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. the Tragical History of . H A M L E T . Prince of Denmark .
(Notes)
- Scene 6 [~ Madness of Love ~] (Act 2 Scene 1)
Important! - Before Scene 6, there is something you must know, to understand later events and dialogue in the play. It's an important offstage event which Hamlet experiences.
At the end of Scene 5, it's almost dawn, and Hamlet returns to his room to get some sleep. He intends to kill Claudius the next day, as soon as possible, even if Claudius's bodyguards kill him, too. He believes it's his duty. He goes to bed, exhausted, with his mind in a whirl, and falls asleep. He sleeps late the next morning. At midmorning he's awakened by a nightmare that something terrible has happened to Ophelia. Hamlet jumps from the bed, quickly throws on some clothes, and rushes to Ophelia's room. He's so shocked by his nightmare that he can't even find words to say to her, he only looks at her for a while, and leaves, and he leaves behind him a frightened and worried Ophelia, as we'll see in this Scene.
Since Hamlet's nightmare is important for understanding the play, here it is. The author sprinkled clues to Hamlet's bad dream throughout the play. When assembled, those clues produce a nightmare along the following lines.
- ~~~
Hamlet dreamed he was dead, and was a Ghost like his father. Like his father, he's in Purgatory, still at Elsinore. He's having a look around, late at night. He knows how he died: he tried to stab Claudius, but blundered and missed. Claudius survived, and he died, instead, killed by Claudius's bodyguards. Gertrude was there and she screamed when she saw him attack Claudius. It was the last sound he heard in his life, his mother screaming. He wants to know how his mother is, and goes to the Queen's room. She isn't there. He continues in search of her, but can't find her. He's puzzled.
He wonders how Ophelia is, and goes toward her room. He sees her, outside her door. But it isn't Ophelia, it's a ghost, like him. As he watches, her wings appear, and she ascends to Heaven in a golden glow. He's glad of that, and smiles. That's how he thought of her, as his angel. He's relieved she isn't stuck in Purgatory like him. But, how did she die? He can't figure it out. He continues wandering through Elsinore. He feels a hitch in time, the time goes out of joint.
He hears a scream. He follows the sound, down, to the dungeon. He looks into a cell, and sees Gertrude, imprisoned. She's kneeling, as she lights a candle set on a small table. She murmurs some prayers, as tears run down her face. She looks old, and tired and sad.
He hears another scream, and moves on, deeper into the dungeon. He sees Ophelia, on the rack. She's screaming. Claudius is standing there. He's drunk and his eyes look wild; he's gone insane with paranoia. There are hot coals in a grate, and the red light from them flickers on Claudius's face.
Claudius speaks, in a low, insistent voice: "Ophelia, I know Hamlet loved you, and he must have confided in you; you have to know something about the conspiracy, about the people who are trying to kill me; tell me, now!"
Ophelia sobs, in a weak voice: "I don't know, he never said anything."
Claudius says to somebody, "prove your loyalty," and there's a click as the rack tightens. Ophelia screams again.
Hamlet looks, and sees it's Polonius operating the rack. Polonius's face is blank and his eyes are unseeing.
Claudius speaks again: "The rack is not working. Use the fire."
- ~~~
Hamlet awakens, jumps out of bed, quickly throws on some clothes, and rushes to Ophelia's room, to check that she's alive and alright.
This is not to imply that Hamlet's nightmare is a correct forecast of events in the play. As we see in the play, the events of the nightmare do not happen. However, Hamlet's nightmare causes him to realize that his actions can affect people he cares about, and it isn't only a question of himself, and the memory of his father. How would it be for Gertrude and Ophelia if he foolishly gets himself killed for nothing, and leaves the ones he cares about under the tyrannical power of a murderer? He changes his mind about attacking Claudius immediately and directly, because of the possible consequences to others, as well as to himself, and he begins trying to find a different way.
- Some nightmare clues are:
- * Hamlet's mention of his "bad dreams"
- * the Ghost, implying Hamlet as a ghost
- * "out-stretched heroes" (Hero is classically a woman's name)
- * Polonius saying to Ophelia, "wrack thee"
- * Jephthah in the Bible sacrificing his daughter as a "burnt offering"
- * Polonius saying Claudius is equal to God for him
- * Gertrude praying on "garbage," something thrown away (Hamlet's life)
- * The Queen in the Mousetrap play speaking of an "anchor's cheer in prison"
- * Pyrrhus missing in his first swing at Priam
- * Hecuba screaming when Priam was attacked by Pyrrhus
- Etc.
Particularly, Hamlet's nightmare of Polonius killing Ophelia, to prove his loyalty to his Lord, Claudius, is the basis of Hamlet's later mention of Jephthah.
Hamlet's nightmare as presented here is an interpretation, and may not be exactly as the author envisoned it, but it does incorporate essential elements the author included in the play.
The author could only hint at Hamlet's nightmare. It would have been unacceptable for print or stage performance in Elizabethan times, when there was legal censorship under political and religious authority. Besides, certain things ought to be left to the audience, or reader, to figure out about Hamlet. That's what makes it caviary.
