Desdemona’s Handkerchief in Othello Essay - 891 Words

In Shakespeare’s play Othello, one of the main character’s Desdemona possesses the most essential symbol and object in the play, a handkerchief. The handkerchief appears in Act III of the play and is a particularly important part in the plot of the play. It helps weave the entire story together. The handkerchief symbolizes Othello’s love and trust to Desdemona and Desdemona’s marital fidelity to Othello. The first symbol of the handkerchief is Desdemona’s marital fidelity. In the play, Iago gives the only description of the handkerchief when he says to Othello, Have you not sometimes seen a handkerchief / Spotted with strawberries in your wifes hand (III.iii.434-435)? The handkerchief is white with a pattern of strawberries in the†¦show more content†¦Iago sees the handkerchief as a way of finally being able to get to Othello. Iago feels that the handkerchief is a symbol of Desdemona’s faith to Othello. By obtaining this symbol of he r faith, he is able to deploy his plan of revenge against Othello. Othello discovers that the handkerchief is missing and becomes very angry with Desdemona. When Desdemona looses her handkerchief, Othello believes she is unfaithful. Othello sees Cassio with the handkerchief and accepts it as confirmation of Desdemonas infidelity. The handkerchief also represents Othello’s love and trust in Desdemona. Othello has an obsession with the handkerchief because of its history. It carries a significant amount of meaning and is extremely important to him. He tells Desdemona about the history of the handkerchief and how his mother used it to keep his father faithful to her: That handkerchief Did an Egyptian to my mother give. She was a charmer, and could almost read The thoughts of people. She told her, while she kept it, Twould make her amiable and subdue my father Entirely to her love; but if she lost it Or made gift of it, my father’s eye Should hold her loathed, and his spirits should hunt After new fancies. She, dying, gave it me, And bid me, when my fate would have me wived; To give it her. I did so, and take heed on ’t; Make it aShow MoreRelatedOthello s Othello By William Shakespeare848 Words   |  4 Pages Desdemona’s Passivity [In the Shakespeare’s play â€Å"Othello†] Desdemona is a passive character in the Shakespeare play â€Å"Othello†. We can identify this as a fault in Desdemona, in various acts and scenes throughout the play. A critic had stated that â€Å"Desdemona is passive, acted upon rather than acting.† This is a valid statement which is noticeable in Desdemona’s character. When Desdemona argues Cassio’s position that Othello stripped from him. We see from this that she could have actedRead MoreWhos Responsible for Desdemonas Death? Essay1036 Words   |  5 PagesIs Othello responsible for Desdemona’s death? Or is it Iago who planned to get revenge against the Moor? There are many people in the play who are responsible for Desdemona’s death. However, one of the individuals in the play unwittingly helps contribute to her death by being naive. Emilia who is Desdemona’s loyal friend fails to convince Othello that Desdemona is faithful. She is unwittingly responsible for her fr iend’s death because, she never mentions the handkerchief until Desdemona has beenRead MoreThe Significance of the Handkerchief in Othello by Shakespeare566 Words   |  3 Pages The handkerchief is significant to the plot, mainly to Iagos manipulation of Othello and his convincing the latter of Desdemonas infidelity. Moreover, it sheds light over Iago, Desdemona, Othello and Emilias characters, and is thus important to characterisation. The symbolic significance attached to the handkerchief reveals Othellos social background, his treatment of Desdemona and the latters feelings towards her husband. Interestingly, Othello provides two sides of the story of how heRead MoreIs It Possible For A Small Piece Of Cloth?879 Words   |  4 Pagesthe Shakespearean play â€Å"Othello†, it is very