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. the Tragical History of . H A M L E T . Prince of Denmark .
(Notes)
- Scene 8 [~ Nunnery Scene ~] (Act 3 Scene 1)
hw 1646, to hw 1647- Setting: inside the Castle;
the Lobby;
early afternoon.
(Claudius and Gertrude enter, with their attendants;
Polonius and Ophelia enter;
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern enter)
---
The Scene setting is known to be the Lobby, because it was so stated earlier. Polonius said that Hamlet often walked for long hours in the Lobby; Gertrude agreed he did; then Polonius proposed his spying plan, At such a time, and Claudius agreed. The spying plan, against Hamlet, will be implemented in this Scene as it unfolds. Therefore, this room is the Lobby.
The time is less certain, but it's several hours before nightfall, because there's mention of the play This night. Later in the play, Hamlet will tell another character that it's then the time he usually takes his exercise; the time of day, when Hamlet will say that, is reasonably the afternoon. In this Scene, the spying plan must be started before Hamlet would usually be there. So, it's probably the early afternoon, here.
hw 1648, to hw 1651- Claudius: And can you by no drift of conference
Get from him why he puts on this confusion,
Grating so harshly all his days of quiet
With turbulent and dangerous lunacy?
---
Claudius is lying.
Hamlet has not been behaving that way. As Polonius already observed, and Gertrude agreed, Hamlet spends hours walking in the Lobby. That isn't turbulent, or dangerous. Hamlet has given both Polonius and R & G a hard time in conversation, with obscure allusions, but there's nothing dangerous about that. It's confusing, but basically harmless. The only really odd thing Hamlet has done, was when he rushed to Ophelia's room, but Polonius thinks he can explain that, as a symptom of love, and the "turbulence" and "danger" of love are not what Claudius means. Claudius is worried about the "turbulence" and "danger" of hate, with him as the object.
Claudius is lying, to defame Hamlet as a dangerous lunatic. Claudius is highly insecure as King, and is trying to put down the competition. By coincidence, he's right that Hamlet could be a mortal danger to him, but Claudius doesn't personally know that. Claudius's statement is defamation, not a correct description of Hamlet's behavior that anybody has seen. Hamlet hasn't done much of anything, yet, except wander for long hours, and occasionally talk in philosophical and obscure ways.
Puts on this confusion has a double meaning. It can be read as, "pretends to be confused," or as "causes this confusion" (in Claudius's mind.)
The discussion is already in progress as we enter the Scene, shown by Claudius's first dialogue word being And. Hamlet has been mentioned, in a preliminary way, and Claudius is now turning to the subject of Hamlet's alleged madness. What has already been mentioned is probably only that R & G spent some time with Hamlet, and talked to him.
Conference means "private conversation." The confusion and the harsh Grating are Claudius's revelation of what's going on in his own head. He's fretting so much about Hamlet, he can't rest. Claudius's word his is actually a reference to himself; it's his own days of quiet that he wants. His really means "my."
Taking that one small step further, it gives Claudius announcing himself, in undertone, as a "turbulent and dangerous" lunatic. Yes.
It isn't Hamlet who's mad. Hamlet didn't murder his own brother.
hw 1652, to hw 1657- Rosencrantz: He does confess he feels himself distracted,
But from what cause, he will by no means speak.
Guildenstern: Nor do we find him forward to be sounded,
But with a crafty madness keeps aloof
When we would bring him on to some confession
Of his true state.
---
R & G are not going to disagree with Claudius. They accept Claudius's statements. But they can't confirm, with any specifics, what Claudius said. They offer vague responses. Of course they blame Hamlet, not themselves, for the way their meeting with him went.
Hamlet did "confess," sort of, that he felt distracted, when he gave his foul and pestilent congregation speech. But it wasn't that he refused to state the cause; he said he didn't know why. Even in vague generality, R is not telling Claudius the whole truth.
G calls Hamlet crafty in his madness. What G means is, he didn't see Hamlet being "turbulent" or "dangerous." But G takes Claudius's word for it, so Hamlet must have been crafty in hiding his "turbulence" and "danger." It's very "crafty" of a mad person not to seem very mad. G is not telling the truth, either. If he were truthful, he'd merely say, no, Hamlet didn't seem that way, to him. But G isn't going to contradict Claudius. Both R & G are being good "yes men" for Claudius, as best they can.
What it amounts to, is that R & G are both saying Hamlet was not a cooperative witness against himself, to prove Claudius's statements about Hamlet being a dangerous lunatic.