Now, on to the Scene notes.
hw 888, to hw 894- Setting: Inside the Castle;
In Polonius's room of his family's suite;
Daytime, mid-morning.
(Polonius and Reynaldo enter)
Polonius: Give him this money, and these notes, Reynaldo.
Reynaldo: I will, my Lord.
Pol: You shall do marvelous wisely, good Reynaldo,
Before you visit him, to make inquire
Of his behavior.
---
Polonius and his family are servants of the King, and they're provided with a suite of rooms in the Castle. It's a nice, large suite, since Polonius is the top aide to the crown. The time is inferred from Hamlet's behavior, taking it that he got a few hours sleep.
Inquire means "inquiry." The word is shortened for poetic rhythm.
Reynaldo is a highly-trusted family servant, to be given the job of carrying money internationally. Polonius also wants Reynaldo to check whether Laertes is behaving himself.
hw 895, to hw 907- Rey: My Lord, I did intend it.
Pol: Marry, well said, very well said; look you, sir
Enquire me first what Danskers are in Paris,
And how, and who, what means, and where they keep,
What company, at what expense, and finding
By this encompassment, and drift of question,
That they do know my son, come you more nearer,
Then, your particular demands will touch it;
Take you, as 'twere, some distant knowledge of him,
As thus: "I know his father, and his friends,
And in part, him;" do you mark this, Reynaldo?
Rey: Aye, very well, my Lord.
---
Reynaldo assures Polonius he did intend to report on what Laertes is doing. Reynaldo knows Polonius well enough to take it for granted Polonius would want to know about Laertes's activities. Polonius then instructs Reynaldo on exactly what he wants to know, and how he wants Reynaldo to find out about Laertes.
Polonius wants to know a lot, that goes well beyond Laertes. Danskers means "Danish people." He wants to know what Danes are in Paris, how they got there, (meaning why they're there,) who they are (in terms of status and family,) what their financial means are, where they live, and how they entertain and socialize, and what it all costs. He wants to know more about the Danish community in Paris than would involve just Laertes. Polonius isn't going to tell his servant, Reynaldo, but he clearly has some additional reason for wanting all that information about the Danes in Paris.
Polonius was a servant for many years to Hamlet Sr. With the change of government administration, under King Claudius, his job is not fully secure. Claudius could bring in his own man to be his top aide, and Polonius is well aware of that. From the kinds of things Polonius wants to know about Paris, it sounds as if he's thinking of moving there, if Claudius replaces him. But he tells Reynaldo that the purpose of gathering the information is only to find people who know Laertes.
When Polonius asks what means he is basically asking what money people have. Then, with where they keep he's asking where they live in Paris. However, where they keep has an ambiguity, following the question about their money: he makes it sound as if he's asking where they keep their money. The sequence of subjects, and the phrasing, makes it sound as if he's planning to steal their money. It provides an amusing image of old Polonius as a burglar in Paris.
Come you more nearer means nearer to the specific subject of Laertes. Particular demands means "specific questions." The "it" in touch it means the subject of Laertes.
Polonius instructs Reynaldo to pretend he's a friend of Polonius, who only knows Laertes a little. Polonius then begins telling Reynaldo exactly what to say, to the acquaintances of Laertes he finds. This is reminiscent of the scene when Laertes left, where Polonius recited sayings to Laertes, implicitly instructing Laertes in how to express himself. Reynaldo assures Polonius that he's paying attention.
hw 908, to hw 915- Pol: "And in part, him;" but you may say, "not well,
But if't be he I mean, he's very wild,
Addicted to so and so," and there put on him
What forgeries you please; marry, none so rank
As may dishonor him, take heed of that,
But sir, such wanton, wild, and usual slips
As are companions noted and most known
To youth and liberty.
---
Polonius tells Reynaldo, in talking to the people he meets who know Laertes, Reynaldo is supposed to defame Laertes. This is on the Slander/Rumor theme of the play.
Addicted refers to undesirable habits. It doesn't mean drug addiction. Rank means "seriously offensive."
Polonius cautions that he doesn't want any defamation too serious against Laertes, that would make Laertes seem to be a dishonorable person. Polonius means only the kinds of things that the young notoriously do, that people are generally aware of.
hw 916, to hw 926- Rey: As gaming, my Lord?
Pol: Aye, or drinking, fencing, swearing,
Quarreling, drabbing; you may go so far.
Rey: My Lord, that would dishonor him.
Pol: Faith, as you may, season it in the charge;
You must not put another scandal on him,
That he is open to incontinency,
That's not my meaning, but breathe his faults so quaintly
That they may seem the taints of liberty,
The flash and outbreak of a fiery mind,
A savageness in unreclaimed blood,
Of general assault.
---
Reynaldo asks a specific question, to be sure he understands. Gaming means gambling.
Polonius says, yes, that's the kind of thing he means, and goes on to give other specifics. Fencing had a bad reputation at the time; those who frequented fencing schools were seen as a low and immoral crowd. The mention of fencing has great irony in anticipation of the play conclusion. Swearing means being profane in his speech. This is ironic, in that Polonius's own speech is peppered with "Marry" and "faith," mild profanities that he uses only for emphasis. Quarreling means getting involved in, or causing, angry disputes. Drabbing means "whoring," the patronizing of prostitutes.
