Othello (3, 4, 26-29)

Des: Believe me, I had rather have lost my purse/ Full of crusadoes; and but my noble Moor/ Is true of mind, and made no such baseness/ As jealous creatures are, it were enough/To put him to ill thinking (III, iv, lines 26-29)
This quote takes place at the point where Desdemona is searching for her lost handkerchief. The handkerchief that was given to Desdemona by Othello and is a very significant object in the play in essence that it is symbolic on many different levels. This quote shows the importance of it to Desdemona and Othello as she states she would have rather lost a purse full of money than to have lost that handkerchief that Othello had given her. She goes on to describe him of having a rational nature, and stating that he would not become upset or jealous at finding that she has lost it, which has an affect on the play and the audience because it is clear that obvious that it does bother him. Also, it dramatizes Iago's plan in showing the small actions he took to have an affect to the extent that a normally rational being could jump to conclusions or become as upset as the Othello does. Because the handkerchief initially appears to be a symbol of their love, it furthers Othello's suspicions of Desdemona's infidelity. This can be concluded by the fact that it was the first gift Othello had ever given to Desdemona, and also from sentimental value of the handkerchief as it was handed down to him by his mother who told him to give it to his future wife, and because she used it to keep Othello’s father loving her. Desdemona states that the loss of the handkerchief would be enough to make Othello think badly of her if her were a jealous creature, showing it to be a symbol of their love for both partners. It can also be argued that the handkerchief symbolizes fidelity in that the initial purpose of it (when it belonged to Othello’s mother) was to keep Othello’s father from straying. The third thing that the handkerchief symbolizes as many scholars have interpreted it is purity or virginity. The strawberries on the cloth reminds the audience of the consummation of the marriage in which the sheets are bled on if the wife is a virgin. Also, the idea of the handkerchief representing pureness or virginity is exemplified by the history of the cloth in that it was decorated with the blood of mummified virgins.

-Komel Soin