  In Act III, the central focus is on the symbolism of the handkerchief.

To each person, the handkerchief represents and means something unique and different. To Othelo, the handkerchief represents the idea of dedication as it was his first gift to Desdemona. Yet, just as ideas can be poisonous, the handkerchief comes to represent Desdemona's unloyalness to him as it is the handkerchief that serves as concrete evidence of her affair. For Desdemona, the handkerchief is a symbol of love and union as it is a piece of Othello which she can physically hold on to. Iago sees the handkerchief as a symbol of power and control as it is the handkerchief which allows and grants him full manipulation over Othello and his relationship to Cassio. For Cassio, the handkerchief represents a beautiful mystery as he is uncertain of where it came from, but appreciates it for its loveliness. Emilia sees the handkerchief as a symbol of duty and pleasure as it is what pleases her own husband, Iago. Finally, Bianca, the person who has the handkerchief at the end of the act, sees it as a symbol of uncertainty and of the unkown. Although different, the ideas all represent the same object. Yet, it is theses ideas which seperate the characters, thus poisoning their relationships.