Blog Post #11 - Othello

Othello's story of the handkerchief's origin to Desdemona in Act 3 starts with a background about how the handkerchief was passed down to him. Othello states that an Egyptian charmer, or fortune-teller, gave it to his mother and expressed that as long as she kept it, her husband would remain entirely in love with her. But, if she lost it, then he would fall out of love and his spirits would haunt her. His mother gave it to him whilst she was dying and stressed that if it was lost or given away, then an eternal life of hell awaited him. Othello stresses the magic and the power that the gift holds, even explaining how the handkerchief was made: an extremely wise and elder clairvoyant sewed it herself, with hallowed worms which made the silk, and dyed with a fleshy substance made from the hearts of maidens. Othello's storytelling draws Desdemona in, and he uses vivid description to make her understand how important the gift is, and the weight it holds, specifically the weight it holds on himself. His story acts as a way to guilt-trip Desdemona and overall make her apprehensive about losing the gift.

In the last act of Othello, why does Desdemona give up so easily when Othello attacks her? She stops attempting to explain herself and asks to be banished rather than clearing up the lies. When Emilia acknowledges Desdemona's presence in the other room, how come she doesn't take advantage of her friend passing by? When Emilia asks her, lying on her death bed, who the murderer was, Desdemona fails to mention Othello's name, and instead blames herself. Is there a reason why she does not attempt to save her innocence and clear her name before her final death? She gave up relatively quickly, even when Emilia could have been her saving grace.