possible. There are many factors that lead up to these deaths, but the handkerchief is the most significant. It is the most significant because of all the chaos it causes. Nevertheless, the play depicts a story about Othello and Desdemona, a couple that deems unacceptable in Iago’s eyes. Thus, Iago devises a plan in order to ruin their marriage. His plan includes stealing the handkerchief that was given to Desdemona from Othello. At this point it is clearRead MoreOthello By William Shakespeare s Othello Essay1230 Words   |  5 Pages Previously, in Act 3.4, Othello begins to suspect Desdemona’s loyalty, as he continuously asks Desdemona for the handkerchief, yet she keeps on changing the topic. In Act 4.1, Iago continues to convince Othello of Desdemona’s faithful ness. In Act 3.4, Othello defended Desdemona when Iago accused her; but in Act 4.1, their position is switched. Othello becomes more aware of what Iago is saying and the anger that he has towards Iago has significantly reduced, while he begins to doubt Desdemona.Read MoreOthello Character Analysis905 Words   |  4 Pages1. Throughout the drama, â€Å"The Tragedy of Othello†, Iago successfully manipulates Cassio various times. In the writing, Shakespeare creates Iago’s plan to demote Cassio from being Othello’s lieutenant, the role Iago dreamt of, by tricking Cassio to get drunk so that he will raise chaos and result in Cassio being demoted. This worked out for Iago when Cassio accepts Iago’s encouraging words and began to drink heavily, this would result in Cassio ultimately fighting and stabbing Montano in a drunkenRead MoreThe Handkerchief Of Shakespeare s Othello1730 Words   |  7 PagesHandkerchief Destruction Destruction caused by a single piece of cloth seems like a very farfetched idea. In William Shakespeare’s play Othello, he shows how a single handkerchief can cause mass devastation, and he shows how it can ruin many lives. The background of the handkerchief is what makes the handkerchief so important to Othello. The handkerchief was a family heirloom, and was handed down to him by his mother. The handkerchief is passed around to majority of the characters, and those whoRead MoreTo What Extent Is Desdemona Presented as a Tragic Victim in Othello?1489 Words   |  6 PagesTo what extent is Desdemona presented as a tragic victim in the play ‘Othello’? Desdemona, the daughter of Venetian senator Brabantio, is captivated by Othello’s fables of bravery as a warrior and she falls in love with him. In view of the fact that Desdemona is a â€Å"fair† woman and Othello is â€Å"an old black ram†, commonly referred to as ‘the Moor’, their marriage indicates that her fate might be tragic. In ‘Othello’, Desdemona is portrayed as a courageous young woman whose character is used againstRead MoreOthello, The Moor Of Venice Essay860 Words   |  4 Pagesthat the hero possesses. In Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, the Moor of Venice (rpt. In Thomas R. Arp and Greg Johnson, Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, 10th ed. [Boston: Wadsworth, 2009], 1273-1366), there are several contributing factors in the tragic outcome of the play. Iago, the primary antagonist, targets Othello in various ways to obtain revenge and this contributes to the demise of beloved characters. Althoug h Iago and Othello contribute heavily to the final result of the tragedy:Read MoreTragedy is mostly seen in characters pure and innocent. The deaths of those whom are innocent have800 Words   |  4 Pagesdeserve their unfortunate fates. Desdemona is the heart of Iago’s plan and her loyalty to Othello eventually leads to her death bed. Emilia’s husband is the villain she hates, but giving him the one item he needs dooms everyone. Othello falls into Iago’s plan as soon as his fatal flaw of jealousy comes into play. In the tragic play Othello, by William Shakespeare, the innocent characters Desdemona, Emilia, and Othello are lead to their demise because they are manipulated into trusting Iago. Desdemona

