The Nexus Between Hamlet and Ophelia - Coursework Example

Assignment was due Hamlet with close analysis of the Ophelia/Hamlet nexus In our lives, we always wish to have happy endings in all the initiatives, we undertake. On the other hand, tragic ending is something we all try to avoid, but which could get ‘attached’ to our lives, due to situations or things that may not be under our control. Thus, people will favor happy endings over tragic endings in real life. However, in fictional life there is a counter thought, which is, a tragic ending would only create a stronger imprint on the mind. In that direction, many authors including the greatest of them all, William Shakespeare have ‘incorporated’ tragic ending in their fictional works to make the readers hold on to their creation for a longer time. Focusing on the Shakespearean play, Hamlet, which has a violent tragic ending, we will closely analyze the Ophelia/Hamlet nexus and how their relationship also ends in tragedy (or micro-tragedy, as it is a tragedy on a smaller scale inside a bigger tragedy) and makes an impact on the readers The tragedy of Hamlet has drama, suspense and of course romance to make it the play of all plays. Most readers focus on Hamlet’s inner struggle. His quest to find his father’s killer and of course his promise to avenge him are a great part of the main plot. However, his inclination to avenge his father’s killer also tragically destructs the lives of main characters of the play, including the life of Hamlet’s lover, Ophelia. In the beginning of the play, Hamlet struck by Ophelia’s ‘rich’ beauty falls for her, but was not able to fully strengthen their romantic relationship, due to his mission of finding the real killer of his father. In that search to find the real murderer, series of events or situations involving Hamlet and Ophelia takes place, which ends their relationship in a tragic way. The romance between Hamlet and Ophelia is introduced to the reader as one that is passionate yet, perhaps forbidden. The nexus between Hamlet and Ophelia faced opposition in the beginning itself, from Ophelia’s father and brother. When Hamlet tries to woe Ophelia both Polonius, Ophelia’s father and Laertes, her brother prevent her from responding favorably to him, mainly because of difference in their statuses. Firstly, Laertes lectures Ophelia against having any contact with Hamlet, as Hamlet is the heir to the throne of Denmark, and so he will not be able to marry a ‘common’ girl like Ophelia, and is supposed to marry only a girl with a royal status. “Hamlet is a prince; Ophelia is not royal; from Polonius and Laertes points of view, there can be no marriage, and therefore their advice is given to spare Ophelia rejection and pain.” (Nigro 48). Polonius for his part also advises Ophelia not to develop romantic relationship with Hamlet because he cannot be trusted to marry her, and also Polonius fears that Hamlet is not earnest about Ophelia. “Love? his affections do not that way tend, Nor what he spake, though it lacked form a little, Was not like madness, Theres something in his soul (68, III. 1, 162) Both also warn her that Hamlet’s romantic gestures are insincere and that he is simply looking for a relationship of the sexual kind- and nothing more. Polonius warns, “Do not believe his vows, for they are brokers, /Not of that dye which their investments show, /But mere implorators of unholy suits, /Breathing like sanctified and pious bawds” (1.3, 126). Thus, it is clear that Ophelia’s brother, Laertes, and her father, Polonius, both instruct her to be wary of Hamlet’s advances. In a way, Laertes and Polonius’ act of advising and obstructing Ophelia from falling in love with Hamlet, forms the first of the series of events, which ends their relationship in a tragic way. Some events also take place in Hamlet’s life which ends his relationship with Ophelia in a heartbreaking way. That is, when Hamlet hears from the ghost of his father that he was actually killed by his own brother Claudius, Hamlet initially does not know whether to believe it or not. I am thy fathers spirit, Doomed for a certain term to walk the night, And for the day confined to fast in fires, Till the foul cries done in my days of nature (30, II.5. 10-11) However, realizing the gravity of the charge, he seeks to find out the truth behind the death of his father. For that, he decides to act in an insane manner, so he can make others believe that he has become ‘weaker’, and thereby giving him the chance to make the real culprit divulge the truths. These insane acts of Hamlet only further complicate his relationship with Ophelia. That is, Hamlet intentionally starts to behave in a foolish manner whenever he meets Ophelia, so others particularly her father Polonius and King Claudius will start to believe that he has gone mad, due to the love sickness of Ophelia. “She is again used by Hamlet to prove to the eaves-droppers that he is mad.” (Wright 41). This intentional act of Hamlet extends to the “nunnery scene” as well, where