In Act 3, scene 1, Hamlet comes upon Ophelia, who appears to be alone (although her father and the king are spying on the two of them together from behind an arras). We actually saw this scene already in the Mel Gibson film, where it looks as if Hamelt knows he is being spied on, but that's not clear from the text. He behaves so strangely that when he leaves, Ophelia says on line 163, "O, what a noble mind is here o'erthrown!"
What's up with Hamlet here? Why is he talking and acting like this? Consider at least 3 specific statements he makes to her, explain why you think he makes them. Discuss also your personal reaction - how you feel about the characters at this point and why?
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There are a few reasons for why Hamlet treats Ophelia so badly. The first is her connection to Polonius. By keeping her off guard, Hamlet keeps Polonius and the King confused as well. The play leaves Hamlets awareness open ended. Hamlet could not know whether Ophelia was actively involved or simply being used. Another reason was his simple psychological state. Hamlet was confused and felt betrayed by his mother. Since his mother had married Claudius, Hamlet felt personally betrayed. Despite his seemingly rational appearance, he automatically takes his anger over his mother's marriage and applies it to all woman. Hamlet is cruel to Ophelia because he is releasing his anger over his mother and testing to see if she is betraying him as well. Hamlet wants to know whether Ophelia is like his mother, so he yells at her and pushes her away, to see if she will simply run away or still come back to him. The other layer to the argument is that he would like to confuse Claudius and Polonius, make them think he is obsessed with Opehlia rather than revenge.
Overall Hamlet's treatment of Ophelia is cruel but purposeful, heis trying to ilicit a reaction and through this judge his next actions.
To continue my comment from earlier, I think what Hamlet is doing makes sense but it is unusually cruel from a man who seemed sensitive. Three quotes I think prove my earlier points. Hamlet's comments on beauty and honesty on line 121-125 " Ay truly for the power of beauty will sooner transform honesty from what it is to a bawd..." Here Hamlet goes on about how beauty is basiclly dishonest, generalizing about all woman based on his mother. Yet Hamlet's questions of her such as on line 113 and 115, imply that he is not sure of Ophelia's standing, he is testing her. In the last paragraph line 160, where Hamlet says " Those that are married already,all but one shall live" this speaks to Hamlet's desire to kill Claudius and he clearly meant for this to be heard by them, for Polonius and Claudius to be usure of whether Hamlet is mad at Ophelia or the King. These unclear lines help delude the track to the King but make all the more clear to the reader the path Hamlet has set for himself.
By this point we already know Hamlet has resolved to feign madness, but he hasn't yet fallen off the wagon in this scene with Ophelia. Hamlet anticipates that once he murders Claudius the kingdom will collapse, and he will be responsible. In this scene Hamlet purposely pushes Ophelia away to save her; he wants to ensure that she won't be hurt emotionally when Hamlet finally goes ahead with his plan, and that she won't be in trouble for having a connection with a conspirator.
"You should not have believ'd me...I loved you not." With this statement, Hamlet shatters Ophelia's love for him and proves that Polonius had been correct when he warned against being fooled by Hamlet's advances. And then he insults her father:
"Let the doors be shut upon him, that he may play the fool nowhere but in's own house." Hamlet is aware that Claudius and Polonius are watching him, and that Polonius already suspects him of utter madness. By insulting Polonius (while Hamlet knows he is there), he pushes Ophelia even farther away and reinforces Polonius' suspicions. This also proves to the king himself that Hamlet is mad, an assumption he may not have originally believed because he had first heard it from Polonius.
"Get thee to a nunnery," is a harsh statement, but again, Hamlet is trying to protect Ophelia. He's saying, 'Stay far away from me' - but not because he doesn't love her; because getting involved with him would be dangerous for her at the moment. But, as if to ease the pain, he tries to convince her that men are scum anyway.
Hamlet is not crazy at this point in the play. Sometimes you do crazy things to protect the people you love, and this scene is a perfect example.
By this point we already know Hamlet has resolved to feign madness, but he hasn't yet fallen off the wagon in this scene with Ophelia. Hamlet anticipates that once he murders Claudius the kingdom will collapse, and he will be responsible. In this scene Hamlet purposely pushes Ophelia away to save her; he wants to ensure that she won't be hurt emotionally when Hamlet finally goes ahead with his plan, and that she won't be in trouble for having a connection with a conspirator.
"You should not have believ'd me...I loved you not." With this statement, Hamlet shatters Ophelia's love for him and proves that Polonius had been correct when he warned against being fooled by Hamlet's advances. And then he insults her father:
"Let the doors be shut upon him, that he may play the fool nowhere but in's own house." Hamlet is aware that Claudius and Polonius are watching him, and that Polonius already suspects him of utter madness. By insulting Polonius (while Hamlet knows he is there), he pushes Ophelia even farther away and reinforces Polonius' suspicions. This also proves to the king himself that Hamlet is mad, an assumption he may not have originally believed because he had first heard it from Polonius.
"Get thee to a nunnery," is a harsh statement, but again, Hamlet is trying to protect Ophelia. He's saying, 'Stay far away from me' - but not because he doesn't love her; because getting involved with him would be dangerous for her at the moment. But, as if to ease the pain, he tries to convince her that men are scum anyway.
Hamlet is not crazy at this point in the play. Sometimes you do crazy things to protect the people you love, and this scene is a perfect example.
