The Meaning of the Handkerchief in William Shakespeare's Othello The handkerchief influences and affects several characters in the play. We see that the cloth is about Othello and that his affection for Desdemona is the first blessing he gives her, but in the play we see that Othello is suspicious of Desdemona and her loyalty to him. However, the handkerchief is a link to Othello's past; he received it from his mother when she was dying. Othello uses the handkerchief to show his love to Desdemona. He considers it an image of trust and love. The handkerchief shows us how Desdemona feels about Othello, but when she loses the handkerchief, it becomes Othello's greatest downfall. This gives us insight into the relationship between Iago and Emilia and how Iago destroys Othello and Desdemona's marriage. On the other hand, the original handkerchief had its place with an Egyptian witch who gave it to Othello's mother and told her that it would keep her attractive and keep her husband faithful. The handkerchief is a mummy dye that the clever have preserved from the hearts of young girls: “the dye of the handkerchief is thus derived from the embalmed bodies of its victims” (Fairchild, 1922). When Othello's mother died, she passed down a piece of clothing to him and asked him to give it to a woman he would one day marry. However, if she loses it or gives it away, her spouse will begin to hate her and glance at other women. As she was dying, she gave it to him and asked him to give it to his wife when he was one day married. The handkerchief should be something precious, and losing it or giving it to someone would be an indescribable misfortune, a misfortune like no other. Therefore, the handkerchief implied a considerable measure for Othello, although it was given to him by his mother. The cloth holds unique powers, and if lost, the devotion in them