Ophelia on her father’s instructions helps in spying Hamlet, and in a way sounds the “death knell” to their relationship In the nunnery scene only, their relationship deteriorates further leading to the tragic end. Ophelia’s love for Hamlet becomes clear during the famous “nunnery scene”, where she does her best to encourage Hamlet’s love for her once more. When Hamlet first resist’s her attempt to recall their past romance, she pushes forward, saying, My honored lord, you know right well you did, /and with them words of so sweet breath composed/As made the things more rich. Their perfume lost, / Take these again, for to the noble mind/ Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind. /There, my lord (3.1, 97-103). Hamlet goes on to admit that, “…I did love you once” (3.1, 115), only to immediately state that Ophelia was wrong to believe him. The ensuing speech clearly rejects Ophelia, leaving her sorrowful and hurt by Hamlet’s words. It is here that it becomes clear that Ophelia did indeed love Hamlet, despite her seemingly weak behavior. She laments her love saying, … And I, of ladies most deject and wretched,/That sucked the honey of his music vows,/Now see that noble and most sovereign reason/Like sweet bells jangled, out of time and harsh,/Blasted with ecstasy. O, woe is me/T’ have seen what I have seen, see what I see (3.1, 155-160). However, in the course of their conversation, Hamlet without any provocation from Ophelia’s side gets angry and declares that he is not going to marry her. He speaks so to show his supposed madness. As this is the first time, Ophelia is hearing a negative response from Hamlet; she becomes very sad and heartbroken. Then, when Hamlet storms out of the meeting room, a lot of emotions goes through her mind on whether to trust Hamlet and love him, or ignore him, or just ignore his words, which might have been uttered unintentionally due to his madness. After this stormy event, both Hamlet and Ophelia fail to make that true connection and set the stage for the tragic ending of their relationship. The question of whether Hamlet truly loves Ophelia becomes ambiguous after this nunnery scene. The way he speaks of Ophelia makes it seem as though he hates her, rather than loves her. His bitterness towards women may stem from his hatred toward his mother, but how much of it is truly directed at Ophelia is unclear. (Rosenberg). His behavior dashes any hope of the two lovers reuniting in romantic bliss, and Ophelia is left alone with a lot of dejection. The final event that ends their relationship completely in a tragic way happens in the night after the staging of the “The Mousetrap”. Hamlet stages the play “The Mousetrap” and finds that his uncle Claudius was the indeed the real murderer of his father. To seek revenge, Hamlet goes to Claudius’ room to kill him but instead murders Ophelia’s father, Polonius, who is standing behind the arras. This act of Hamlet turns out to be the “final nail in the coffin” as far as his relationship with Ophelia is concerned because Ophelia becomes crestfallen on hearing her father’s death and eventually commits suicide. Ophelia was closely attached to his father and when she came to know that her father has been killed, that too, by her own lover, she becomes mad as well. Thus, it is clear that the tragic ending appears to be a logical ending, considering the decision of the various characters. This being said, there is a counter view that Hamlet could have found his father’s murderers, without being unkind to Ophelia. With Ophelia being an innocent soul, who truly loved Hamlet, he could have kept her in his confidence and side, while going after his father’s killers. However, without any indication of who might be the killers, Hamlet had no option but to act insane, and thereby “bringing out” the killers. This act deteriorated his relationship with Ophelia. Furthermore, Hamlet’s outburst in the ‘nunnery scene’ and his act of killing her father creates aversion against him, in the mind of Ophelia. This loss of two important relationships pushes Ophelia to commit suicide. Thus, the love nexus between Hamlet and Ophelia, which got obstructed due to series of events including her father and brother’s opposition and manipulation, and importantly due to the decision of Hamlet to go after his father’s killers by acting in an insane manner, without caring about the lives of the existing characters, finally ends on a tragic note after the death of the Ophelia. Works Cited Nigro, August J. The Net of Nemesis: Studies in Tragic Bond/age. Cranbury, NJ: Associated University Press, 2000. Rosenberg, Marvin. The Masks of Hamlet. Cranbury, NJ: Associated University Press, 1992 Shakespeare, William. “The Tragical History of Hamlet Prince of Denmark.” Ed. A.R Braunmuller. New York: Penguin, 2001. Wright, Courtni Crump. The Women of Shakespeares Plays: Analysis of the Role of the Women in Selected Plays with Plot Synopses and Selected One Act Plays. Cranbury, NJ: Associated University Press, 1993. Read More