Both R & G use a form of confess in referring to Hamlet, as though he were "sinful," and had something he ought to confess. They have both chosen this odd form of expression, as though Claudius were their high priest, or their god, in a religious setting. It's as though Claudius is god, R & G are priests, and Hamlet is a sinner who ought to confess. Or, it's as though Claudius were the judge, and R & G were interrogators trying to get a confession from a suspect. The word confess has both a religious meaning, and a legal meaning.
hw 1658, to hw 1663- Gertrude: Did he receive you well?
Ros: Most like a gentleman.
Guil: But with much forcing of his disposition.
Ros: Niggard of question, but of our demands,
Most free in his reply.
Gert: Did you assay him to any pastime?
---
Gertrude is not satisfied with R & G's vague generalities, and demands specifics. She did not want them there to try to get some sort of confession from her son, she instructed them to try to be good company for him, and they said they would.
R is wise, in speaking to the Queen, to call her son a gentleman. It's probably the smartest thing he does in the whole play. It's true Hamlet observed formal politeness to them, despite how rude they were to him. Hamlet's insistence on shaking hands with them has its effect here. R can't deny Hamlet shook hands with them, like a gentleman.
G is quite honest in saying Hamlet had to force himself to be polite to them. G doesn't say why, and probably doesn't realize why, that it's because they were so rude.
Question means the basic issue, i.e. Hamlet's alleged madness. R refers to it in an innocuous, discreet way, thinking the Queen wouldn't want to hear it bluntly stated. Again, he is right; she wouldn't like that. Niggard of question means Hamlet withheld from them the answer to why he is "mad." R's remark isn't quite true. Hamlet did tell them, about his madness north-northwest, but he did it in a very obscure and high-flown way, that they had no hope of understanding.
Our demands means their inquiries, during the course of the conversation with Hamlet. Hamlet was, indeed, very free with his replies; he said whatever he felt like saying.
Gertrude is still on point that R & G are supposed to be good company for Hamlet, so she asks about pastimes.
hw 1664, to hw 1669- Ros: Madam, it so fell out that certain players
We o'er-raught on the way, of these we told him,
And there did seem in him a kind of joy
To hear of it: they are here about the Court,
And as I think, they have already order
This night to play before him.
---
O'er-raught has a double meaning. First, it means "overtook." R & G overtook the actors on the road, and passed them.
Second, o'er-raught puns with "overwrought," and refers to "overdone" acting, bad acting. This is an unintentional self-reference by R. R & G "overdid" it as actors; they were bad actors in playing a part against Hamlet, and they failed to fool Hamlet.
A kind of joy is wild understatement by R. Hamlet was thrilled to see the Players arrive. R doesn't want to admit Hamlet was much more pleased to see the actors than he was to see R & G.
R correctly says the players will do a play that night.
hw 1670, to hw 1672- Polonius: 'Tis most true,
And he beseeched me to entreat your Majesties
To hear and see the matter.
---
Hamlet has used Polonius to invite the King to the Mousetrap play. It's appropriate. Polonius is glad to say it, as it's something more than R & G had, so it's a small advantage for Polonius, in his bureaurcratic competition with R & G to be Claudius's best servant. But Polonius is lying a little, too. It's extremely doubtful Hamlet did any begging to Polonius. Hamlet ordered Polonius to tell them.
hw 1673, to hw 1677- Clau: With all my heart,
And it doth much content me
To hear him so inclined.
Good gentlemen, give him a further edge,
And drive his purpose into these delights.
Ros: We shall, my Lord.
(Rosencrantz and Guildenstern exit;
---
Claudius is pleased to hear that Hamlet is involved in some harmless amusement, instead of plotting to kill him and take the crown. That's Claudius's paranoid fear, which happens to be right. The saying comes to mind, "even a paranoid can have real enemies," and also "just because you're paranoid, that doesn't mean somebody's not out to get you." Claudius has no real reason, at this point, to think Hamlet means him harm, but by coincidence, involving things Claudius doesn't know, his paranoid suspicion of Hamlet is correct.
Give him a further edge is like saying "sharpen his sword," as in sharpening the edge of a knife. Claudius's line is ironic in anticipation of the fencing match, later. Hamlet's ultimate "delight" will be to stab Claudius. In deep undertone, Claudius is asking to be stabbed with a sharp sword. The plain reading is that R & G should encourage Hamlet to be even more interested in plays.
Delights is ironic. It goes back to Hamlet's remark that man does not delight him. Here, Claudius uses delights in reference to plays, but at the Mousetrap play Claudius will find that, just as Hamlet said, man does not delight him, and he'll get up and leave.
hw 1678, to hw 1686- Claudius waves away the attendants, and they exit)
Claudius: Sweet Gertrude, leave us two,
For we have closely sent for Hamlet hither,
That he, as 'twere by accident, may here
Affront Ophelia; her father and myself,
We'll so bestow ourselves, that seeing unseen,
We may of their encounter frankly judge,
And gather by him as he is behaved,
If't be th'affliction of his love or no
That thus he suffers for.
