In Act II, scene i of Hamlet, Ophelia reveals to Polonius the strange nature of Hamlet. During a class discussion, we discussed three potential reasons for Hamlet's wild behavior: 1. Hamlet is madly in love with Ophelia and their separation is driving him mad,
2. Hamlet is simply putting on an act, or
3. Hamlet is actually insane.
Polonius believes that Hamlet is lusting for Ophelia and that their disrupted relationship is upsetting him. As Hamlet "long stayed" (II.i.103) holding on to Ophelia's wrist. This hold can be seen as intimate, and his prolonged hold can portray a longing for intimacy with Ophelia. His sigh that seemed to "shatter all his bulk" (II.i.107) implies that his strength and masculinity are shed away with his sigh, exposing his affections towards Ophelia and his "weakness" because of it. As he leaves her, he keeps his eyes fixed upon her, "to the last bended their light on [her]" (II.i.112), expressing longing for her and a reluctance to look away.
Because Ophelia agrees to her father's commands and refuses communication with Hamlet, Polonius believes that this "hath made him mad" (II.i.123). As a result, Polonius regrets his commands and believes that Hamlet is indeed faithful in his love for Ophelia. He fears that Hamlet's inability to express his love for Ophelia will cause more troubles than "hate to utter" (II.i.133).
After encountering his father's spirit and hearing the deeds of Claudius and Gertrude, Hamlet is left bewildered and frantic. He tells his peers that he will "put an antic disposition on" (I.v.192), warning them that they are to tell no one that he is simply acting. His putting on a disposition makes him "seem" rather than "is," which is portrayed when Ophelia describes his appearance during the night he visits her. During his visit, Ophelia happens to be sewing in her closet. She describes him with "his doublet all unbraced" (II.i.88), his socks dirty and fallen to his ankles. Her sewing and his appearance all provide the symbolism of "seeming" rather than "being," emphasizing the possibility that Hamlet is putting on an act.
Hamlet's sanity is in question after he holds a conversation with his father's spirit. Prior to this encounter, Marcellus and Horatio warn him that the ghost may "deprive [him] sovereignty of reason / And draw [him] into madness" (I.v.81-82), bringing him past the brink of insanity. Their fear of his delving into insanity is seen when they physically restrain him from following the spirit, holding him back and forcing him to threaten to "make a ghost of him that lets me" (I.v.95). Already at this point, Hamlet seems mad as he so enthusiastically wishes to follow after his father's ghost, threatening to kill any who holds him back.
During his visit to Ophelia's home, Hamlet is described to look as though "he had been loosèd out of hell" (II.i.93), which could refer back to his father's spirit and his peers' pleas not to go after it. With his "hand thus o'er his brow" (II.i.101), he gestures towards his mind, as he did after he meets his father's ghost. He makes mention of his "distracted globe" (I.v.104), with annotations that imply that he's perhaps gesturing towards his head.
Although Hamlet's current state of mind is unclear, his bizarre behavior could foreshadow that an unlikely event is about to occur.
This is an interesting post Connie! It succinctly combines the various theories that we discussed in class, and in reading over them now, truly any one of them is valid. There are varying parts of the texts that support the different theories, making it hard to decide which one is indeed "correct." To add to your list of three, here are my theories:
ReplyDelete1.) Hamlet thinks that Ophelia’s sudden aloofness has something to do with the secret of his father’s ghost.
The last time that Hamlet is presented to the audience, he has finished speaking to his father’s ghost and he is already on the verge of madness. The one order that the can remember to give, or perhaps that he is sane enough to give, is to ask his friends, Marcellus and Horatio, to “swear…upon [his] sword” (I.v.148). Furthermore, Hamlet tells his father with absolute conviction, “from the table of my memory I’ll wipe away all trivial fond records…And thy commandment all alone shall live within the book and volume of my brain,” thereby swearing that only thoughts of revenge and his father’s justice will surround him mind and actions (I.v.99-104). Knowing this, is it not fair to say that when Ophelia distanced herself from Hamlet completely that his first worries would have been – oh god, what if she knows about that night! Hamlet has a mission, which is to win back his father’s dignity and worth, and Ophelia, should she know about Hamlet’s dealing with his ghost of a father, would pose a hindrance to this mission. Thus, it is only natural for Hamlet to act in an absurd manner, for he is terrified by the thought that he has met with his first obstacle (Ophelia) so soon in his journey.
2.) Ophelia never actually met Hamlet – she made it all up.
If we shift the point of focus from Hamlet to Ophelia, I think we can find significant evidence that Ophelia completely made the encounter with Hamlet up. We do know that she loves Hamlet, and that the only reason she has stopped seeing him is her father’s orders. So isn’t this the perfect way to win Polonius’ heart? After Ophelia describes Hamlet’s madness, Polonius accepts his initial inaccuracy, saying “I am sorry that with better heed and judgment I had not quoted [Hamlet]. I feared he did but trifle and meant to wreck thee. But beshrew my jealousy!” (II.i.112-114). This is momentous for Polonius, for as much as reputation means to him, he is admitting that he, the almighty Polonius, was wrong. Now, there is a large possibility that Ophelia and Hamlet could once again see each other, for the former’s father approves of it.
3.) Hamlet’s queer actions in front of Ophelia are part of his plan to throw Claudius off guard, so that he becomes a more vulnerable target.
The specifics of this theory are a little illusive, for I am unsure how informing Claudius that the reason for Hamlet’s distress is simply Ophelia (which is likely what Polonius will tell Claudius) relates to Hamlet being able to receive his revenge from Claudius more easily, but I think that there could be a relationship. Perhaps once Claudius finds out why Hamlet is so distressed, he will loosen his watch and become irresponsible, and, say, begin drinking as he tends to do. Hamlet may then squeeze the truth out of Claudius, and claim victory for his father’s sake.
All of these are valid thoughts, none of which can be answered, of course, without continued reading. I’m excited to find out whether any of these are even close to being accurate!