In Act 3 Scene 1, Hamlet engages in a conversation with Ophelia in which he acts very strangely. His strange behavior can be attributed to one of two reasons. Either Hamlet truly is insane or he is merely faking insanity to ward off suspicion so he will be able to avenge his father’s death by killing Claudius. In his scene with Ophelia, Hamlet makes several paradoxical comments that make it almost impossible to see for sure whether or not his insanity is genuine.
He states in the beginning of conversation “No, not I. I never gave you naught” denying the fact that he ever gave Ophelia any gifts. He also states “I did love you once,” only to state several lines later “I loved you not.” However, the strangest part of the whole conversation is his repetition of telling Ophelia four times “to a nunnery, go.” Besides for being a strange comment to repeat, this comment also serves a paradoxical nature because of its double contradicting meanings. Nunnery could either mean a convent or be mockingly used to mean a brothel.
All the characters in this scene acknowledge Hamlet’s strange behavior and comments. Yet, all have different diagnoses behind his strange behavior. Ophelia believes that Hamlet’s “once noble mind” has truly gone insane. Polonius feels that Hamlet is merely deeply depressed because of his break up with Ophelia. Claudius has the most cynical belief as he thinks that Hamlet is not insane or lovesick but rather deeply troubled by something far more serious and dangerous.
Personally, I was inclined to believe before this scene that Hamlet’s behavior was all a sham, especially after reading the scene that contained the play about Pyrrhus. However, after reading his confrontation with Ophelia and seeing the genuine raw passion and emotion he displays, I now am unsure whether his insanity is merely an act.
Throughout Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet obsesses over his father’s death and how he can avenge it. Once Hamlet chooses to act mad, he knows he has the freedom to say anything and everything he wishes without having to bear the consequences. Although Hamlet feigns madness very effectively, it does not seem to the reader that Hamlet is merely saying whatever comes to mind. Rather, it seems as though Hamlet is using his act as an opportunity to express his feelings, whether consciously or subconsciously. Much of what Hamlet says to Ophelia during an act of madness parallels his thoughts about his mother’s disgraceful marriage. After having already witnessed his uncle’s promiscuity, which has corrupted Hamlet’s view of love, and subsequently declaring “frailty thy name is woman” about his mother, it is not surprising that Hamlet acts strange and unkindly towards the woman who represented love and its innocence to him, Ophelia. By admitting that love “was sometime a paradox, but now the time gives it proof,” Hamlet could be explaining his recent discovery that “love” can be impure as he has seen through his uncle’s actions and his mother’s insensitive behavior. He then continues, “Or if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them,” showing his distrust of women and explaining that just as Hamlet’s mother cheated, in Hamlet’s eyes, on his father, so too, Hamlet knows that Ophelia would cheat on him. Lastly, Hamlet’s distrust culminates in his declaration to Ophelia that “It hath made me mad. I say, we have no more marriages.” And here, Hamlet seems to blurt out his true motives and subconscious thoughts saying, “Those that are married already, all but one, shall keep as they are.”
In Act 3 Scene 1, Hamlet is cold and even rude to Ophelia. This behavior might seem questionable, but in reality Ophelia has just interrupted Hamlet's train of thought as he contemplates suicide. She has just interrupted him as he is at his most vulnerable emotionally. When Hamlet contemplates suicide he approaches it from the outside as though it were a philosophical idea and not a feeling that he has. When Ophelia interrupts him it makes his abstract idea very real, making him irritable. Because his suicidal tendancies most likely stem from the death of his father and his mother's marrying his uncle, Hamlet is fed up with love and marriage for any purpose. In the text it is evident that Hamlet has connected his feelings about love with his feelings about death via his parents. He makes reffrence to his parents in lines 148-150, in which he wishes all those that are married to just stay married except for "one" (meaning his mother and uncle) in which he wishes to die. Because of this connection Hamlet tells Ophelia that he doesnt love her anymore (line 118) and curses her in a future marriage (lines 137-139). Hamlet's treatment towards Ophelia is a result oof his connection between love and death. Because of this association he appears to act out of character.
This scene shows that Hamlet feels scornful towards everyone, even himself. Since discovering what happened to his father, his naïve view of human nature has been shattered. He feels betrayed that people would act as unjustly as Claudius did and now assumes everyone to be as rotten. Hamlet asks Ophelia “are you honest?” Meaning is she chaste. He suddenly accuses her sleeping around with no cause other than his overwhelming doubt in the nature of man. Hamlet repeatedly tells her to go to a nunnery asking “Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?” adding “I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me.” He is saying that it is pointless to continue the human race because all they do is evil. His extreme pessimism shows how naïve he was before. Hamlet also says “if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them.” Here he is generalizing that all women simply ruin their men and that “we will have no more marriage,” as it has no good end. Hamlet is not actually crazy; however his world view has been destroyed leaving him a hollow, pessimistic man.