---
The stage direction, for the attendants to exit, is probably best explicit, but could be left implicit. The spying plan against Hamlet is now commencing, and Claudius will want it that only Ophelia will be seen by Hamlet, so Hamlet will talk freely, with nobody around who might inhibit conversation. Claudius will dismiss the attendants, who entered at the beginning of the Scene, with a wave of his hand.
Claudius says leave us two, meaning Polonius and him. He is ignoring Ophelia, who is standing there, and who is the key player in the scheme. It's foolish of Claudius to ignore and offend Ophelia, even if she is "only a girl," because she's vital to their success. She's their "star player" for the game plan, and she won't like being mistreated. This is not a good sign for success of their idea.
Closely means "soon." Claudius has personally summoned Hamlet, to ensure he'd be there, and he's supposed to arrive soon. Claudius didn't want to wait around for a long time, until Hamlet might wander through on his own. Also, rather than leaving it to chance, Claudius wanted to specify a private meeting, to insure Hamlet would be alone.
And Claudius has made a stupid blunder. Since it was a personal summons from Claudius, when Hamlet arrives he'll expect Claudius to be there. Hamlet will be looking for Claudius in the room. Claudius will try to hide in a room where he has told Hamlet he would be.
Affront means "confront," as in "meet," for the plain reading. It has a connotation of "offend." There is facetious irony in the undertone of Claudius saying he has summoned Hamlet there to offend Ophelia, which is exactly what's going to happen.
Claudius's phrase, affliction of his love, is, by accident, all too prescient.
hw 1687- Gertrude: I shall obey you.
---
In the eye of the legendary pig, she will.
Don't we know anything about human nature? Don't we know anything about human curiosity?
Think about it. Gertrude's beloved son is going to talk with his sweetheart, in what's supposed to be a very important and revealing conversation, while Claudius and Polonius listen - and she's just going to walk away?? Har har. Tell me another one. And there's more than one arras in the room. More on this, below.
Claudius accepts Gertrude's statement without thinking about it.
hw 1688, to hw 1693- And for your part, Ophelia, I do wish
That your good beauties be the happy cause
Of Hamlet's wildness, so shall I hope your virtues,
Will bring him to his wonted way again,
To both your honors.
Ophelia: Madam, I wish it may.
(Gertrude hides)
---
Part has allusion to the acting term; Ophelia is to play a part in the plan. In plain reading, Gertrude means for Ophelia, herself.
Beauties means "charms," in the sense of feminine charms.
Gertrude refuses to speak of her son being mad, but she bends slightly to the idea of Hamlet behaving abnormally, and says wildness. She's always known him as a happy child, and he's different now. She's perceptive enough that it does seem to her there's something more than his father's death, and even more than her marriage to Claudius, but she isn't sure what else. She hopes Ophelia can make Hamlet happy again.
Gertrude is not being hypocritical here in speaking of honor and virtue, by the way. We'll get to that.
Gertrude has no exit, here, in Q2, and that is not an oversight by the author, or a mistake by the printer. She is not leaving. She wants to listen, too.
There is more than one arras in the room, including one in the direction of the door. Gertrude takes a few steps in the direction of the door. When Claudius and Polonius turn to Ophelia, and Ophelia looks at them, Gertrude steps behind that arras. She is unseen by them.
hw 1694, to hw 1706- Polonius: Ophelia, walk you here; gracious, so please you;
We will bestow ourselves; read on this book,
That show of such an exercise may color
Your lowliness; we are oft' to blame in this,
'Tis too much proved, that with devotion's visage
And pious action, we do sugar o'er
The Devil, himself.
Claudius: Oh, 'tis too true!
How smart a lash that speech doth give my conscience.
The harlot's cheek beautied with plastering art,
Is not more ugly to the thing that helps it,
Then is my deed to my most-painted word;
Oh, heavy burden.
---
Gracious is Polonius's one-word coaching of Ophelia in how to act. It makes a stark contrast to Hamlet's later coaching, at considerable length, of the players. Polonius is telling Ophelia to be "gracious" to Hamlet, courteous and charming. Ophelia is naturally gracious, as anybody could see. She wouldn't be any other way. It's an idiotic instruction for Polonius to give. As before, Polonius can't clearly see his own daughter, to give her such an instruction, as though she'd be different. Also, gracious connotes "fetching," that Ophelia is supposed to "fetch" Hamlet to that spot for conversation.
