The question this scene poses is whether there is any love between Hamlet and Ophelia, or whether the pair are nothing more than friends. When Hamlet says to Ophelia, “ Get thee to a nunnery, why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners,” he is telling her to go to a nunnery where she can get away from sins such as ‘incestuous marriages’. Here some readers may think he is just being dramatic and truly does not think of Ophelia as more than a friend however I personally think that this quote shows that Hamlet does have feelings for Ophelia and he is trying to hide them by wishing her ill and slandering all women. However, Shakespeare does give the audience reason to believe that there is love between Hamlet and Ophelia, for example when Ophelia says to Hamlet at the start of the scene, “ My honoured lord, you know right well you did, and with them words of so sweet breath composed as made these things more rich their perfume now lost”, she is telling Hamlet that when he gave her the gifts he was sweet and kind to her but he never acts kind around her anymore. Some think that the way in which Shakespeare uses the term ‘nunnery’ suggests that he is talking about a brothel, in which case Hamlet is condemning Ophelia as a whore. If this was what Shakespeare intended then again Hamlet may just be hiding his feelings for Ophelia but the fact that Hamlet is being so harsh and so aggressive does suggest that he is no longer interested in Ophelia as a friend or lover.
When Ophelia tells Hamlet a lie saying that her father is at home, (“At home my lord”), the power of Hamlet’s abuse increases, and he starts to slander all women: “ I have heard of you paintings too, well enough; god has given you one face and you make yourselves another.” The fact that Hamlet’s abuse increases after this suggests that Hamlet knows that Polonius is spying on him and therefore he knows Ophelia is lying and betraying him, but there is no definite evidence that Hamlet knows he is being watched and because of this the reader wonders whether Hamlet is acting his madness or really is insane. In this quote the language which Shakespeare uses tell us that Hamlet is not only directing his anger at Ophelia but at all women. The words, “ I have heard….” Suggests to us that Hamlet has seen many women “mask” themselves, though the words, “God has given you one face and you make yourselves another.” have more than one meaning. One is that Hamlet is talking about make-up and the way women hide their blemishes under the make-up they wear, but I think he is talking about the way women act depending on whom they are with. Either opinion could be used in this scene as both make sense.
Near the end of this scene Hamlet says, “ I say we have no more marriages,” and I think this is one of the most important lines in this scene. The fact that Hamlet has brought up marriages suggests that his real problem lies with his mother’s marriage to his uncle. After reading this line the reader’s perception of Hamlet begins to change, and we begin to see he may be redirecting his anger for his mother at Ophelia, who earlier in the play he called, “a beast”. Another interpretation may be that he is just trying to dampen the spirits of Ophelia by trying to make her think he would never love or want to marry her. I however believe his problem lies with the marriage of his mother and uncle and the fact that his mother did not, to him appear to mourn the death of his father, and I think this because further on in the play (act 3 scene 4) when we see Hamlet kill Polonius and then dismiss the murder by telling Gertrude she is just as bad as him to kill a king and then marry his brother: “Almost as bad, good mother, as kill a king and marry with his brother.”
In the middle of the scene Hamlet says to Ophelia, “ I am myself indifferent honest but yet I could accuse me of such things, that it were better my mother had not borne me”. Here Hamlet is saying that he has done things he is ashamed of and therefore he sometimes thinks it would be better had he not been born. This quote makes the audience feel sorry for Hamlet and think about the situation he is in. This quote shows that Hamlet is feeling depressed and is unable to stop thinking about his mother’s marriage to his uncle and he wishes he had not been born so he did not have to live with it. Here, again I think we see Hamlet in a different light. In previous pages Hamlet is shown as a hurtful character wanting revenge but the above quote makes the audience feel quite sorry for Hamlet and the fact that he is thinking about suicide suggests he does not know what to do next.
The fact that we know that Hamlet is being spied on adds tension which the audience themselves creates as they do not know what will happen next. Although at some points in the play there are suggestions that Hamlet knows he is being watched we have no firm evidence on this. This develops two scenarios. One is that Hamlet is actually mad; the other is that he knows he is being watched therefore he is acting his madness and he may also be acting the anger he is expressing towards Ophelia. Both interpretations fit into the plot of the play, but each scenario would develop a different atmosphere. If Hamlet was actually mad then he may mean all the things he says to Ophelia in his madness and does not as he tells her love her or ever did, but if Hamlet is acting mad then he may actually love Ophelia but is unable to tell her due to his plan to get revenge on Claudius.
The whole scene displays betrayal between Hamlet and Ophelia and also Hamlet and Gertrude. Throughout the play hamlet talks about his mother as if they had a close relationship yet he clearly displays his disapproval of what he calls their incestuous marriage. The fact that he does this suggests that he feels betrayed and let down by his mother and the fact that she has moved on from his beloved father quite quickly obviously upsets him. When Hamlet says to Ophelia, “ Ha, ha, are you honest?”, Hamlet may be suggesting that Ophelia has something to do with Polonius’s plot and if the reader interpret ed the above quote like that then again it shows Hamlet does not fully trust Ophelia and thinks she may have betrayed him, Although the quote, “Ha, ha, are you honest?”, may be Hamlet mocking Ophelia by asking her if she is still a virgin.
I think the dramatic significance of this scene is that it is a scene that connects everything in the play together, it give everything a meaning and reason and without it the play would not make sense. It shows that Hamlet is not coping with the marriage of his mother and uncle and this is why later in the play he seeks revenge. It also shows that he is feeling very betrayed and alone and so redirects his anger for his mother at Ophelia, and because of this and the fact that Ophelia knows they are being watched she feels guilt-ridden and so is pushed into madness.