From the onset of the book, both Ophelia’s father and brother warn her that a relationship with Hamlet is unhealthy. In the opening scene, Laertes warns her that Hamlet is only playing games with her and she is not good enough for Hamlet. Laertes continues to tell her that although Hamlet may love her now, he “is subject to his birth.” He believes Hamlet will be unable to choose his own mate because he is subject to his state, and will unlimitedly hurt her. Polonius also asks Ophelia what her relationship with Hamlet is, and she responds by telling him that Hamlet says he loves her. Her father than refers to her as a “green girl” because she is naïve. So the real question is what exactly is Ophelia and Hamlet’s true relationship? It is hard to tell because at different points in the book, Hamlet has different answers to whether or not he has ever loved Ophelia. It appears at times that Hamlet could in fact love Ophelia if it wasn’t for his self imbedded misogyny. Shattered by his mother’s decision to marry Claudius so soon after her husband’s death, Hamlet becomes cynical about women in general. He believes that there is a correlation between women and moral corruption. In 3:1- Perhaps, this is why when Hamlet explodes on Ophelia; he claims she should enter a nunnery rather than become “breeder of sinners.” Listening to Polonius, Ophelia returns love tokens to Hamlet, which is what sparks this outburst. He claims he did in fact love her once but at his point he does not anymore. Hamlet claims to believe that all women turn men into monsters by painting their faces and making themselves seem more stunning than they are. He decides at his point that all marriages should be ended. If Hamlet really loved Ophelia this is self-destructive behavior, and this act doesn’t even convince Claudius to suspect him less. At this point, it is certainly hard to tell whether or not Hamlet does or does not have feelings for Ophelia.
I agree with Franco Zeffirelli, director of the Mel Gibson version of the play, that Hamlet knows he is being spied on during his encounter with Ophelia. At the close of Hamlet’s famous “To be or not to be” soliloquy, Ophelia enters. Aware that they are being watched, Hamlet stages his own response and argues that he gave her nothing and that he has never loved her. Hamlet tells Ophelia that he does not love her and says "Get thee to a nunnery" (3.1.121) Hamlet is sarcastically throwing her own dishonesty in her face, by telling her she's just as bad as he is. One goes to a nunnery when one has sinned; Hamlet is implying that Ophelia has done exactly that. A betrothed woman is one who goes to a nunnery; Hamlet is claiming that Ophelia has prostituted herself to work for Claudius and Polonius. Now there's another twist. Out of the blue, as when Hamlet asked Rosencrantz and Guildenstern if they were "sent for", Hamlet asks Ophelia, "Where's your father?" (3.1.141) The movie Hamlet gave Hamlet a clue for this line, by showing him spotting a shoe or shadow, but it seems more likely that Hamlet simply intuits the truth that Ophelia's very presence is a lie, and that he's being spied upon. Hamlet loses his temper when Ophelia lies: claiming her father is at home. Finally, he's really ready to leave, but not before issuing a threat: “I say, we will have no more marriages: those that are married already, all but one, shall live; the rest shall keep as they are.” (3.1.147-149) We may guess that the one married person who is destined to die is the King: forced further by the king spying on Hamlet (and Hamlet knowing so.)
If one is to say that Polonius and Claudius are spying on Hamlet and Hamlet knows it (even if the play doesn’t specify this), then Hamlet’s behavior is perfectly legitimate. Hamlet is simply pretending to act crazy in order so that he can investigate his uncle. However, if Hamlet doesn’t know that he is being spied on, then it is possible that he just doesn’t know what to say to Ophelia. Hamlet is confused about what to do (as we see in his “to be or not be” soliloquy), and he also seems to be confused about whether or not he actually likes Ophelia or even women in general. Hamlet insults all women, by saying “frailty, thy name is woman!” and takes out his anger toward his mother on Ophelia, even though Ophelia is not at fault. He is frustrated with the marriage of his mother to Claudius and denounces getting married, because he is afraid the same bad judgment will happen again to someone else upon choosing their mate. When, at the conclusion of Act 3 scene 1, Ophelia says, “o, what a noble mind here is overthrown!” she is upset that Hamlet has made a stereotype of women because of the mistakes his mother has made. She didn’t think Hamlet would dismiss all women because of this, especially herself (who Hamlet has a relationship with).
At the point in time that Hamlet encounters Ophelia, he is engaged with himself in an intense philosophical dialogue, strongly suggesting that he is contemplating committing suicide, due to his distress over his father’s murder, his mother’s marriage to his uncle, and his own meekness in taking action. At this point, the idea of sin is once again brought up. Between Gertrude’s and Claudius’s incestuous relationship and Claudius murder of King Hamlet, there is already an underlying theme of sin in the play.
It is perhaps for this reason that when Ophelia comes upon Hamlet, he is still in that mindset. When he says, “What should such fellows as I do crawling between earth and heaven?” This seems to refer to his indecision of whether to deal with his problems here, on earth, rather than give up and fly to heaven, whose troubles, he has already stated, he “knows not.” In fact, much of the things that he says to her are a continuation from his soliloquy. Consider, for example, his repeated statement, “Get thee to a nunnery.” Ophelia has every right to think that he is crazy because this declaration has little relevance to her. “Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?” he asks. Perhaps he is referring to the sin rampant within his family, and especially that of his considering suicide as a serious option. In addition, the Christian faith believes that marriage is a sin. Therefore, an additional proof that an important theme in the play is sin is that Hamlet proclaims, “We will have no more marriages,” which is also a reference to his mother’s marriage to Claudius.
The strange self-contradiction fraught within his statements, such as his declaration that he loved her and subsequent declaration that “I loved you not,” comes to show that the issue of loving Ophelia is not really a central issue at this point, not that it ever was. It is possible to suggest that Ophelia is simply a character added to enhance plot development, or to act as a “red herring,” both for Polonius and for the audience.
Whether or not Hamlet is mad is a completely separate issue that I will not deal with. However, it seems as though Hamlet is aware of the presence of other people on the scene, which would be another explanation as to why he acts to strangely. This is hinted to when he makes several references, such as the apparently random “Where’s your father?” Towards the end of their encounter, Hamlet suddenly mentions Ophelia’s paintings, saying that “God hath given you on face, and you make yourselves another.” This suggests the quality of duplicity, of deception, a theme which is also important in the play.
