Did Hamlet Love Ophelia
“I did love you” (III.i.125) in saying, Hamlet, confessed that he did love Ophelia. In the play, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare, Hamlet denies the fact that he doesn’t love Ophelia throughout the play, seeing that Hamlet and Ophelia were being watched almost every time they talked, led him to say that he didn’t love her anymore. It has come about to be that maybe Hamlet said all those awful things to Ophelia because he was afraid Claudius would take revenge on Hamlet, which would mean Hamlet would be leaving Ophelia all alone. In this, Polonius tells Ophelia to stop seeing hamlet, as they had been spending a lot of time together “’Tis told me he hath very oft of late/ Given private time to you, and you yourself/ Have of your audience been most free and/ bounteous” (I.iii.98-102), Polonius only giving Ophelia his opinion to protect her, he tells his daughter that Hamlet’s out of her league, and Ophelia takes this advice and agrees to no longer see Hamlet. Polonius now portraying that Hamlet just wants her for her sex or virginity by saying
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she should not waste her time on Hamlet, “Have you so slander any moment leisure/As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet” (I.iv.142-143). Given the evidence, Hamlet did love Ophelia. In the beginning of the play, Hamlet started off by showing his affection like a “boyfriend” to Ophelia, but as soon as Hamlet discovered that his father, Sr.
Hamlet, was murdered by Claudius, his uncle, he has been watched by Claudius and Polonius, whom Ophelia’s father, due to his antic disposition. Hamlet’s downfall for his love for Ophelia then begins here: “I did love you,” (II.i.125). Where Hamlet discusses with Ophelia that he loved her once, but then he went on and said that he had never loved her. This could be because he knew they had been being watched by Claudius and Polonius, led him to deny his love for her by saying “I loved you not” (III.i.129), in which case, Hamlet’s just lying to Ophelia because he knows someone’s listening, he just wants to protect Ophelia, this way she doesn’t end up being the one who’s hurt in the end, even though she ends up being the hurt one in the
end. As the play moves forward, Hamlet’s love for Ophelia gets denied and denied several times as one of the encounters with Ophelia being when Hamlet walks into Ophelia’s closet and looks, by all means, disgusting, filthy, gross, improper, and rude. In this part of the play, Hamlet tells Ophelia a lot of things, one being that Ophelia should “Get thee to a nunnery” (III.i.125), Hamlet could’ve been mocking Ophelia, saying to be that Hamlet thought or knew Ophelia was pregnant. In this case, if Ophelia was pregnant, he was only looking out for her. Hamlet could’ve also said this to Ophelia because he’s trying to throw everyone off, given that Hamlet had put on an antic disposition, he had to act crazy and he knew everyone in Denmark had a good eye on him so he had to make it believable. Incest being a substantial role in the play, Laertes, Ophelia’s older brother, tries to convince Ophelia that Hamlet might’ve loved her, almost like her father had done, “Perhaps he loves you now,” (I.iii.17), on top of this, Laertes could have been hinting to his sister that Hamlet could have possibly loved her before but now Hamlet could be using Ophelia. In addition, Laertes wanted to marry Ophelia adding the incest that can be found in the play. Laertes moreover could have also wanted to marry Ophelia, or give her that idea, so he could grasp her from Hamlet. Furthermore, Laertes as well says that she should open her mind nor her heart and to actually listen to his words, “If with too credent ear you list his songs/ Or lose your heart or your chaste treasure open/ To his unmastered importunity,” (I.iii.34-36), and this being Laertes basically saying if he says he loves you, then she should be wise enough to see that his words only mean as much as he actually means for them to say. Or to keep your love under control. The last little bit of evidence provided that made me believe Hamlet loved Ophelia, became to be when Hamlet wrote to Ophelia saying “But never doubt I love,” (II.ii.127) he tells Ophelia that among all else, he truly loves her and the loves real. This being the one time in the play, before her funeral, that hamlet showed his love to her. Yet once she received the letter, she handed it over to her father, Polonius, Hamlet not trusting him, for that matter acted crazy to protect Ophelia. With very little evidence, being unsure whether Ophelia and Hamlet had sex. Hamlet, in the letter talks about her bosom and celestial soul “To the celestial, and my soul’s idol, the/ most beautiful Ophelia- / in her excellent white bosom, these etc. “(II.ii.117-121), Hamlet was giving Polonius the impression in his letter to Ophelia, that he’d been having sexual encounters with Ophelia. But, really that was just Polonius getting too nosy if you ask me.
