Ophelia’s Madness
Ophelia goes mad due to the compound effect of the death of her father and Hamlet's rejection of her love. When she meets the King and Queen, Ophelia sings lyrics about her father dying and mixes in with it stories of love, flowers, and miscellaneous lines. The phrases "He is dead," "at his head a grass-green turf," and "go to thy death-bed, he will never come again" makes it clear she is grieving her father's death (2474). The songs of love almost remind one of her love for Hamlet, as a woman was promised to marry a young man but the young man replies "so would I ha' done, by yonder sun, An thou hadst not come to my bed" (2475). In the previous acts, Hamlet rejects Ophelia's love to deal with his own crisis, which leaves Ophelia hurt and could have pushed her to her intense despair and madness. She does not fully understand why either of these things happened. At the end of Act IV, Ophelia drowns herself. Her madness and death symbolizes the state of the kingdom of Denmark. While Ophelia is singing, the King is plotting with Laertes to get revenge on Hamlet for his father's death. Leartes decides to "anoint [his] sword. [He] bought an unction of a mounteback, so mortal that but dip a knife no cataplasm so rare...can save the thing from death" (2483). During the duel, both Hamlet and Laertes get struck by that sword and and die. The Queen and King also die in the crossfire. The madness that drove Ophelia to her death is similar to the madness from Hamlet's father's death that took all the royal family to their deaths.
Hamlet’s Madness 2
Hamlet is not quite as mad as Ophelia as he still has some restraint in his actions at the start of Act V. Hamlet is in despair when he learns that Ophelia is being buried. He is so distraught that he leaps into the grave and admits that he loves Ophelia so much that "forty thousand brothers could not, with all their quantity of love, make up [his] sum" (2490). Laertes tries to fight Hamlet, but Hamlet admits that he has "in [him] something dangerous, which let thy wisdom fear" (2489). Though he is upset, he restrains his emotions until a later, more appropriate time. Ophelia, on the other hand, sings at will and shows no restraint in demonstrating her depravity.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Thursday, December 3, 2009
12/3 Hamlet (#13b)
Hamlet’s Madness 1
Hamlet's madness appears to be out of his control a result of his circumstances and personality. After the first play by the actors, Hamlet is left alone and begins to talk to himself and bemoan the horrid situation he is in. He describes himself as a "rogue and peasant slave" and states that he is about to "unpack [his] heart with words, and fall a-cursing, like a vary drab, a scullion" (2446). This language is similar to one who is seriously depressed due to the hand life has dealt him. Hamlet was "prompted to [his] revenge by heaven and hell," showing his internal, moral obligation to fulfills his father's wish and be the "hand of God" that gives justice to his uncle (2446). Later, Hamlet talks to Ophelia about her love for Hamlet. Hamlet pushes her away, as he is indifferent, "proud, revengeful, ambitious; with more offenses at [his] beck than [he has] thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape, or time to act them in...[from his] crawling between heaven and hell" (2450). These thoughts that crowd Hamlet's mind are seemingly involuntarily from Hamlet's descriptions and only come from the job that the ghost gave him. Hamlet's character can be described as driven and determined, which also explain his "mad" actions.
Ophelia & Gertrude
Hamlet sees women, especially Ophelia and Gertrude, as prone to get into and breed trouble. When he is talking with Ophelia about their relationship, he tells her to go to a "nunnery, [since] why wouldst [she] be a breeder of sinner" (2449)? He mainly uses as his reference his mother, who was jointly responsible for the unrest of his father's ghost. His mother had married her husband's brother only a month after the king's death, which is seen in most people's eyes as a horrifying act.
Play within a Play
The play within a play is meant to make the current king aware of sins by replaying his actions back to him.
Hamlet's madness appears to be out of his control a result of his circumstances and personality. After the first play by the actors, Hamlet is left alone and begins to talk to himself and bemoan the horrid situation he is in. He describes himself as a "rogue and peasant slave" and states that he is about to "unpack [his] heart with words, and fall a-cursing, like a vary drab, a scullion" (2446). This language is similar to one who is seriously depressed due to the hand life has dealt him. Hamlet was "prompted to [his] revenge by heaven and hell," showing his internal, moral obligation to fulfills his father's wish and be the "hand of God" that gives justice to his uncle (2446). Later, Hamlet talks to Ophelia about her love for Hamlet. Hamlet pushes her away, as he is indifferent, "proud, revengeful, ambitious; with more offenses at [his] beck than [he has] thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape, or time to act them in...[from his] crawling between heaven and hell" (2450). These thoughts that crowd Hamlet's mind are seemingly involuntarily from Hamlet's descriptions and only come from the job that the ghost gave him. Hamlet's character can be described as driven and determined, which also explain his "mad" actions.
Ophelia & Gertrude
Hamlet sees women, especially Ophelia and Gertrude, as prone to get into and breed trouble. When he is talking with Ophelia about their relationship, he tells her to go to a "nunnery, [since] why wouldst [she] be a breeder of sinner" (2449)? He mainly uses as his reference his mother, who was jointly responsible for the unrest of his father's ghost. His mother had married her husband's brother only a month after the king's death, which is seen in most people's eyes as a horrifying act.
Play within a Play
The play within a play is meant to make the current king aware of sins by replaying his actions back to him.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
12/1 Hamlet (#13a)
Opening Scene
The mood of the opening is dark and gives a sense of danger and internal disruption within the state of Denmark and the palace. When Francisco relieves Bernardo of his post in the middle of night, Francisco states that "'tis bitter cold, and I am sick at heart (2410). Even though he is partly referring to the weather, being sick at heart is a reference to the dismal state of affairs in Denmark. Just after this, the ghost appears to the night guards. This ghost encounter acts as a warning to the guards that something is wrong and they get the prince, Hamlet.
The mood of the opening is dark and gives a sense of danger and internal disruption within the state of Denmark and the palace. When Francisco relieves Bernardo of his post in the middle of night, Francisco states that "'tis bitter cold, and I am sick at heart (2410). Even though he is partly referring to the weather, being sick at heart is a reference to the dismal state of affairs in Denmark. Just after this, the ghost appears to the night guards. This ghost encounter acts as a warning to the guards that something is wrong and they get the prince, Hamlet.
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