Polonius, in his suspicion that Hamlet is mad over his love for Ophelia, is thus far portrayed as a fool, unaware of the circumstances, plotting as he is, unknowingly, with the murderer of King Hamlet. Gertrude, like Ophelia, seems not to play a pivotal part and is merely a pawn of Claudius as Ophelia is submissive to her father and brother. At this point, Claudius’ character has not yet been fully developed, as the reader has not yet been given a window into his mind and conscience, but does indeed get a feeling of uneasiness and distrust of Hamlet’s uncle, whom the ghost of King Hamlet accuses of murder.
The reader has already been informed that Claudius believes that Hamlet’s madness has been brought on by his love for Ophelia. This interaction with Ophelia serves as a test to see if Hamlet’s madness truly does come from his love for Ophelia. Hamlet continues his ruse when Ophelia approaches him; however whether or not he knows that Claudius is watching is debatable. Much of what Hamlet says can be taken as an attack to his mother and to Claudius. Hamlet tells Ophelia, “Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?” This can be taken as a criticism of the wretchedness of mankind and specifically directed at Claudius. The sinner can refer to Claudius, telling him he knows of Claudius’ sin of killing Hamlet’s father. Hamlet denounces women because they cover their faces, which contributes to the dishonesty in the world. This can be seen as an attack towards his mother. As previously seen in the play, Hamlet is upset with his mother because she married his uncle so soon after his father’s death. Hamlet feels that his mother actively courted his uncle instead of mourning for his father. Hamlet’s last comment can be seen as foreshadowing for Hamlet’s revenge on his uncle. Hamlet says, “ We will have no more marriage. Those that are married already all but one shall live.” This one marriage that will not survive refers to the marriage of his mother to Claudius. Hamlet is telling Claudius that he knows Claudius killed his father and he ill avenge his father’s murder and end Claudius’ marriage.
This conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia is indicative of Hamlet's feelings toward all women. His opinion of Ophelia mirrors the comments he made about his mother with regard to her marriage to Claudius.
Hamlet says, "Virtue cannot so innoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it." This is similar to what Hamlet said about his mother not being able to resist her urges. His low opinion of women is what leads him to say "get thee to a nunnery," because he believes women to be incapable of resisting temptation.
Hamlet tells Ophelia that her beauty does not necessarily show that she is honest. Earlier in the play Hamlet comments on the fact that villains can still smile as if they were innocent. Hamlet'sinteraction with Ophelia fits in with his experiences with Claudius and his mother, and illustrates his increasing mistrust of everyone around him.
In this scene Hamlet is continuing to portray himself as a madman. Whether or not he knows that Claudius and Polonius are spying, Hamlet is continuing to convince those around him that he is crazy. Through his interactions with Ophelia it becomes apparent that he is simply pretending to be crazy. His entire to be or not to be speech is said out loud and probably heard by Ophelia. His speech begins with him saying “To be, or not to be: that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer …” Upon his exit Ophelia states “O, what a noble mind is here o'erthrown!” She heard his To be speech and is now admitting that Hamlet had a noble mind in that he is indeed suffering. He made this speech out loud purposely to convince her that he is indeed mad and by the end of the conversation she agrees with him exactly.
He also asks her “Are you fair?” At the end of his To be speech he just referred to her as the fair Ophelia. He is trying to contradict himself in his words to convince her that he has gone mad. Though he continually denies his love for her he still is actively trying to seem insane. He says “for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them.” He is implying that she is the root of his insanity. He wants to place the blame on Ophelia for being the source of his madness. He knows that even if no one is spying, Ophelia will tell of the events that occurred between them. He wants her to tell other people that he is crazy because of her. With this as an excuse for his madness, nobody should suspect it be because of Claudius.
Hamlet is deep, tortured, philosophical and loving letting it out. As the play progresses he is revealing more and more of his true self, and he can, now that everyone thinks he's crazy. The problem is, he is actually becoming crazy, though he is only beginning to realize this. In his statement to Ophelia, there is a clear ring of honesty and revelation about himself, Ophelia and women in general.
"You should not have believed me, for virtue cannot so
inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it ..."
--this reveals the distrust he is nursing of himself; the errors he has been lamenting about in all men, he is now convinced, must plague him as well. He can see this most clearly through Ophelia, whom he once loved/claimed to love. This idea is continued in his next speech ("...I am very proud, revengeful...")
" If thou dost marry, I'll give thee this plague for thy dowry.
Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not
escape calumny."
--Here he confronts what he finds to be most troubling about the human condition, revealed to Ophelia not out of spite but in an attempt to be truly honest and possibly even as a warning. However well intentioned and morally-minded one may be,(he is saying) in the end he/she will end up a tool of evil (as later happens to him).
"Get thee to a nunnery, go. Farewell. Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them."
--Woman is a simultaneously frail, weak creature and man's Achille's heel. Hamlet's distrust of women is clearly derived from his perception of his mother's actions. ("frailty, thy name is women!") Since he was 'betrayed' by her, he has become distrustful of all women, and this has carried over to his relationship with Ophelia. No wise man, he says, should ever marry, as he should know that woman could only be his downfall and/or a weak and unworthy companion.
He is, therefore, genuinely conflicted about her, and that is why he seems to teeter between saying he loved her and that he never did. This isn't madness, it's merely great confusion.