Unfortunately, Ophelia resolves to suicide and drowns herself, which leads Hamlet to possibly hating himself, given that he drove her mad with his accusations and denying hi love for her, Although Hamlet still defended his love for her at her funeral saying, “I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand bothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum” (V.i.285-287), completely then admitting that he had always loved Ophelia and almost apologizing to Laertes for driving her mad. Hamlet also did not have reason to defend his love for her seeing she was already dead, but true love doesn’t have limits. Leading me to believe and argue that Hamlet did love Ophelia and he loved her throughout the whole play, but given the circumstances Denmark was in and Hamlet having to put on his antic disposition, he had to deny his love for her only to protect, even though he drove Ophelia crazy and literally made her commit suicide, he loved and she loved him. I believe, if we go back a way, when Ophelia talks about all the flowers she handed out, rosemary was intended for Hamlet because I think Ophelia knew she was going to just end it all, “there’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance. I pray you, love, remember” (IV.v.199-200), making me believe she was saying goodbye to Hamlet, and prayed that he would love her even after she died and to remember her as the sweet girl he had first fallen in love with because Hamlet did love actually love Ophelia.
she should not waste her time on Hamlet, “Have you so slander any moment leisure/As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet” (I.iv.142-143). Given the evidence, Hamlet did love Ophelia. In the beginning of the play, Hamlet started off by showing his affection like a “boyfriend” to Ophelia, but as soon as Hamlet discovered that his father, Sr.
Hamlet, was murdered by Claudius, his uncle, he has been watched by Claudius and Polonius, whom Ophelia’s father, due to his antic disposition. Hamlet’s downfall for his love for Ophelia then begins here: “I did love you,” (II.i.125). Where Hamlet discusses with Ophelia that he loved her once, but then he went on and said that he had never loved her. This could be because he knew they had been being watched by Claudius and Polonius, led him to deny his love for her by saying “I loved you not” (III.i.129), in which case, Hamlet’s just lying to Ophelia because he knows someone’s listening, he just wants to protect Ophelia, this way she doesn’t end up being the one who’s hurt in the end, even though she ends up being the hurt one in the
end. As the play moves forward, Hamlet’s love for Ophelia gets denied and denied several times as one of the encounters with Ophelia being when Hamlet walks into Ophelia’s closet and looks, by all means, disgusting, filthy, gross, improper, and rude. In this part of the play, Hamlet tells Ophelia a lot of things, one being that Ophelia should “Get thee to a nunnery” (III.i.125), Hamlet could’ve been mocking Ophelia, saying to be that Hamlet thought or knew Ophelia was pregnant. In this case, if Ophelia was pregnant, he was only looking out for her. Hamlet could’ve also said this to Ophelia because he’s trying to throw everyone off, given that Hamlet had put on an antic disposition, he had to act crazy and he knew everyone in Denmark had a good eye on him so he had to make it believable. Incest being a substantial role in the play, Laertes, Ophelia’s older brother, tries to convince Ophelia that Hamlet might’ve loved her, almost like her father had done, “Perhaps he loves you now,” (I.iii.17), on top of this, Laertes could have been hinting to his sister that Hamlet could have possibly loved her before but now Hamlet could be using Ophelia. In addition, Laertes wanted to marry Ophelia adding the incest that can be found in the play. Laertes moreover could have also wanted to marry Ophelia, or give her that idea, so he could grasp her from Hamlet. Furthermore, Laertes as well says that she should open her mind nor her heart and to actually listen to his words, “If with too credent ear you list his songs/ Or lose your heart or your chaste treasure open/ To his unmastered importunity,” (I.iii.34-36), and this being Laertes basically saying if he says he loves you, then she should be wise enough to see that his words only mean as much as he actually means for them to say. Or to keep your love under control. The last little bit of evidence provided that made me believe Hamlet loved Ophelia, became to be when Hamlet wrote to Ophelia saying “But never doubt I love,” (II.ii.127) he tells Ophelia that among all else, he truly loves her and the loves real. This being the one time in the play, before her funeral, that hamlet showed his love to her. Yet once she received the letter, she handed it over to her father, Polonius, Hamlet not trusting him, for that matter acted crazy to protect Ophelia. With very little evidence, being unsure whether Ophelia and Hamlet had sex. Hamlet, in the letter talks about her bosom and celestial soul “To the celestial, and my soul’s idol, the/ most beautiful Ophelia- / in her excellent white bosom, these etc. “(II.ii.117-121), Hamlet was giving Polonius the impression in his letter to Ophelia, that he’d been having sexual encounters with Ophelia. But, really that was just Polonius getting too nosy if you ask me.
Unfortunately, Ophelia resolves to suicide and drowns herself, which leads Hamlet to possibly hating himself, given that he drove her mad with his accusations and denying hi love for her, Although Hamlet still defended his love for her at her funeral saying, “I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand bothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum” (V.i.285-287), completely then admitting that he had always loved Ophelia and almost apologizing to Laertes for driving her mad. Hamlet also did not have reason to defend his love for her seeing she was already dead, but true love doesn’t have limits. Leading me to believe and argue that Hamlet did love Ophelia and he loved her throughout the whole play, but given the circumstances Denmark was in and Hamlet having to put on his antic disposition, he had to deny his love for her only to protect, even though he drove Ophelia crazy and literally made her commit suicide, he loved and she loved him. I believe, if we go back a way, when Ophelia talks about all the flowers she handed out, rosemary was intended for Hamlet because I think Ophelia knew she was going to just end it all, “there’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance. I pray you, love, remember” (IV.v.199-200), making me believe she was saying goodbye to Hamlet, and prayed that he would love her even after she died and to remember her as the sweet girl he had first fallen in love with because Hamlet did love actually love Ophelia.