Love After All
In William Shakespeare's "Hamlet", Ophelia, the daughter of the King's councilor is not allowed to love prince Hamlet. Princes are not free to marry ladies of the court and both Ophelia's brother and father would not allow her to love him. She followed her father's instruction and did not pursue a relationship with Hamlet. Ophelia must not love Hamlet, and she shows no obvious affection toward him, therefore she does not love him. Contrary to these facts, when the text is analyzed, there are strands of evidence that suggest that she does love Hamlet and is tortures by her inability to express these feelings.
In Act 1 Scene 3, Laertes advises his sister on the subject of Hamlet to "Think it no more". Hamlet cannot love Ophelia because, as Laertes knows "His greatness weigh'd, his will is not his own; For he himself is subject to his birth: / He may not, as unvalued persons do, Carve for himself; for on his choice depends The safety and health of this whole state". Hamlet cannot be involved with Ophelia due to his position. On a more personal level of advice, Laertes had advised "Fear it, Ophelia, fear it, my dear sister,
And keep you in the rear of your affection". Her father also advised her to stay away from him. He instructed "Do not believe his vows; for they are brokers, Not of that dye which their investments show. I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth, Have you so slander any moment leisure, As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet".
Having been instructed all her life to obey her father, Ophelia will follow his advice for the rest of her life, ignoring Hamlet's love and returning his letters. She was very ...
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And keep you in the rear of your affection". Her father also advised her to stay away from him. He instructed "Do not believe his vows; for they are brokers, Not of that dye which their investments show. I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth, Have you so slander any moment leisure, As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet".
Having been instructed all her life to obey her father, Ophelia will follow his advice for the rest of her life, ignoring Hamlet's love and returning his letters. She was very passive, and just follower her father's commands. It would seem at this point as if Ophelia is ready to give up any chance for love with Hamlet. Earlier in the play it had been unclear if there had been a relationship between them. When the King and Polonius are eavesdropping on Hamlet and Ophelia, she had some "remembrances" of his that she had wanted to give him back. The remembrances would mean that there was a past between them in which they had exchanged tokens. In his so-called "insane" state, Hamlet denied ever giving her the tokens. Had they been unimportant to her, she would not have reacted as she did. She tells him that he knows he sent them "And, with them, words of so sweet breath composed As made the things more rich." It would appear as if she truly wants him to remember the tokens of the times that they had. She described the letters as if she had loved getting them, as if she thought they were sweet. As he starts to rave and say cruel things, such as that he did not love her, she cried out for the sweet heavenly powers to save and restore him. Although he was insane and she was not supposed to love him, a very short period of time reveals that she cherishes their past and wishes for him to return to his previous state. As Ophelia wondered to herself after he left about "what a noble mind is here o'erthrown", we see how she thinks highly of him and she regrets what has befallen him.
After Polonius is killed by Hamlet, Ophelia begins to act insane, singing and dancing. Her songs may seem like nonsense or just random ravings, but upon close inspection, there are messages in her words. When she started singing "To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day, All in the morning betime, And I a maid at your window, To be your Valentine. Then up he rose, and donn'd his clothes, And dupp'd the chamber-door; Let in the maid, that out a maid. Never departed more." Valentines is the day of love, she was at the window, hoping to be "his" valentine. In the morning, the door that let a maid in would never let out a maid again. There are a few interpretations of this. She is a maid, or a love, that will not leave his heart. She could be stuck in his heart, seeing as the maids never departed again. She is singing about love and a man opening a door on Valentine's Day. Any underlying messages in her songs are all similar. One is about true love, one is about a death, and another one contains a section that goes "before you tumbled me, You promised me to wed." All of these songs support that Ophelia is deeply in love with Hamlet. Whether or not he actually promised to marry her, she brought it up, perhaps from a previous experience with him, perhaps from subconscious desire. Whether or not she is insane, she is expressing emotions about love, being trapped in love, the death of a love, and a promise of love.
The conclusion that she must love him can be drawn. Her admiration, her caring for him, and her sweet words about his tokens are not those of someone who has no feelings for him. She is confused because of the contrast between her feelings and her family's instructions. Having been taught to follow her orders, she is acting as if Hamlet means nothing to her. When paying close attention to her, we can find many indications that there was love and still is. After her father was killed, she was singing more about love than about things that could relate to her father. Rather than see how she is not allowed to love him and does not show any love, how she feels is easily visible through her words and actions. She did love Hamlet before she committed suicide, it was just forbidden, which did not stop it from leaking out.