At this point, Hamlet is nearing the stage where his "madness" is becoming madness. He has been, up until this point, using his status as a madman to express himself without hindrance: his philosophies on life, his feelings after his father's death, what he thinks of Polonius (to his face, somewhat comically). Hamlet is touching in this scene, and his speech is infused with a sincerity and bitterness which speaks to the reader, though it seems to traumatize Ophelia. Hamlet is losing his grasp, but one feels pity for him and understands his journey, which will eventually lead to his murders. Ophelia is an innocent bystander, and while Hamlet means her no harm, his comments to her are harsh as they are heartfelt. Hamlet's loss of faith in humanity, though it really has nothing to do with her, has come to involve her most personally, and one feels pity for her as she suffers this cruel and seemingly undeserved punishment.
I think, like we saw in the movie, that Hamlet is aware that Polonious and Claudious are spying on him. His entire rampage is on some level directed towards Claudious. He tells Ophelia "Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?" in reference to the terrible sin Claudious committed with Hamlet’s own mother. He discusses the constant sinning of mankind in general, but in reality he is speaking directly to Claudious. Hamlet also goes on to rant against beauty saying, “Ay, truly; for the power of beauty will sooner transform
honesty from what it is. . .” Here, Hamlet is discussing how the beauty of women leads things away from honesty, again specifically talking about his mother and Claudious. Hamlet also says, “I say, we will have no more marriages. . .” I think that the incident with his mother and uncle caused him to look at marriage differently. He no longer believes in the sanctity of love and marriage. Perhaps from here one can see that Hamlet truly does love Ophelia but events in his life have pushed him to force away his feelings. Hamlet has been taken over by the sin of his mother and uncle and it impacts his every thought, action and feeling.
By Act 3, scene 1, Hamlet has descended into the straits of madness. Or at least, he has descended into feigned straits of madness. His behavior is utterly disconcerting, switching between deep introspection and suicidal contemplations. However, it is his interactions with those around him that reveal the most into his character at this point in the play. The real question remains, why did Hamlet not reveal to Ophelia that his actions are just an act?
In Hamlet’s dialogue with Ophelia, he constantly switches his feelings and intentions. “I did love you once…” he admits. A few lines later, however, he claims “I loved you not.” It is difficult to believe that Hamlet is merely toying with Ophelia’s emotions, because the reader is well aware that Hamlet did truly love Ophelia before his bouts of madness. Thus, a viable explanation must be that he is internally struggling; while on the one hand he wants to tell Ophelia the truth and despises the way he is acting, on the other hand he wants her to stay away from him for her own good. He may recognize that there comes a point where one stops simulating madness and becomes truly insane, and perhaps he is protecting Ophelia from herself. It is also possible that he simply does not want any distractions from his vengeful plan, and the beautiful Ophelia is a distraction in his mind that he seeks to be rid of.
Additionally, Hamlet is revealing his distrust for women in general in this speech. “Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?” he asks Ophelia. He cannot tell anyone his plan, not even his former love, Ophelia, because he cannot trust anyone. But he specifically cannot trust Ophelia because she is a ‘breeder of sinners’, a woman, and after Gertrude married Claudius, Hamlet became extremely distrustful of women in general.
I personally believe that Hamlet still loves Ophelia and that on some level, when he wishes her to go to a “nunnery”, he is not only exhibiting his disillusion of the institution of marriage (because of his mother’s hasty remarriage) but is deeply and subtly trying to tell Ophelia not to marry anyone else. He informs Ophelia, “If thou dost marry, I’ll give thee this plague for thy dowry: be thou chaste as ice…” Perhaps Hamlet is hinting to her that he as not as mad as he appears and that he does not want her to be with any other man if she cannot be with him. In this way, it is possible he was indeed telling Ophelia the truth.
Hamlet's tirade against Ophelia and women in general stems from his original anger towards his mother. He still harbors resentment at Gertrude for marrying Claudius and in this scene is simply continuing his ,"Frailty, thy name is woman!" speech from before. For instance, when he tells Ophelia to go to a nunnery, he is really directing the statement to his mother. He thinks it is better not to marry than to marry your-brother-in-law after he killed your husband. He continues this same message against women when he tells Ophelia to be "chaste as ice," and proclaims, "We will have no more marriage." It is unclear why Hamlet directs these comments towards Ophelia. Perhaps he is afraid that she will marry and love someone else after he dies, similar to his mother. Or maybe he is upset that she thinks it is right for Claudius to marry Gertrude. Either way, it is interesting to note that Claudius asks Gertrude to leave before Hamlet arrives. Perhaps Claudius realizes what is bugging Hamlet and doesn't what Gertrude to hear how much Hamlet hates her.
Re: Mareflare
In response to what Mareflare wrote, I agree that Hamlet isn't really crazy but disagree with your theory. You say how Hamlet is trying to save Ophelia by pushing her away. While the effect of the speech makes Ophelia think twice about Hamlet, I don't think that it was his sole intent. If he only wanted to push her away. why would he criticize women in general? According to you, he should have aimed his insults directly at Ophelia, not at all women. Rather I think think hamlet( the blogger, not the character)had it right when he said the speech is really an attack on Gertrude. Nice one hamlet, whoever you are.
Re: Golem22491
As I was writing my original post, I was unsure whether Hamlet’s insanity was genuine. However, when writing my post I did not take into consideration the theory that Hamlet does indeed realize that he is being spied on, as Zeffirelli suggests in his movie. If in fact Hamlet does realize that he is being spied on, it would clearly strengthen the premise that Hamlet’s insanity is all an act to rid Claudius’ suspicions.