Reynaldo objects that an accusation of whoring would dishonor Laertes. Polonius doesn't tell him not to say it, but says to temper the accusation in the way he says it, to make it sound not so bad. Exactly how Reynaldo is to accuse Laertes of whoring, without making it sound bad, is not clear.
Season means to moderate, or to temper, as in seasoning food to make it more palatable. Polonius wants Reynaldo to season what he says, to express the slanders in a way that makes them easier to swallow, so to speak.
Polonius says another scandal, but he doesn't know of any scandal involving Laertes, yet. Polonius is assuming that his son's behavior in Paris is already scandalous. He therefore cautions Reynaldo about making things worse. Polonius assumes the worst about Laertes, without knowing any facts. He expects Reynaldo to report all sorts of undesirable things that Laertes is doing in Paris, that will cause trouble and probably cost him a lot of money.
The particular future scandal that Polonius is most worried about is, of course, the one he denies. He says he doesn't mean Laertes's incontinency, his unrestrained sexual behavior, but that's what concerns him most. He's afraid Laertes will get some French girl pregnant, and he'll be called upon to somehow deal with the scandalous situation. Polonius is very status conscious, and he's especially worried if it should be a lower class girl.
Breathe means "speak," and quaintly means "cleverly." Reynaldo is to be clever with his defamation, to make it sound as if Laertes only does such things because he's young and at liberty, not under fatherly supervision. Polonius wants Reynaldo to make it known Laertes wouldn't do such alleged things if Polonius was there. As Reynaldo goes around defaming Laertes, Polonius wants it clear that the misbehavior isn't because he wasn't raised properly.
Assault means "temptation," into vice or evil. Reynaldo is supposed to make it sound as if Laertes is only responding to the temptations Paris has to offer.
Polonius is asking a lot. He wants Reynaldo to slander Laertes - including a charge of patronizing prostitutes - but not do it in a "serious" way, and not in a way that could reflect on him as a parent. If Reynaldo can pull it off, meeting all Polonius's demands, he'll deserve a bonus.
Polonius uses dramatic language in speaking of how Reynaldo is supposed to minimize Laertes's alleged misbehavior. Laertes does have a fiery mind, or, in other words, he has a bad temper, as we'll see later. The lines from fiery mind through assault can also be read with an undertone about Hamlet's encounter with the Ghost.
So, this fellow, Laertes, whom Reynaldo is going to go around slandering, has a bad temper. Hm.
hw 927, to hw 944- Rey: But, good my Lord . . .
Pol: Wherefore should you do this?
Rey: Aye, my Lord, I would know that.
Pol: Marry, sir, here's my drift,
And I believe it is a fetch of wit:
You laying these slight sallies on my son.
As 'twere a thing a little soiled with working,
Mark you, your party in converse, him you would sound,
Having ever seen in the prenominate crimes
The youth you breathe of guilty, be assured
He closes with you in this consequence:
"Good sir," (or so,) or "friend," or "gentleman,"
According to the phrase, or the addition
Of man and country . . .
Rey: Very good, my Lord.
Pol: And then, sir, does he this, he does, what was I about to say?
By the mass, I was about to say something;
Where did I leave?
---
Reynaldo wonders why Polonius would want him to slander Laertes. Polonius goes on to explain, that the reason is to sound out the person Reynaldo is talking to, to find out if the person has seen Laertes really doing such things.
A fetch of wit means "an intelligent idea fetched up" by his mind. Polonius is saying he believes it's a fine idea he's thought of.
The word fetch can also refer to an apparition in the shape of a person. This is an undertone of allusion to the Ghost, accidental by Polonius.
Slight sallies means "mild, sudden attacks." As earlier, sallies is from the word "sally," meaning to rush forth as in making an attack. Elsewhere in his writings, the author uses "sally" to mean "a sudden attack." Polonius does recognize that he's ordering Reynaldo to attack Laertes's reputation, but he considers it only a "mild" thing to do.
Soiled with working means as though Laertes had a little dirt on his hands from gardening, for example. Objectively, it's hard to see how a charge such as patronizing prostitutes could be rightly compared to Laertes only having a little dirt on his hands. Polonius truly doesn't think that sending an agent to Paris, for the purpose of defaming his son, is anything serious.
Converse means "conversation." There is also the idea of the person Reynaldo talks to being the opposing party, the person who's "opposite" to him.
Sound means to "try out," to find out what the other person knows. It also refers to the sound of voices talking.
Prenominate means "named earlier," and crimes means "misbehavior." Polonius is referring to the kinds of misbehavior by Laertes that he's already specified.
He closes with you in this consequence means "he agrees with you in the following way." "Close" is used in the business sense, to close a deal, meaning to agree. Polonius then begins to tell Reynaldo what he expects the other person to say to Reynaldo. Polonius is uncertain whether the other person will call Reynaldo Good sir, or friend, or what. Polonius's parenthetical (or so) means "(however they say "good sir" in Paris,)" and can be taken simply as "(or whatever.)"
