As English Tutor mentioned, the handkerchief is a multifaceted symbol in that it symbolizes different things to various characters. To Desdemona, the handkerchief is a symbol of Othello’s love. Iago uses the handkerchief to manipulate Othello into thinking that Desdemona has betrayed him, so to Othello, the handkerchief goes from a symbol of Desdemona’s fidelity to evidence of her infidelity.