Othello Symbolism

The Language of the Mysteries “Symbolism is the language of the Mysteries. By symbols men have ever sought to communicate to each other those thoughts which transcended the limitations of language.” Manly Hall explains how symbolism is not a simple sentence, but one that has a deeper meaning behind it, and the reader if left to determine what that deeper meaning is. In Othello, Shakespeare utilizes different symbols such as clowns, music, Desdemona’s handkerchief, and a candle to portray optimism, infidelity, love, and death. Shakespeare uses a clown in the tragic play Othello to portray comedic relief and enlightenment. The clown present in act three is a wise fool that uses verbal wisdom and humor to try to enlighten somewhat darker

The song taught to her by her mother’s maid is about a woman who is betrayed by her lover, as was Desdemona, for the maid, “ the confusion of literal and figurative music generates an interpretive crisis in which the play’s own language and the way it communicates meaning and events to an audience are implicated” (Minear). Considering the song is sung by Desdemona just hours before Othello comes to kill her, it displays foreshadowing of how Othello would soon betray her. The song is also sung by Emilia as she is dying when Iago stabs her. The song allows the two women to display their innocence and also the cruelty of their

In Othello, Shakespeare uses the handkerchief, given to desdemona by Othello, to symbolize the love and relationship between the couple. The handkerchief is Desdemona’s most prized possession, and she almost never lets it out of her sight, demonstrating her loyalty towards Othello. Once Iago gets the handkerchief, it becomes “handled” by ay almost every character, which reflects a significant problem existing within the marriage” (Huq). After Iago persuades Othello that Desdemona is unfaithful, the entire marriage spirals downward. The handkerchief reverts from displaying love between each other, to displaying the corruption in their marriage. With the handkerchief being such a significant symbol of the play, it is the main object that reveals the turn in the play for the worst and foreshadows the end towards Desdemona and Othello. As Othello approaches Desdemona, who is sleeping in her bed, he blows out a candle symbolizing how he is about to extinguish her life. A candle is used to provide light within the darkness, just as how Desdemona had life among all of the death. Once Othello decides he is going to kill her he blows the candle out and proceeds to execute the plan that Iago helped him create. From the very beginning of the book Iago set out to have Othello turn on Desdemona, and once Othello blew out the candle,