Reynaldo says Very good to mean he understands Polonius, so far. However, Polonius's mind is still working on the possibilities for how the other person might address Reynaldo, and when Reynaldo interrupts, Polonius loses track of his subject.
hw 945, to hw 961- Rey: At "closes in the consequence."
Pol: At "closes in the consequence," aye, marry,
He closes thus: "I know the gentleman,
I saw him yesterday," or "th'other day,"
Or then, or then, with such or such, "and as you say,
There, was 'a gaming," . . . "there, o'ertook in's rouse,"
"There, falling out at tennis," or perchance,
"I saw him enter such a house of sale,"
Videlicet, a brothel, or so forth; see you now?
Your bait of falsehood takes this carp of truth;
And thus do we of wisdom and of reach,
With windlasses and with assays of bias,
By indirections, find directions out;
So, by my former lecture and advice,
Shall you, my son; you have me, have you not?
Rey: My Lord, I have.
---
Reynaldo reminds Polonius of what he was saying by repeating an exact phrase. This is not the usual way a speaker would be reminded in ordinary conversation. In ordinary conversation, a speaker would usually be reminded in an explanatory way, such as, "you were telling me what the other person might say to me."
The way Reynaldo reminds Polonius, is the way an actor would be prompted onstage, by being told a snippet of the dialogue that the actors have memorized. This is a sample of facetious subtlety by the author of Hamlet. When Polonius forgets, the author has Reynaldo "prompt" Polonius the same way an actor would be prompted onstage, which is exactly what the situation would be in stage performance, if the Polonius actor forgot his lines. The author handles the forgetfulness of his character as if it were an actor forgetting his lines. There are other places in Hamlet where the author included a facetious undertone of actors onstage, including an "actor's nightmare."
In the line There was 'a gaming, the "a" with apostrophe means "he." Polonius means, "There, he was gambling."
English pronunciation has changed since Elizabethan times, in a development called the Great Vowel Shift. The word "he" was formerly spoken to sound like "hay," and was abbreviated as "a." The apostrophe was not used with the "a" in the original printing of Hamlet in 1604. I add the apostrophe as punctuation to help indicate the meaning.
O'ertook in's rouse means "overtaken in his drinking." The alcoholic beverage he had consumed had "overtaken" him, or in other words, he was drunk.
The tennis referred to, is Court Tennis, also known as Royal Tennis. It's an indoor game different from modern lawn tennis. Lawn tennis, the game most people now know, is a much more recent game, invented in about 1874. King Henry VIII of England was an avid player of Royal Tennis, and it was a fairly popular sport in Elizabethan days, in England and on the Continent of Europe, even though it required a special building.
Videlicet is Latin for "it is permitted to see," and the word is used to mean "that is," or "namely." Polonius is clarifying what he meant by house of sale.
Polonius says he wants Reynaldo to slander Laertes as bait in order to "catch" the truth when Reynaldo talks to people. The carp is currently viewed in much of the United States as an undesirable fish, but in earlier times, and other places, it was seen more favorably. By carp, Polonius means a good fish. Further, to carp means to find fault; this additional meaning is relevant, in that Polonius is trying to find out about Laertes's faults of behavior.
Polonius's speaking of bait to catch a fish anticipates Hamlet calling Polonius a "fishmonger," later.
Polonius praises himself for his wisdom and his reach. Reach is the idea of extending the hand. Polonius is pleased he can "reach" to Paris. Reach also suggests influence, and ability to get results.
Windlasses means "winding" methods, that is, circuitous or roundabout techniques, not direct methods. Polonius tells Reynaldo that wise, influential people like him use indirect techniques. The windlass was also the mechanism used to operate the rack, for torture, and reach also has a meaning of "stretch." The words reach, With windlasses could be read as "stretch, with windlasses." There's an undertone of torture.
Windlasses is spelled "windlesses" in the original printings, which could be an intentional spelling by the author to provide a humorous undertone. Polonius is many things, but not "windless."
Assays of bias means "biased attempts" or "biased tries," or in other words, biased methods, and not a sincere approach. Polonius thinks he has to fool people to get the truth from them.
Polonius's line, By indirections, find directions out, is his habit of expressing himself in sayings, especially in the form of epigrams, involving opposites. He likes doing that, and chooses it as his way of ending his instructions to Reynaldo. He means that he thinks his "indirect," devious methods will find out the "true direction" of what Laertes is doing in Paris.
Polonius's Shall you, my son means "shall you find out, about my son," but the author has ingeniously made it sound as though Polonius is calling Reynaldo "son," the way a priest calls a parishioner "son." It's phrased like "Father" Polonius giving his blessing to "son" Reynaldo. The irony is exquisite, since Polonius has just ordered Reynaldo to go all around Paris slandering Laertes, which is not very commendable religious and moral instruction.
hw 962, to hw 967- Pol: God buy ye, fare ye well.
Rey: Good my Lord.
