Jacob Adler
March 14, 2009
Hamlet Act 3 Reader/watcher response
IBMYP English 10
In Act 2 Scene 1, Hamlet says the “To be, or not to be: that is the question” (III.i.58) soliloquy. This soliloquy in a way sums up the events that have caused this living hell for Hamlet. In this soliloquy Hamlet contemplates suicide. He says that since we do not know what comes after death, we are all afraid and that is why we don’t kill ourselves, because life is basically unbearable. I completely understand why Hamlet is feeling this way, and to me it is perfectly acceptable in his situation to have these feelings. His uncle murdered his father, the one man he loved and looked up to; his uncle that murdered his father has now married his own mother, and he cant even be with the one last love he has in his life, Ophelia. If I were in Hamlet’s position I too, would be depressed and thinking negatively, and I don’t accuse him of being wrong for doing so. What follows this soliloquy is Ophelia entering the room. Hamlet has just torn his heart out, and just seeing her face gave him a sort of sudden burst of hope. This feeling was short lived when he finds out that Ophelia is there to bring back all the gifts he has ever given her, and to tell Hamlet that she no longer wants his love. She says this with no remorse and with no sympathy. Ophelia is aware that Hamlet is in serious depression and is going through a tremendous amount of struggle at the moment, but still she speaks with no sympathy or affection when she basically tears out any of the reaming pieces of Hamlets heart that he still has left. However, the way that Hamlet treated Ophelia during the “play within the play” was totally and utterly unacceptable. No matter what Ophelia has done to Hamlet, she did not deserve to be teased with inappropriate sexual references. Nobody deserves to be treated like that, and Hamlet was completely childish and out of line.
