Othello is enraged and promises to tear Desdemona to pieces. When Othello confirms that it was his first gift to her, Iago says, in part: ...but such a handkerchief--I am sure it was your wife's--did I to-daySee Cassio wipe his beard with. What happens to it? Meanwhile Cassio and Bianca argue over a handkerchief Cassio found in his lodgings. He feels he must act, and nearly kills Cassio. To Othello, the handkerchief symbolizes fidelity and his giving it to Desdemona represents a promise that he will be true to her, and a request that she stay true to him. bookmarked pages associated with this title. Othello declares her handkerchief to be too little, and pushes it away from him. Why is it so important? Iago had advised Cassio to ask Desdemona to petition Othello to reconsider his decision. The handkerchief is a powerful metaphor within the play’s turning point. If the handkerchief were lost, the love would go. In vain, Desdemona tries to deflect his questions about the handkerchief, speaking again of Cassio. I do not think but Desdemonas honest. fool! Iago and Othello arrive, and Cassio is fearful to speak with Othello and plead his case so soon after stabbing Montano in a drunken daze Iago and Othello arrive, and Cassio is worried Iago will trick others into believing he is wooing Desdemona under Othello's nose Cassio hands Bianca Desdemona's handkerchief, asking her to copy the pattern. Othello then said: I did so: and take heed on't;Make it a darling like your precious eye;To lose't or give't away were such perditionAs nothing else could match. Iago had created suspicion in Othello's mind that Desdemona and Cassio were having an affair by using innuendo and subtle suggestion. He then says that if it should be the handkerchief, it would further confirm her guilt. Othello listens to the entire conversation, believing that every reference to Bianca by the two men is about his wife. Later in the scene, Desdemona, accompanied by Emilia, comes to call Othello to dinner. Why? unhandsome warrior (152) unskilled soldier. Emilia speaks of irrational jealousy: "But jealous souls will not be answer'd so; / They are not ever jealous for the cause, / But jealous for they are jealous: @'tis a monster, begot upon itself, born on itself." Othello enters and tells Desdemona to give him her hand. answer choices . Othello does not believe her, and smothers her to death. Later in the play, he throws a tantrum because Desdemona does not know where the handkerchief is. This is the next step Iago takes to further his plan. Othello then tells her the story of the handkerchief. DESDEMONA : Come, come; 90 : You'll never meet a more sufficient man. When, Desdemona admits she doesn't have it at hand, Othello tells her that the handkerchief is magic, was given to his mother by an Egyptian sorceress, and that a woman who loses it will lose her husband. Bianca immediately recognizes it as belonging to a woman and berates Cassio for having another mistress. What is the role of the Duke in William Shakespeare's Othello. Othello, of course, does not know this. What does Cassio do with Desdemona's handkerchief? Plant the handkerchief in Cassio's room. How does Iago go about providing the visual proof of Desdemona's infidelity that Othello had earlier asked for? He then goes to Desdemona and says, “That handkerchief which I so loved and gave thee, / Thou gavest to Cassio” (5.2.48-49). The sly Iago has already arranged to meet with Cassio and will talk about Bianca, a girl Cassio has been seeing. Why does Cassio pass the handkerchief to his lover, Bianca (sc. He takes it directly to Othello and … As they leave, Desdemona drops a handkerchief that was Othello’s first gift to her. 9. He then asks her to lend him her handkerchief. Iago plants the handkerchief in Cassio's room so it appears that Cassio and Desdemona have been sleeping with one another. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. The evidence before her own eyes backs up her assessment. When Othello enters, he claims a headache and asks her for a handkerchief to bind his head, but he will have only the embroidered strawberry handkerchief. A little later in the scene Cassio asks his prostitute girlfriend Bianca to copy a handkerchief which is -- unknown to him -- Desdemona's. Othello does not believe Iago. Desdemona sends for Cassio to tell him that she has spoken with Othello; she is also worried that she has lost her handkerchief. fool!" As the clown departs, Desdemona wonders to Emilia where her handkerchief might be. Cassio. Sign up now, Latest answer posted May 25, 2012 at 7:02:38 PM, Latest answer posted February 03, 2012 at 3:30:53 AM, Latest answer posted February 11, 2012 at 6:02:15 AM, Latest answer posted June 23, 2011 at 10:33:09 PM, Latest answer posted February 11, 2012 at 4:55:29 AM. When she gives Iago the napkin, he immediately plots what he is going to do with it. In Scene 1 of Act 4, Iago so plays on Othello's suspicion and jealousy that the general falls into a fit, which pleases the vindictive ancient tremendously. In the same scene, Othello returns and threatens Iago that if he does not present ocular proof about Desdemona's illicit affair, he will kill him. I will in Cassio's lodging lose this napkin,And let him find it. The details of how Cassio obtained the handkerchief are revealed, and Othello bewails the fact that he has been a "fool! 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