Pol: Observe his inclination in yourself.
Rey: I shall, my Lord.
Pol: And let him ply his music.
Rey: Well, my Lord.
(Reynaldo exits)
---
Observe his inclination in yourself means "don't you misbehave the way he's doing." Polonius assumes Laertes is misbehaving, without knowing the facts yet, and he cautions Reynaldo against behaving in the same, assumedly disgraceful way in Paris.
Let him ply his music means "let him (Laertes) have his fun." Polonius means, let him have his fun, for now, until he gets the facts of what Laertes is doing, which he thinks will be bad. Then, he's going to give Laertes a really stinging lecture, and punish him.
So, Polonius has sent Reynaldo off to Paris, to go all through the Danish community slandering Laertes, in order to find out the truth of what Laertes is doing.
It will never work.
Paris is a large city, but the Danish community in Paris will be only a neighborhood, the equivalent of a small town. The number of Danes, in Paris, in Laertes's circle of acquaintance, may be as few as a hundred, and perhaps even fewer. Word spreads quickly through a small community, especially juicy gossip. When Reynaldo starts telling his defamatory stories about Laertes, the stories will soon be repeated throughout the entire small community.
Then, it won't be long until Reynaldo's own stories start coming back to him. Reynaldo will tell somebody that Laertes gambles, and the other person will say, "yes, I've heard that, too." But what the other person will have heard, is only what Reynaldo started, as the gossip went around. However, Reynaldo will think he's really being told something, and he'll make a note of it for Polonius, that somebody agreed about Laertes gambling.
What Reynaldo will end up reporting to Polonius will be essentially the same defamation Reynaldo, himself, initiated. Reynaldo won't recognize it as such, nor will Polonius. When gossip gets repeated, people add various details from their own imaginations, and something that one person says will sound quite different when the fourth or fifth person tries to repeat the same thing. So Reynaldo won't know that it's just his own stories coming back, because various details, that sound authentic, will be added. For example, people who know the Paris scene will assume that if Laertes gambles, it must be at a certain gambling house they know about, and they'll add that detail when they tell somebody else.
Polonius's fetch of wit is a preordained failure, because of how people talk, especially about other people, and because of what human imagination does to the details of stories that people repeat. Polonius will never find out the truth of what his son is doing, with that method, of relying on gossip, and especially since it's his own agent starting the gossip in the first place.
The way to really find out what Laertes is doing, would be the tried-and-true method of following him, or hiring local people to follow him. That would show, factually, where Laertes truly goes. No slander necessary.
The author of Hamlet knew all this, of course. He most certainly knew how people talk. Slander/Rumor is a theme of the play.
Polonius's idea sounds perfect to him, because he's a political bureaucrat who does everything by using words. He talks to people, and writes things, and that's how he does his job - with words. He's lived in a world of words for decades. So, when he thinks of a way for Reynaldo to (supposedly) find out about Laertes in Paris just by talking, in a clever way, it sounds ideal to Polonius. Words are how he gets everything done, himself, and he automatically assumes it's the same everywhere. But in Paris, out in the real world, far away from Polonius's office, it will not work.
Also, Laertes was in Paris earlier, and he'll have friends there. Polonius specifically told Reynaldo to find Laertes's acquaintances to talk to. His friends will quickly tell Laertes that somebody is spreading defamatory stories about him, and Laertes will have no problem finding out who it is. He'll be extremely offended.
Further, slander is undoubtedly going to be against the law in France. Polonius's bright idea is hopeless in practice, highly offensive to his son, and also illegal. His idea has one more tiny problem that will be mentioned later.
hw 968, to hw 980- (Ophelia enters)
Polonius: Farewell. How now, Ophelia, what's the matter?
Ophelia: Oh, my Lord, my Lord, I have been so affrighted.
Pol: With what, i'the name of God?
Ophelia: My Lord, as I was sewing in my closet,
Lord hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced,
No hat upon his head, his stockings fouled,
Ungartered, and down-gyved to his ankle,
Pale as his shirt, his knees knocking each other,
And with a look so piteous in purport
As if he had been loosed out of Hell
To speak of horrors, he comes before me.
---
Affrighted means "frightened." Closet was the term for a private room, which was "closed" to those who lacked permission to enter. Closet means about the same as "parlor."
Unbraced means "unbuttoned" or "unfastened." A nice doublet, such as Hamlet would have worn, probably had a long row of buttons, but there were also doublets with hook fasteners, or cords to tie.
Fouled means "rumpled and twisted," like the idea of a fouled rope or a fouled sail on a ship. It might include the stockings being dirty, but doesn't necessarily imply that.
Down-gyved means Hamlet's stockings were not tied above the knee to hold them up. Men in Elizabethan times wore long stockings, and they tied a ribbon above the knee to keep the stockings in place. Ophelia means the ribbons for the stockings were there, but Hamlet hadn't tied them securely, and they had fallen down to his ankles.
The Fool card in the Visconti-Sforza tarot deck provides an approximate illustration, although not an exact illustration, of how Hamlet appeared to Ophelia. See the "Tarot" link on the Home page of this website.
