"Othello, the Moor of Venice"

The handkerchief makes its first appearance in Othello, the Moor of Venice in Act III.  Shakespeare uses the handkerchief as a symbol, yet it is not universal.  In this, the handkerchief holds a different meaning for each character.  To Desdemona, it is a symbol of the love between Othello and herself.  To Emilia, it is a way to please her misogynistic husband even though she is going behind Desdemona's back to give it to him.  To Iago, it symbolizes evidence and proof of Cassio and Desdemona's relationship.  To Othello, the handkerchief symbolizes the sanctity of a marital relationship and how significant remaining faithful is to him.  He recounts a story of an Egyptian mind reader who gave his mother the handkerchief.  If his mother kept it, "'Twould make her amiable and subdue my father Entirely to her love, but if she lost it Or made a gift of it, my father's eye Should hold her loathed and his spirits should hunt After new fancies" (III.iv. 53-57).  Therefore, Othello sees the handkerchief as a symbol of loyalty in marriage.  This story serves to advise Desdemona that if she loses that handkerchief or if Othello finds it in the hands of another, their marriage will cease to exist in happiness.