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Othello suspects that Desdemona has lost the handkerchief he gave her as a present while they were
courting.
He becomes so obsessed with getting her to admit the fact that she is forced to defend herself and can
no longer help Cassio.
COURTING RITUALS & GIFTS
Courtship in medieval times and into the Elizabethan period was a very complex affair, using rituals which
we today would find very strange.
Unmarried men and women were never to be seen alone together. It was too dangerous. The hormonal
drive, then as now, would rouse the couple towards sex but this in turn would lead to pregnancy.
A woman who fell pregnant outside of engagement, however, was a scandal. Indeed, she became a lost
soul because no-one worth his or her salt would associate with her. She was a fallen woman.
Courtship, however, was a secret affair which involved Go-Betweens and clandestine gifts. The couple
would first meet at social events but they would always be in the company of others. They would become
attracted to each another, usually for superficial reasons.
Othello often met Desdemona at dinner functions at her father's house. She became attracted to him
because of his magical stories. He became entranced by her attention to his stories. He was infatuated
by this young Venetian woman.
Remember that he was an aging Moor and would as a rule not be able to captivate anyone such as she.
Indeed, in those days, a Moor would probably seldom even have been in the presence of a young
Venetian woman.
There would, however, be an immediate problem. Othello could not approach Desdemona openly or
directly. First, it was not considered etiquette to do so. Second, her father would almost certainly have
disapproved.
Then again, what would have happened had Othello approached her but had totally misunderstood the
meaning of her apparent attention? There would be embarrassment, possibly even anger great enough
to cause a social rift.
Elizabethan society had found a way around this delicate issue: the use of Go-Betweens. In Othello's
case, it was Michael Cassio who would approach Desdemona on Othello's behalf, carrying messages,
bearing small gifts and asking the important questions.
There was an advantage to this because it meant that no-one would be publicly embarrassed. Indeed,
the Go-Between could find out things that the would-be suitor could not. For example, was Desdemona
in any way interested in Othello? She could safely tell Cassio, "Yes!" or "No!"
If her answer was "No!", Cassio would relay this to Othello who could give up the quest without his having
been publicly rebuffed. If the answer was "Yes!", then Othello could begin to send little gifts, still using the
Go-Between as messenger.
The courtship would therefore remain a secret, important because it gave the suitor the opportunity to end
the affair without offence and without anyone ever having known what had taken place. There was only
one rule: the suitor had to return all gifts she had given him, although she was allowed to keep all his gifts!
When the courtship had reached an advanced stage, serious gifts were made which acted as official
engagement presents. One of the most common was a blue garter which she would wear on her thigh
at all times, a secret place so no-one would know except her maid-servant with whom she shared all
secrets.
This is the origin of our quaint although very silly modern tradition where the groom stands his bride on
a chair and removes the garter amidst ribald comments from the guests. In Elizabethan times, of course,
this was to announce that the couple had been engaged without anyone knowing.
Othello appears to have given Desdemona an ornate handkerchief as his engagement gift. This makes
sense in terms of the plot because it is easier for Desdemona to lose a handkerchief than to misplace a
garter which she should have been wearing on her thigh.
This, however, is the reason for Othello's obsession over the handkerchief: it represents their secret
engagement. Losing it would be tantamount to a modern woman carelessly losing her engagement ring.
What happened next? The couple would often then find some secluded bower where they could have
sex. Indeed, it was considered all right for the woman to offer her body once she was engaged.
It was precisely this moment in Othello -- Act 1, Scene 1 -- where Iago finds out about Othello's
secret tryst with Desdemona and he blows the whistle on them.
The woman always ensured that her maid-servant was present to act as a witness. Should she fall
pregnant but the man then got cold feet, the witness would immediately make public his promises and he
would be obliged to marry her.
On the other hand, it was still not too late to break off the engagement provided she was not pregnant
although there had to be a serious reason for doing so. Because the romance was still a secret and
she was not pregnant, nobody would know that she was no longer a virgin.
This ritual did at times go horribly wrong when the Go-Between himself became attached to the woman
and wooed her in his own name.
Iago suggests that Cassio had perhaps done this and had probably therefore had sex with her, and that
Cassio and Desdemona were still having an affair despite her having in the meantime married Othello.
Have you looked at the questions in the right column?
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TEST YOURSELF!
Read the left column and then answer the following questions:
"You must awhile be patient:
What I can do I will; and more I will
Than for myself I dare: let that suffice you."
- Why does Desdemona exhort Cassio to be patient awhile? (4)
[Need help?]
Desdemona has realised that she needs to focus her attention on restoring her own relationship with
Othello. In her present circumstance, therefore, it would be impossible to look after Cassio as well.
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"I will go meet him:
There's matter in't indeed, if he be angry."
- Why is Desdemona most eager for Iago to speak to Othello? (2)
[Need help?]
Desdemona believes she can trust Iago. She also knows that Iago is trusted by Othello. He can therefore
mediate between herself and Othello to restore their seemingly broken relationship.
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- Why, on the other hand, is Iago most eager to speak to Othello at this moment? (4)
[Need help?]
Othello is at his most vulnerable. Iago has successfully worked on his mind, has driven him to distrust
Desdemona and has caused him to reach a state of real anger.
This therefore is the time to work on him even more. Indeed, no time must now be lost. If Iago can foster
this anger further, Othello will very quickly boil over into blind fury. He would then be willing to do anything,
even murder his own wife.
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"Pray heaven it be state-matters, as you think,
And no conception nor no jealous toy
Concerning you."
- Explain the difference in the way Emilia understands Othello's behaviour to the way in which
Desdemona understands it. (4)
[Need help?]
Desdemona believes that Othello's wayward behaviour is due to stress of his work, or a message he has
received from Venice. It might therefore be sorted out simply by means of patience and understanding.
Emilia, on the other hand, believes that something has happened to rouse Othello's jealousy. If that is the
case, then no-one can guess where it might end because jealousy is an uncontrollable monster.
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"Enter BIANCA."
[Need help?]
Bianca is a seamstress living on Cyprus. She makes extra money, however, by being a courtesan, i.e.
a higher class prostitute whose clients are the more important men like Cassio.
Unlike the average prostitutes who scraped a living through sex and were forced to live in slums, a
courtesan would be paid fairly well for her services and could live with the other higher class women of
the island.
Cassio uses her services as a courtesan. She, however, believes that he is in love with her and hopes
that he might perhaps marry her.
It is to her that Cassio takes Desdemona's handkerchief to see whether she can make a facsimile of it.
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- What is the purpose of suddenly introducing Bianca into the play? (4)
[Need help?]
Bianca has a crucial role to play. As a courtesan, she has hopes that one of her clients, Cassio, would
consider marrying her.
Iago can therefore set up a discussion between himself and Cassio about Bianca. If Othello could be
placed in a good position to overhear it, he could be led to believe they were talking about Desdemona
wanting to marry Cassio.
Since Bianca can also make a facsimile of Desdemona's handkerchief, it is to her that Cassio turns when
the handkerchief suddenly comes into his possession.
If Othello can therefore be brought to see Cassio handing the handerkerchief over to Bianca, Othello will
believe that Desdemona has given it as a gift to her lover, and Cassio in turn is giving it as a gift to Bianca,
a prostitute.
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