Contrary to what most books will try to tell you, Hamlet was not feigning madness when he rushed into Ophelia's room. It was his true reaction to his bad dream. Forget "antic disposition," and view the events as "real." That's the only way you'll understand the play. Hamlet was not pretending. He was truly terrified by his horrible dream, and was compelled to see Ophelia, to be sure she was alright.
Ophelia has hurried to her father intending to get permission to see Hamlet again, and talk to him, to find out why he behaved as he did. She's also hoping her father can explain Hamlet's behavior. One must keep in mind that Ophelia is only about fifteen years old, and still very much under her father's control, particularly in the patriarchal society of 16th century Europe, and most particularly in the household of a man like Polonius. To talk to Hamlet, she needs Polonius's permission, as far as she knows. She has been raised to be subordinate, and obedient, to her father.
hw 981, to hw 997- Pol: Mad for thy love?
Ophelia: My Lord, I do not know,
But truly, I do fear it.
Pol: What said he?
Ophelia: He took me by the wrist, and held me hard;
Then goes he to the length of all his arm,
And with his other hand thus o'er his brow,
He falls to such perusal of my face,
As he would draw it; long stayed he so;
At last, a little shaking of mine arm,
And thrice his head thus waving up and down,
He raised a sigh so piteous and profound
As it did seem to shatter all his bulk
And end his being; that done, he lets me go,
And with his head over his shoulder turned,
He seemed to find his way without his eyes,
For out o'doors he went without their help,
And to the last bended their light on me.
---
Hamlet's romantic advances to Ophelia are all Polonius knows about, concerning Hamlet and Ophelia, so he assumes that to be the cause of Hamlet's behavior. It's also all that Ophelia knows about, that might be the cause.
Hamlet was left speechless by his nightmare, and wasn't able to say anything to Ophelia. He could only look at her, at a loss for words.
Hamlet's nodding of his head was his affirmation, to himself, that Ophelia was alive and alright. The touch of her, and the sight of her, reassured him. He had to hold her wrist, and feel warm flesh, and feel a pulse, to be sure she wasn't a ghost. His sigh was a huge sigh of relief. After he sighed, he relaxed and slumped so suddenly, Ophelia was afraid he'd fall down.
Hamlet's behavior has a second meaning, as well. When he shook Ophelia's arm he was symbolically shaking hands goodbye to her, temporarily, while he works on finding a reasonably safe and dependable way to kill Claudius. He doesn't want her associated with him while he plots regicide - it's too dangerous. His nod was also a thoughtful nod, and his sigh also expressed his regret that he'll have to part with her, for now.
Out o'doors means he left her room, not that he went outside. Ophelia's room would not have a door directly to the outside. Her room opens onto a hallway, or a living room.
Bended means "aimed" or "angled," meaning that he kept his eyes on her. Their light means the light that was projected from his eyes. Ophelia is referring to a theory of Plato, still well known in Elizabethan times, that the human eye was a source of light.
hw 998, to hw 1007- Pol: Come, go with me! I will go seek the King;
This is the very ecstasy of love,
Whose violent property fordoes itself,
And leads the will to desperate undertakings
As oft' as any passions under Heaven
That does afflict our natures; I am sorry . . .
What, have you given him any hard words of late?
Ophelia: No, my good Lord, but as you did command,
I did repel his letters, and denied
His access to me.
---
Polonius immediately decides to go to the King. He has concluded - for the wrong reason - that Hamlet's earlier expressions of love for Ophelia were sincere, and it was a mistake for him to order Ophelia not to see Hamlet. He's going to try to use the King's power to salvage the situation.
Ecstasy means "madness," and was also used in a larger way to mean any disturbed state of mind. Polonius believes that being deprived of Ophelia's company has driven Hamlet "mad." However, he thinks Hamlet's "madness" is curable.
Fordoes means "destroys" or "undoes." Desperate undertakings means the way Hamlet barged into Ophelia's room, and stared at her without saying a word. In Polonius's experience, when one person stares at another, with a "hellish" expression, and without saying anything, it's a sign of anger. He has misinterpreted Hamlet's behavior as indicating anger toward Ophelia. However, he thinks that if Hamlet is displaying strong emotion to Ophelia now, even if it's anger, Hamlet must have felt strong emotion about Ophelia earlier, which means he really loved her. Polonius's conclusion, that Hamlet loves Ophelia, is correct, but for all the wrong reasons. He's right by accident.
It's Hamlet's love for his father, that led him to plan a desperate undertaking, of revenge against Claudius, and it is that which afflicts his nature, caused his nightmare, and sent him in panic to Ophelia's room. Polonius knows nothing of all that, and his allusive wording is accidental by him.
