Shakespeare’s Othello is a drama that relies entirely too much on circumstantial evidence.
The handkerchief is used as the one and only piece of major evidence to prove the infidelity of Othello’s wife, Desdemona. The reliance on the handkerchief is inappropriate in that the play could have drastically changed very easily had the handkerchief and its whereabouts not been handled as it was. If Emilia had decided on a different course of action, or if Desdemona had opted to tell Othello the truth concerning the whereabouts of the handkerchief, the ending of Othello would have transformed into one of complete difference. The tragic conclusion of Othello therefore depends heavily and inappropriately on the use of the ‘sacred’ handkerchief, which with a swift change of events could have dramatically altered the outcome.
The crucial scene in Othello concerning the importance of the handkerchief in the play’s outcome occurs in Act 3 / Scene 3. Emilia discovers Desdemona’s handkerchief on the ground and is debating between having a duplicate made for Iago or giving him the original:
I am glad I have found this napkin;
This was her first remembrance from the Moor.
My wayward husband hath a hundred times
Wooed me to steal it; but she so loves the token
(For he conjured her she should ever keep it)
That she reserves it evermore about her
To kiss and talk to. I’ll have the work ta’en out
And give’t Iago. What he will do with it,
Heaven knows, not I; I nothing but to please his
fantasy. (Shakespeare 67-68)
Emilia had actually made the decision to have a duplicate made for Iago so Desdemona would be able to keep her cherished handkerchief. However, just at that moment Iago walked in and Emilia wanting to please her husband gave him the original handkerchief right away, “O, is that all? What will you give me now / For that same handkerchief?” (68). Emilia had good intentions at heart in wanting to please both Iago and Desdemona, but when Iago walked in, her need to be loved and complimented by her husband got the better of her. However, if Iago hadn’t walked in at that exact moment than Emilia would have had a duplicate of the handkerchief made, which would have prevented Iago’s use of the handkerchief as evidence. Thus, the handkerchief’s use in the play would have been completely useless had Iago not walked in at the exact moment that he did, and had Desdemona not been so in need of love and reassurance from her husband.
Iago relies entirely on the handkerchief as solid evidence to convince Othello of Desdemona’s infidelity. However, it is also easy to realize that Iago invests in too many risks in his plot to bring Othello down. His reliance on the handkerchief is precarious because he involves so many different people to aid him in using the handkerchief, and he does so without their knowledge. Iago’s plan could have easily backfired though. He overextends himself by taking such a huge risk in involving so many different people because if just one slip-up had been made than Iago would have ended up destroying himself instead of Othello. All of the different people, which Iago involved in his plot spoke to one another. The sequence of Emilia snatching the handkerchief for Iago, and Iago telling Othello that Desdemona gave the handkerchief to Cassio, and Desdemona lying about loosing the handkerchief could have easily ruined everything if any of these characters had spoken to one another about the handkerchief. If any of these characters had indeed spoken to each other about the handkerchief then Iago would have undoubtedly been found out, meaning his scheme would have failed. It is therefore obvious that had one small slip been made or one small remark about the handkerchief been passed in conversation then the handkerchief would have proved useless and the tragic ending for Othello wouldn’t have existed.
Othello has his own role in the use of the handkerchief aiding the tragic outcome of the play. Othello claims how passionate his love for Desdemona is, but yet he only needs a handkerchief as evidence of his wife’s infidelity. The handkerchief is in reality very small in proving something as major as infidelity, and it is something that could have been easily explained. In Act 3 / Scene 4, Othello questions Desdemona about the whereabouts of the handkerchief he gave her, which he claims is ‘sacred.’ Desdemona lies to Othello and claims that she doesn’t have it with her at the moment, “I have it not about me” (77). If Desdemona had revealed to Othello that she had indeed lost the handkerchief instead of lying about it then Othello would have realized that she was speaking the truth, and that something was not right with the situation. Othello was married to Desdemona, and knew her well, which means that he would have been able to tell if she was lying or speaking the truth. Othello also would have realized that the handkerchief could not be evidence of her infidelity because she had innocently lost it. However, Desdemona chose to lie about the handkerchief and insist that it was not lost, and in doing so it made Othello all the more suspicious, and more inclined to believe what Iago had been claiming.
There is also the notion that the loss of the handkerchief might have actually been Othello’s own error. In Act 3 / Scene 3, Desdemona attempts to help Othello with his headache. She tries to use the handkerchief that he gave her, but he pushes it away and it falls to the ground, “Let it alone” (67). It is not clear here whether Othello is ordering Desdemona to leave the handkerchief on the ground or if he is ordering her to leave him alone. However, if he was actually ordering her to leave the handkerchief on the ground then it would obviously be his own fault that the handkerchief was lost and placed in the wrong hands. Othello ordered his wife to leave the handkerchief on the ground, and being the obedient wife that she is, she obeyed him. If Desdemona had decided to quickly retrieve the handkerchief then once again Iago’s plan would have failed because the handkerchief would have been safely in Desdemona’s hands. Furthermore, it is a simple act and choice of words that causes Desdemona to leave the handkerchief on the ground, allowing Emilia to discover it.
The device of the handkerchief is therefore depended upon too heavily to aid in the tragic outcome of Othello. There are too many simple slips that could have been made by Iago or any of the other characters unknowingly involved in the scheme, which could have drastically altered the ending. The amount of uncertainty surrounding the handkerchief is too large because each time that it is involved a huge chance is taken that things could go in the exact opposite way. The handkerchief proves as an inappropriate method of solid evidence through its’ instability within the play because there are so many different routes that it could go. Othello thereforerelies entirely on the handkerchief in transforming the play into a tragedy, and in doing so a great risk is taken due to the fact that every event surrounding the handkerchief is extremely unreliable.
