My noble Moor
Is true of mind and made of no such baseness
As jealous creatures are, it were enough
To put him to ill thinking.
– William Shakespeare
Othello, Act 3, Scene 4. Desdemona tells Emilia that Othello is too noble a man to succumb to such a base emotion as jealousy over a missing handkerchief. This is highly ironic. What Desdemona doesn’t realize is that her husband is in a jealous rage, incited by Iago, and it will be further fueled by the loss of this precious item. But she is blind to Othello’s jealousy. The innocent and trusting Desdemona has an idealistic view of him, wrongly believing that he won’t react badly.