Polonius starts to say he's sorry for not taking Hamlet's love for Ophelia seriously, earlier, but it suddenly occurs to him that maybe the current problem isn't his fault. Perhaps Ophelia caused the problem. This is Polonius's bureaucratic instinct showing: in bureaucratic thinking, if something goes wrong, always look for somebody else to blame. He automatically thinks of perhaps being able to blame Ophelia. He asks her whether she's spoken harshly to Hamlet, but she says she's done as he ordered.
hw 1008, to hw 1015- Pol: That hath made him mad;
I am sorry, that with better heed and judgment,
I had not quoted him; I feared he did but trifle,
And meant to wrack thee; but beshrew my jealousy;
By Heaven, it is as proper to our age
To cast beyond ourselves in our opinions,
As it is common for the younger sort
To lack discretion; come, go we to the King;
---
Finding no way to blame Ophelia, Polonius takes the blame, and says he's sorry - but he's saying it to himself, not to her. Polonius is looking at the wall as he apologizes, not at her.
However, it must be noted that Polonius has such a hard time being right, that he's even wrong when he apologizes, if only to himself. Hamlet's behavior toward Ophelia is not Polonius's fault. The blame, for Hamlet's behavior, traces to Claudius's act of murder, which led to the Ghost, and Hamlet's nightmare. So it's really Claudius to blame. Polonius is so chronically wrong, that he's even wrong when he says he's sorry.
By mad, Polonius basically means "angry." He takes madness, and anger, as essentially synonymous. He mistakenly thinks Ophelia has described that Hamlet is angry at her.
There is considerable "mad"/"angry" wordplay in Hamlet. One must not always automatically take "mad" to mean "crazy," since it sometimes has a primary meaning of "angry," and can carry both meanings simultaneously.
Coted means "passed," like one competitor passing another in a race. The term comes from the running of greyhounds. There is amusement in old, slow Polonius describing himself in terms of a greyhound. Polonius means he wishes he'd gotten ahead of Hamlet, and had realized Hamlet loved Ophelia, before Hamlet got mad/angry. Polonius is not expressing affection for Ophelia. He means he would have bestowed Ophelia on Hamlet as his wife, to earn the favor of the Prince of the nation, if he knew Hamlet loved her. It's the bureaucrat in Polonius talking, eager to do favors for his superiors, to advance himself.
Wrack thee puns with "rack thee," obviously, with an undertone of the torture device. In plain meaning, wrack means "ruin."
Beshrew means "curse," from a root meaning for "shrew" that ultimately means "devil," so the word fundamentally means "bedevil." Jealousy is used in the sense of "suspicion." Polonius curses his suspicion about Hamlet's motives.
Polonius then indulges in his habit of trying to express ideas in the form of epigrams. Our age means people his age, older people, which he contrasts with what the younger sort do. He also contrasts proper with common.
With cast beyond ourselves in our opinions he means what we would now call "getting a second opinion," which in turn means, as he says, that he's going to the King. Cast further means as in casting a bait in fishing. Polonius is going to "fish" to get Claudius involved. Discretion means "judgment."
So, Polonius's epigram means it's as proper for older people to consult authority, as it is common for younger people to lack judgment. It makes no real sense. It's proper for people any age to get a second opinon about things they don't know for sure. As far as the young lacking judgment, Polonius, an older person, has just shown that he lacks judgment. Indeed, he's shown his lack of judgment throughout this entire Scene. As far as Hamlet's love for Ophelia goes, Polonius should have trusted Ophelia's judgment, and she's only fifteen.
hw 1016, to hw 1017- This must be known, which being kept close, might move
More grief to hide, than hate to utter love;
Come.
(they exit)
---
In closing, Polonius recites another epigram. His speech habit is so ingrained, he can't help it. It's an unfortunate choice of words, as Ophelia hears it. The word hate dismays her. However, Polonius doesn't mean "hate" as he says it.
Hate, as the author used it here, means both "hate," and the phrase "have it."
To get "have it," hate is an abbreviation without the apostrophe, on the pattern of ore, an abbreviation which the original printing uses to mean "o'er" (over.) For ore, the v sound is dropped, and the e is moved to the end. On that pattern, take "have it" and drop the v sound, abbreviate further by dropping the i from "it," bring the words together, then move the e to the end, and it gives the spelling of "hate." It sounds complicated, and it is. An ordinary writer might never even notice that a "hate" abbreviation for "have it" could be done. (The word hate appears in the play four times, each time with the dual meaning of both "hate" and "have it," which gives wordplay in each case.)
Since Elizabethan spelling was not standardized, the author could use spelling variations to convey multiple meanings, and did so here, in an unusually sophisticated way. It gives a double meaning to Polonius's line. In addition, the word utter has a double meaning.
Close means "secret." In Polonius's intended meaning, utter means "speak," and hate means "have it." A change in word order is also necessary to get the meaning. Further, hide means to remain silent, as in hiding a secret by remaining silent.
What Polonius intends to say is: "This must be known, which if it were kept secret, might more cause Grief to keep his love silent, than have it that Grief will speak love." His epigram, as he intends it, contrasts hide (meaning silence) with utter (meaning to speak.)