Factors that Promote Rapid Language Learning in Children

According to Chomsky (1972), language acquisition is one of the exclusive characteristics of human beings and is known as the jewel in the crown of cognition (Pinker, 1994). It is well known that other species on earth have communication system also, but differ substantially in their qualities from human communication. Several attempts have been made to teach apes to speak (Allen Gardner, 1969; Savage-Rumbaugh, Sevcik, Hopkins, 1988), but language acquisition is a mystery of human beings, it starts before a child is born (DeCasper Spence, 1986). Until today, no artificial intelligence has been created which can learn a language. Healthy newborn children acquire seemingly effortlessly and rapidly the language of any part of the world,†¦show more content†¦We can establish the importance of time, childrens language acquisition must develop within their first 5 years, children should not be denied linguistic stimulation and adequate social interaction must surround them. Gol dfield and Reznick (1990) investigated childrens vocabulary development. The growth of vocabulary starts slowly, around the first year children speak barely a couple of words, when children reach 18 months old they possess approximately 10 words in their vocabulary but after they undergo a huge development, they are capable of learning a new word almost every day. These words are mostly nouns, objects which are located in the direct surroundings. It is important from the acquisition process point of view to be surrounded by a nourishing environment, as in a deprived, depressing home the child’s development might be slowed down. Schachner and Hannon (2010) described in their studies the importance of the infant directed talk. Mothers or caregivers speak to a baby in a special way: slowly, with simple grammar, mostly about concrete things which are visible to the child. As the child develops, the infant-directed talk advances also, it becomes more complex so the child can lea rn more. In the experiment 5 month old babies were presented with adults who used infant directed talk and adult directed talk. The babies showed a preference for the person who spoke in the infant directed manner. Cooper and Aslin (1990) also discoveredShow MoreRelatedDeveloping A Successful Classroom Inclusive Environment Is The Quality Of Teaching926 Words   |  4 PagesAnother factor that incorporates in having a successful classroom inclusive environment is the quality of teaching. Alton-Lee (2003) argues that quality teaching has been identified as an important practice of positive outcomes for diverse students. Forlin (2012) discusses, but with more details than in Alton-Lee (2003) saying that quality teaching for students with diverse abilities has got various characteristics. For example, it has to focus on student’s achievement, to make clear links betweenRead MoreElls Essay1376 Words   |  6 Pagesbeliefs may affect ELLs learning process and even a well-inten ded teacher delimits ELLs’ social growth (Shim, 2014). Now let me dig a close attention into the introductory quote I used at the beginning: â€Å"In my teaching, I do not usually make reference to the home language of the ELL students I have in class, and I also do not allow my students to speak in their home language in class. I offer practical advice to the ELL students who wish to maintain their home language, but allowing students toRead MoreDevelopment Of Infancy And Early Childhood1385 Words   |  6 PagesJessica Wilson Development in Infancy and Early Childhood Throughout the course of the human lifespan, the period of most rapid development extends through infancy and early childhood. 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In 2007, World Health Organization (WHO) introduced International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, Child and Youth (ICF-CY) version, a special classification system sensitive to the rapid changes of development for children and youth under 18 years of age. In this paper, I argue that ICF-CY is the most useful and comprehensive tool for measuring and documenting the dynamic nature of childhood health conditions, as it emphasizes the integrative approachRead MoreThe Effects Of Pre Kindergarten Programs On Public Schools1705 Words   |  7 Pages Brain development is most rapid in the first five years of life. Educators, economists, business leaders, and politicians all agree that high-quality early learning programs are a key factor in improving a child’s educational and social development for many years to come. These stakeholders are aware that children need the appropriate intervention in order to make meaningful gains across a variety of domains and succeed successfully in their academic development and achievement. They are mindful

Criminal Justice Trait Theory free essay sample

A study of trait theories as applied to the criminal justice system. This paper considers two different models of trait theories biosocial and biosocial/psychological within the context of the field of criminal justice. It describes the attempt to isolate what it is that defines human nature and human personality, in terms of what is the effect of environment and what is purely genetic in a personality. The author shows how these psychological concepts are applied to criminal rehabilitation therapy. One of the ways in which researchers have tried to answer this question is that they have attempted to isolate what it is that defines human nature and human personality. In other words, they have sought to isolate the different traits that together make up the personality. Although this approach is certainly subject to various criticisms perhaps the most important of these being that personality traits are not consistently manifested over time the trait model has remained useful in some arenas for helping people to understand human personality. We will write a custom essay sample on Criminal Justice Trait Theory or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page