However, although Zefferelli provides an interesting insight into the motives for Hamlet’s strange behavior, I find his and your suggestion that Hamlet indeed knows that he is being watched to be problematic. Zefferelli is first and foremost a director and as such has a biased agenda. He would naturally be more inclined to have Hamlet realize that he is being watched in order to advance his own portrayal of the play, one of action and suspense in line with Gibson’s dramatic portrayal of Hamlet.
In addition, you state that Hamlet drops hints such as “Where is your father” in his conversation with Ophelia to show that he recognizes that he is being watched. However, logically why would Hamlet want to hint to Polonius and Claudius that he realizes they are watching him? Such hints would only serve to strengthen their suspicions of him, if they do in fact pick up on Hamlet’s hints. If Hamlet were only faking insanity to rid Claudius’ suspicions, then he would not drop any hints that might jeopardize his act. Therefore, I do not believe that Hamlet realized that he is being watched.
RE: Jordana
"This conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia is indicative of Hamlet's feelings toward all women."
I disagree that Hamlet's tone shows indicates his feelings toward all woman. If this is the way you want to look at this, how do you qualify Hamlet's numerous comments to the evilness of his uncle and Polonius? Hamlet asks "Where's your father" what does this have to do with Hamlet's feeling towards all women?
RE: Jordana
"This conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia is indicative of Hamlet's feelings toward all women."
I disagree that Hamlet's tone shows indicates his feelings toward all woman. If this is the way you want to look at this, how do you qualify Hamlet's numerous comments to the evilness of his uncle and Polonius? Hamlet asks "Where's your father" what does this have to do with Hamlet's feeling towards all women?
One way to interpret the scene is that Hamlet is a weirdo, in every sense of the word. At this point in the play, he has reached a point at which we have trouble making sense of his actions. While he tells us that he is constructing a plan in which he pretends to act insane, his words lead us to think that he is in no way pretending. Indeed, the only way to possibly explain Hamlet's treatment of Ophelia (in my opinion) is that Hamlet has spent so much time pretending to be mad that it has reached his head. He has fused the imaginary with reality. Hamlet is extremely unstable, and at times almost suicidal. All of his odd actions, though, can be attributed to his apparent inability to differentiate between what is going on in his head and what is going on in the real world. Has Hamlet actually fallen out of love with Ophelia (he proclaims that he "once loved her" but now he does not)? Perhaps Hamlet actually does love Ophelia, but has become so confused that he tells her he does not.
Another reason for Hamlet's actions may be his lack of faith in females. Now that he has experienced the actions of his mother, Hamlet cannot even imagine trusting Ophelia with anything. Therefore, he must break off all ties with her. Women are sinners, according to Hamlet. He cannot help but portray his skepticism onto Ophelia.
One cannot, however, make the argument that Hamlet does what he does to Ophelia for the sake of throwing Polonius and Claudius
off guard. If Hamlet wanted to convince the king that he was acting nuts because of Ophelia and his love for her, he never would have treated Ophelia the way he did while the king was watching (I do believe, as the movie portrays it, that Hamlet realizes he is being watched)
Re:Tag829
I dont believe you can take what Polonius and Laretes say about Hamlet too seriously, they are clearly biased fromthe beginning. Also in the first movie we saw, clearly Polonius did not know the extent of their relationship yet. I agree that Hamlet is clearly taking out his confusion over his mother's actions on Ophelia, but their are many more subtle political undertones in the conversation, especially Hamlet's final line about killing one person who is married. Clearly though throughout the play, Hamlet's feelings about woman and their "fraility" greatly affect his actions politically.
Re:Tag829
I dont believe you can take what Polonius and Laretes say about Hamlet too seriously, they are clearly biased fromthe beginning. Also in the first movie we saw, clearly Polonius did not know the extent of their relationship yet. I agree that Hamlet is clearly taking out his confusion over his mother's actions on Ophelia, but their are many more subtle political undertones in the conversation, especially Hamlet's final line about killing one person who is married. Clearly though throughout the play, Hamlet's feelings about woman and their "fraility" greatly affect his actions politically.
Peach4life, I do not understand how you criticize a director with a reputation of respect and greatness such as Zeffirelli. A director of such high esteem would not misinterpret a scene to “further his biased agenda.” He would much rather show his respect for Shakespeare than produce a film that does better in the box office.
Additionally, you write that by asking “Where’s your father?” he would be giving away the fact that he was being watched. I have two ways to refute your argument. 1. Hamlet can say whatever he wants and no one will question him because he is “crazy.” He can say whatever he wants and no one will think any of it. I mean, if he would tell you, peach, that you lost to Toad, Mario, and Yosh on the turnpike. You would think that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard and just totally ignore him. 2. Even if Claudius and Polonius would believe what he is saying. They would think to themselves that he surely doesn’t mean to imply that they are spying on them because Hamlet is smart enough not to tell them. I.E. he would use reverse psychology.
Good Night and Good Luck
RE:RE Peach4life,
I do not understand how you criticize a director with a reputation of respect and greatness such as Zeffirelli. A director of such high esteem would not misinterpret a scene to “further his biased agenda.” He would much rather show his respect for Shakespeare than produce a film that does better in the box office.
