She says he looked as though he had been "loosed out of hell to speak of horrors" (II, i, 83-84) and that she "truly [did] fear it"(II, i, 86). This cycle of emotions is due to Hamlet feigning madness. After these events, Hamlet transfers his frustration and aggression towards his mother onto Ophelia. He rips them up and throws them around the room. This paper deals with the relationship between the characters of Hamlet and Ophelia. The Relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia, Pride and Prejudice: A Novel With Limited Range, Hamlet’s Soliloquies Reveal His Personality, Compare and Contrast Plato and Aristotle Political Philosophy, Critical Analysis of Shakespeare’s "Hamlet", God’s Divine Justice in Dante’s “Inferno”, Symbolism in Dante’s Inferno (Divine Comedy: Book 1), Essay on Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “Ode to the West Wind”. How do you explain Hamlet's behavior toward Ophelia in act 2, scene 1 of Hamlet? 3 “This is I, Hamlet the Dane” – Why Hamlet is responsible for Ophelia’s death If it was Hamlet’s goal to alienate Ophelia in order to keep her safe, he absolutely fails in that respect. Hamlet is loving towards his mother, manipulative towards Ophelia, and has a type of hate for his uncle. 131-132 and 149-152) Hamlet treats Ophelia as if she had committed some terrible sin, when in fact his treatment is unwarranted and based solely on his experience with his mother. Hamlet’s greeting towards Ophelia following his soliloquy in regards was rather surprising. After these events, Hamlet transfers his frustration and aggression towards his mother onto Ophelia. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is by all means a troubled young man. It is not until Act V that the audience becomes aware of Hamlet’s true feelings when he finds out about Ophelia’s death, Hamlet states, “ I loved Ophelia. ”) and whose father died at his hands. So, Hamlet hurts Ophelia as much as he confesses his love, how can he do that if he truly loves her? https://schoolworkhelper.net/shakespeares-hamlet-did-hamlet-love-for-ophelia From love, he moves to a complete denial of love. The confusion that exists is because of Prince Hamlet feigning to be mad. This must have taken place sometime before the play starts, before Hamlet learns of the murder of his father and decides to feign madness and is therefore likely to be a true act of affection. Throughout the play it is unknown to the audience if Hamlet truly has feelings for Ophelia. Throughout the play we notice a dramatic change from beginning to end, in regards to Hamlet’s relationship with Ophelia. 2. appreciate Hamlet's thoughtful and contemplative nature. For instance, Ophelia encounters Hamlet telling him to take back all of the gifts that he has ever given her. Moreover, Ophelia lacks a substitute mother figure in her life. When he learns that she has died, he feels guilt and acknowledges that "I loved Ophelia. Hamlet calls Ophelia a liar, he tells her that he never loved her, and Hamlet tells Ophelia to, “Get thee {to} a nunnery” (Act III. And there are many reasons to believe that Hamlet feels similar about her. It was very hard for Hamlet to show his feelings toward Ophelia. Conclusion The relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia is certainly one of the most tragic aspects of the play and full of bitter irony. Yet, Hamlet is not so angered by his uncle’s incestuous behavior. Hence, Hamlet goes … However, once Ophelia mentions her feelings towards Hamlet, he denies everything. Farewell ” (Act 3 sc. From love, he moves to a complete denial of love. 7 0 obj /Length 8 0 R Hamlet and Ophelia’s relationship is very complicated, and many critics have questioned whether Hamlet genuinely loved Ophelia. Once Ophelia asks Hamlet about the love letters her wrote her, his mood drastically changes. 2 “I loved you not” – Hamlet’s denial Although he claims to love Ophelia, no one in the play is crueler to her than Hamlet. ���ѐ�n.���r6 /Filter /LZWDecode 2. 3. She makes Hamlet seen extremely intelligent, which is important for his character development. Hamlet is angry that Ophelia allows her father to manipulate her and to set him up in a scene designed to guess his state of mind. He verbally attacks (and physically struggles) with Laertes, actually claiming that he loved Ophelia and that “forty thousand brothers/ Could not with all their quantity of love/ Make up [his] sum. Overall, the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia can never truly be known, only speculated. Hamlet calls Ophelia a liar, he tells her that he never loved her, and Hamlet tells Ophelia to, “Get thee {to} a nunnery” (Act III. 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