Othello: Act IV

Act IV of the play Othello by William Shakespeare begins with Iago manipulating a conversation with with Cassio. During this conversation, Bianca shows up and returns the handkerchief back to Cassio. This situation helps Iago because he says, "She gave it him, and he hath given it his whore" (IV,i,165). I found this scene to be ironic because Iago was trying to convince Othello that Cassio slept with Desdemona and that gave Othello visual evidence. If Othello had actually understood the context of the scene, he would realise that Desdemona never gifted the handkerchief to Cassio. This event was unplanned by Iago, and yet he was able to utilize it to his advantage. He was quick on his feet which allowed him to finally wrap up his sadistic scheme. This also shows how blind Othello is to the reality of the situation, even though there is plenty of evidence in the conversation to reveal the truth. The irony of this situation ultimately leads to Desdemona's demise because Othello is thoroughly convinced Iago is honest.