Additionally, you write that by asking “Where’s your father?” he would be giving away the fact that he was being watched. I have two ways to refute your argument. 1. Hamlet can say whatever he wants and no one will question him because he is “crazy.” He can say whatever he wants and no one will think any of it. I mean, if he would tell you, peach, that you lost to Toad, Mario, and Yosh on the turnpike. You would think that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard and just totally ignore him. 2. Even if Claudius and Polonius would believe what he is saying. They would think to themselves that he surely doesn’t mean to imply that they are spying on them because Hamlet is smart enough not to tell them. I.E. he would use reverse psychology.
Good Night and Good Luck
In response to what Juli said, Hamlet contemplates suicide a number of times in the play. While what you said about him viewing it from a philosophical standpoint is true, what would that specifically make him react so cruelly to Ophelia, his (former) love? It is true that Hamlet was connecting ideas of love and death (because of his uncle and mother etc.)... but why would emotional vulnerability make him so mean - wouldn't it just make him seek protection or support from Ophelia? Just because he is associating the 2 ideas does not mean he has to respond in that wat to Ophelia - his suicidal thoughts might be independent from his alleged madness. I don't see how his suicidal contemplations and treatment of Ophelia connect.
RE:Marino
I agree that Hamlet has procured a deeply pessimistic outlook on life, and that he is not (yet)crazy, but I wonder how you would fit in the fact that Hamlet is supposed to be feigning madness around this point in the play. Is his honesty borne of his freedom now that he's 'mad,' or is this a reaction that he would have had even if he had not been given such freedom? Basically, if he's not crazy or feigning craziness, what gives him the right to say what he's saying (and think he can get away with it)?
RE: Golem22491,
Why do you say that sinners and the betrothed typically go to a nunnery? I would have thought a nunnery (convent) would have been a sanctuary for people trying to escape some of the evils of the world. Am I missing something?
RE: 8onkoopa
Hamlet is acting weird, but the key point is that he is acting. One of the prevalent themes in Hamlet is the nature of acting and how people react to acting. Proof of this is his interactions with Horatio. Hamlet confides with Horatio that his madness is feigned and throughout the play acts reasonably towards him. It is with Horatio that he devises the plan to discover whether Claudius really killed Lord Hamlet, a coordinated procedure that someone completely unstable couldn’t pull off.
RE: Mare flare
I disagree (like yosh29) that Hamlet's orginal intention was to make Ophelia think he is crazy in order to prevent her from future pain. Though he may have accomplished that in the process, it was not what caused him to act and say these crazy things. Hamlet feigns this maddness in order to decieve Claudious and Polonious (whom, I think, Hamlet knows are watching him). In regard to his comments about women, I also think, like I and others said before, that he is really referring to his mother and is not specifically directing his comments to Ophelia.
Re: Juli
Your reading of the situation, although well argued, does not seem to adequately excuse Hamlet’s behavior. Hamlet is speaking to the woman he once loved and might still love, so it seems very strange that Hamlet would react to her presence, whether expected or unexpected, with such malice. He is not only cold, but, as you pointed out, rude. Also, because you did not mention Hamlet’s madness, I am assuming that you believe Hamlet is not feigning madness or the least bit mad. On this point, I must disagree. His surprise at her presence would not lead him to deny ever having given her the presents. Also, why would he tell her that he loved her and then declare, only moments later, that he never loved her. Additionally, I think Hamlet is philosophical by nature and contemplates things very carefully, but I think the “To be or not to be” speech does reflect his feelings and emotions. He uses the soliloquy to express his confusion and hopelessness. Ultimately, if your point were true, Hamlet would most likely not react with greater rudeness over time. It would be expected that after he was interrupted he would feel immediate anger and annoyance. Rather, he says “The fair Ophelia! Nymph, in thy orisons be all my sins remember'd,” and becomes angrier as time passes.
RE:Weloveenglish
In addition to all of your examples, Hamlet says "Let the doors be shut upon him, that he may play the fool no where but in's own house." Perhaps again Hamlet is alluding to Claudius's sin and how it has caused Hamlet to feel. After his mother's marriage to the one who betrayed his father, Hamlet feels as if everyone around him has chosen him to play the fool. However I do not think all of these examples prove that Hamlet is aware of Polonius and Claudius's presence. I think that Claudius's crime has driven Hamlet crazy to the point that it becomes apparent in everything he says. Hamlet is not directing himself at Claudius but rather can not think about anything else and thus hints towards the crime arise in all that Hamlet says.
RE: yosh29
RE: weloveenglish
I don't deny that Hamlet's statements are directed at women in general ("Frailty, thy name is woman!" clears that up for us), and I agree with leah g. that "Get thee to a nunnery" is Hamlet's subtle way of asking Ophelia not to marry anyone else. But I still stand by my original theory that Hamlet, fully aware that Claudius and Polonius are eavesdropping, is making his madness seem more extreme to push Ophelia away and, in a sense, protect her. It's also possible that, like someone else said, he's trying to eliminate distractions. (I still think Hamlet's not completely mad yet, but all this meticulous planning and rationalizing is getting him well on his way.)
I will concede that perhaps pushing Ophelia away to protect her is not his sole purpose, but I think it's definitely part of his plan. It's fitting, coming from such a rational guy, to think along these lines. And it doesn't only apply to Ophelia; otherwise he would feign madness only with her. The fact that he wants everyone - not just Ophelia - to think he's mad tells me that he wants to freak out everyone around him so that they steer clear of him and his scheme can run smoothly. One problem is Claudius' statement that "Madness in great ones must not unwatch'd go."
(At times like these I wish Shakespeare had added just one more aside, just to clear things up for us. If I'm correct, it would be something like, "Methinks I should push Ophelia away to protect her.")