Hamlet is poetically cast as "Grief" personified. Polonius thinks that keeping Hamlet's love for Ophelia a secret will lead to Hamlet hiding his love, by remaining silent about it, instead of having Hamlet speak "love" to Ophelia. This goes back to Hamlet's silence in Ophelia's room, where he didn't "speak love" to her. Polonius intends to find a way, using the King, to make Hamlet "speak love" to Ophelia again, and not remain silent about it. We'll see Polonius's attempt to make Hamlet "speak love" to Ophelia, where Claudius can hear it, in the later Nunnery Scene.
But Ophelia didn't understand Polonius's epigram that way, that her father intends to have Hamlet "speak love" to her again. She heard a second meaning. She heard hate. She didn't quite follow what Polonius meant - who does? - but she definitely heard hate.
Unfortunately, hate is only the way Polonius said "have it," to get a contrast with love in wordplay. He didn't mean "hate."
Ophelia heard it that changing hate to "complete love" is something less likely than something about moving more grief to hide. She took utter to mean "complete." She thought she heard Polonius say that changing hate to "complete love" was not likely. She thought Polonius said that Hamlet hates her now.
Polonius is going to the King, to try to use the King's influence to force marriage between Hamlet and Ophelia. He intends by so doing, to have it that Hamlet will "speak love" to Ophelia, once again, and not remain silent as he did in her room. If Polonius can arrange for the marriage, it will make things alright, he's sure, and he'll have a Prince for a son-in-law. Ophelia doesn't understand that, and doesn't know why Polonius is going to the King. Her father goes to the King about everything.
Having a Prince in the family crossed Polonius's mind when he originally learned Hamlet was romancing Ophelia, but he dismissed it then as a realistic possibility. His thinking was dominated by his fears about Laertes in Paris, and he thought Hamlet was only interested in Ophelia for casual sex. Now Polonius realizes he missed a great chance, and he'll have to take action, to force the issue, to have Hamlet marry Ophelia, since Hamlet is now angry at Ophelia, he thinks. So, he'll involve the King, to use the King's power and influence, to overcome Hamlet's "madness."
Polonius doesn't know Hamlet and Ophelia have already agreed, privately, to marry, and they're secretly engaged. He'll be trying to force a marriage between people who already plan to marry. It's an odd thing to do - crazy.
Further, Polonius takes "mad" and "angry" as essentially synonymous, so if Hamlet is now angry at Ophelia, it means his love for her is the origin of his "madness," as Polonius understands it. So Polonius thinks he has made a psychological breakthrough, and has found the cause of Hamlet's "madness." Hamlet is mad/angry because he loves Ophelia and she refused to see him. To Polonius, it makes sense.
In sum, Polonius thinks he'll impress Hamlet, by arranging for Hamlet to fulfill his love for Ophelia, and also impress Claudius, by curing Hamlet's "madness." Polonius foresees that he'll be rewarded by both of them, and then with the big bonus that he'll have the Prince as his son-in-law. It'll be wonderful, Polonius believes, a bureaucrat's fantasy come true. He gives no thought to Ophelia, herself, as a person. She's trade goods, in his bureaucratic aspirations.
But then, there's the way Ophelia heard all this as Polonius said it. She was not able to follow him better than anybody would, without taking notes. However, she heard some significant things. First, she heard him say Hamlet's love for her was "fordone," when Polonius was, as usual, indulging in rhetoric. She caught the part about going to the King, but her father always goes to the King. Polonius didn't explain why, in words that anybody could understand. Then, she heard him say hate.
As Ophelia heard it, it sounded like Polonius said Hamlet's love for her was destroyed, and Hamlet hates her now. She doesn't realize that in the intricacy of Polonius's attempt at epigram he pronounced "have it" as hate only to get verbal contrast with love. Ophelia is now extremely upset with her father, shocked and dismayed, that Hamlet hates her because her father ordered her to avoid him, and she obeyed. Hamlet's love for her is ruined - and it's all her father's fault! The man she loves, and who promised to marry her, now hates her, because of her father. She heard her father, himself, admit it. She doesn't know Polonius's plan is to try to force the marriage, and she'd never think of that, since she knows that she and Hamlet had already intended to marry. The possibility of Polonius trying to arrange for a marriage, that was already planned, will not occur to her (and she'll never get an understandable explanation out of Polonius.)
Ophelia came to her father hoping he could explain Hamlet's behavior in her room, and as best she can glean it, from what she thinks Polonius said, the reason is: Hamlet now hates her.
She got no chance to ask Polonius for permission to talk to Hamlet again, to try to learn directly from him why he acted as he did.
The Folio omits Polonius's final line, the instruction, "Come" to Ophelia, but it's necessary to the dialogue, and Q2 is correctly followed. Ophelia is so upset by what she heard Polonius say, as she took it, that if he didn't tell her to come along, she'd just stand there.
So, now:
Hamlet wants Ophelia well away from him, not associated with him, to keep her out of danger while he plots to kill Claudius.
Polonius is now sure Hamlet loves Ophelia, and he's going to tell Claudius all about it, and try to bring Hamlet and Ophelia together.
Ophelia is devastated that Hamlet's love for her is destroyed and he hates her now, as she thinks Polonius told her, and she blames her father. She heard Polonius admit it was his fault.
End of Scene 6
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(Regained)