There are two possible causes for Hamlet's behavior. The first reason is that Ophelia is under Polonius’s control and influence and is therefore allied to Hamlet’s enemies. Whether or not Hamlet is aware of the spying, Hamlet’s erratic behavior confuses Ophelia and consequently baffles Polonius and Claudius. After this scene Claudius and Polonius are still unaware of the reason behind Hamlet’s insanity and attribute it to different causes. Claudius states “Love? His affections do not that way tend…” But Polonius states “But yet I do believe the origin and commencement of his grief sprung from neglected love…” Hamlet’s words have had the desired affect in that they have kept Claudius and Polonius perplexed and none the wiser to his true intentions. The second motive for Hamlet’s actions is that he is using the guise of his insanity to state what he wishes. He speaks his raw opinion of Polonius when he says, “Lock him in, so he can play the fool in his own home only.” Hamlet is not held responsible for his words because of his ruse of insanity. Hamlet is especially suspicious of women after the ordeal involving his mother and wants to gouge Ophelia’s true feelings and nature from this interaction. His insanity is a clever cover to his true inquiries. Hamlet seeks to discern if Ophelia is genuine or deceitful like other women who “God has given you one face and you make yourselves another” I believe that Hamlet’s treatment of Ophelia is due to a combination of both tactic and emotion. He wants to keep his enemies confused for the furthering of his goal and wants to take the opportunity to test Ophelia and their relationship
RE: Marino
I think your take on Hamlet’s behavior is very rational. Hamlet did certainly have a naïve perception of the world before he learned of his uncle’s treachery. It is also reasonable that after his entire perception of life is shattered by such dishonesty, he would be disdainful towards institutions such as love or marriage. Still, I believe that there are other possible motives to his actions as well, not merely his new pessimistic outlook. I believe this because Hamlet had just proclaimed that he would be pretending insanity and because he had also previously displayed his fondness of taking advantage of his guise by saying anything he liked without consequence. Therefore I don’t think that he was just being contemptuous of life, but rather channeling his pessimism in his act of insanity. (For the purpose of either keeping Claudius and Polonius unaware, or for inquiring after Ophelia’s true nature.)
Re:Marino
I think you make a good point in that Hamlet’s naivety has been shattered. As we discussed in class Hamlet at the beginning of the play has a naïve outlook on the world, which his studies in Wittenberg could have contributed to. However I take question with two of you points. The first is that I do not believe his pessimistic view of mankind has anything to do with his shattered naivety. I believe he is putting on a show for Claudius and therefore speaks pessimistically. Secondly there is no indication in the play that Ophelia has been “sleeping around” with another men. This is why is maintain as I posted earlier that his conversation with Ophelia is meant as an attack on his mother.
Re: Jsbd81
I agree with everything you are saying, it is clear that Hamlet is using this as an opportunity to attack both his mother and women in general. When Hamlet says "You should not have believ'd me...I loved you not," it shows that even Hamlet's first innocent love must be treated like all women because she is no different. In his feigned madness, Hamlet truly believes that women are a cause of all corruption and misdeed in the world.
Numerous posts have stated that Hamelt knows he is being watched by Polonius and Claudius. I'm not such an expert when it comes to Shakespeare, but I would assume that if the playwright had wanted his audience to think Hamelt knew he was being spied on, he would have stipulated as such. With no clear statement by the writer of the play as to whether Hamlet knows he is being watched or not, one can only assume that Hamlet did not know(Shakespeare would not have gone out of his way to tell us that Hamelt did not know he was being watched, this is already clear). If someone can explain this, please enlighten me... otherwise I can only assume that the movie's interpretaion, as well as many of the posts on weisholtzworld, are incorrect.
Re: Golem
I found your analysis of this scene to be a bit problematic:
You say that Hamlet is telling her she's just as bad as he is - where does he say that? If anything, he's saying that as a woman, she is worse than he; I did not see him to be equating himself morally with her. Also, I would most readily suggest that he orders her to go to a nunnery to protect others as well as herself from her feminine nature, not because she has sinned (I am also a bit confused regarding the connection between a betrothed woman and a nunnery).
Also, you say that when he "intuits the truth that Ophelia's very presence is a lie," and when Ophelia claims her father is at home, Hamlet loses his temper. But in fact, one could just as easily suggest that he is sending a message to Polonius that he is aware of his presence; there is no reason to suggest that he lost his temper.
Overall, however, I agree with Zeffirelli as well regarding Hamlet's knowledge of the two men's presence.
re: 8onkoopa
Shakespeare frequently did not leave many stage directions in his plays so it is not strange that he didn't here. So the play could be interpreted that Hamlet did know they were listening or he did not. It could legitametly be interpreted for either, however, i think Hamlet didn't know because there is no gain for him to to be mad at Ophelia even if he is faking insanity. Appearing crazy for Claudius and Polonius only pushes Ophelia away from him. So Hamlet would be deliberately hurting someone he cares about in order to fool others. I don't think Hamlet is that cruel. It is clear that he's hurting Ophelia, but is more likely beacause of his mental state at the time of their encounter.
RE:RE: Mrs Weisholtz
What I was blogging about nunnery seemed to be confusing to you so I will explain. To me, a nunnery is not only a place for the pure but it is a place to become clean. Therefore, Hamlet orders the (as he claims) "betrothed" Ophelia to go to a nunnery. He is commanding her to go there in order to repent and purify herself. Does anyone from the class want ot help me explain this further or will this explanation suffice.
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