Further, recall Polonius's instructions to Reynaldo, where he gave coaching in such detail it became ridiculous. But all he tells Ophelia is she should be gracious, and he gives her a book to hold. Polonius has much more attention to servants, male servants that is, and would rather talk to servants, than to his own daughter, even in this situation which is very important to him. And it's a sure bet that Polonius has not explained to Ophelia exactly why she's being ordered to do this, and exactly what the goal is. She knows it has something to do with Hamlet's madness being related to loving her, until Hamlet started hating her - which is what her father told her - and that's all she knows.
Polonius's bestow echoes Claudius's use of the word. Polonius, if he thought about it at all, would know Ophelia heard that when Claudius said it. She's standing right there. Polonius mindlessly repeats the word. Bestow means "store" or "stash," here used in the sense of "hide." It also means "house," which becomes relevant further on. In archaic usage, it also refers to marriage, which is pertinent to Polonius's plan.
The book is just a book, any book. It is not a prayer book, and certainly not the Bible. The historical idea about that is misguided. Polonius gives Ophelia a book to hold because he knows Hamlet often carries a book, and reads books. The familiarity of a book is supposed to help entice Hamlet to approach Ophelia, as if Ophelia, herself, weren't enough.
It's established in the play that Hamlet respects prayer. In the later Prayer Scene, Hamlet will be dissuaded by prayer from killing Claudius when Hamlet has his goal easily within his grasp. Hamlet does not disturb persons at prayer. If Ophelia appeared to be praying in this scene, Hamlet would not bother her, he would not approach her.
Exercise means "activity," in a general way. As Hamlet uses the word, it means mostly physical activity, and similarly when Claudius later uses the word. Hamlet will later speak of this time of day as being when he usually takes some exercise. The exercise of reading the book is the act, or activity, of reading it. There is no implication of religious activity in particular.
Lowliness is not coaching of Ophelia in how to act. Polonius, as he speaks, is mentioning how he views Ophelia. The book he's given her is one that goes along with, and emphasizes, her lowliness. This again shows the book is not a prayer book, nor the Bible, since those are not "lowly" books in Polonius's view. The book is something Polonius considers insignificant ( like Ophelia.) Maybe it's the printed version of Ralph Roister Doister. There's a point here on Ophelia's characterization: she is a maiden who would look devout even while reading RRD.
Ophelia is the key player in the scheme, and it is very unwise of Polonius to demean his key player, if he wants his plan to work.
The Folio substitute of "loneliness" is an error, at least for the plain reading of the text. Polonius is hopelessly insensitive to his daughter's feelings. He wouldn't notice Ophelia was lonely if she tattooed the word on her forehead. Whether the Folio reflects an intended undertone, of Ophelia being lonely, is an arguable point, but the Folio can't have the plain meaning right.
Polonius's remark about devotion's visage is his indulgence in his habit of sayings. The remark is an exaggerated, rather off-point way of describing his scheme as having an innocent appearance when the reality is otherwise. As often with his sayings, it is not very apt. By accident, he casts Hamlet, his prospective son-in-law, as The Devil, himself; strangely, this is relevant to a later Scene. But, however Hamlet has been acting, that's a little strong. Polonius did not intend to imply that; if he meant it, he'd hardly be trying to encourage the marriage. I'd like you to meet my son-in-law: the Devil, himself.
The Ghost had a visage to which Hamlet's devoted, and Hamlet's desire is a pious action of just and proper revenge. If Polonius's mindless sayings ever meant anything, you'd almost wonder who the Ghost is. But, you never know what Polonius will say next, and the author of Hamlet was a scamp.
In Claudius's lines, his figure of speech is that he has covered up his ugly crime of murder with words, to get away with it, the same way an old harlot covers her ugly face with makeup. Underneath, the ugliness is still there.
Polonius's remark has its effect on Claudius, very important for Hamlet's Mousetrap. By sheer happenstance, the remark stirs Claudius's conscience about his crime of murdering his brother. Hamlet is preparing his Mousetrap play to catch Claudius's conscience, but here, entirely by accident, Polonius has beaten Hamlet to it. Polonius, with one of his mindless sayings, has preempted Hamlet. There's no audience to see Claudius's reaction; his only "audience" is Ophelia and Polonius, and neither notices how Claudius reacted, as they look first at each other, and then toward the door. Claudius has accidentally gotten some "rehearsal" at handling his conscience, before the Mousetrap play. Hamlet's idea, of catching Claudius's conscience, has just gotten that much tougher. This accidental spur of Claudius's conscience is on the Fortune theme.
hw 1707, to hw 1708- Pol: I hear him coming; withdraw, my Lord.
(Claudius and Polonius hide behind an arras)
---
As always, Polonius becomes bossy when he's wrapped up in his ideas and schemes. Once again, he tells the King what to do. And once again, Claudius does as he's told. This is revealing of how weak Claudius is as King; his servant constantly orders him around.
Claudius and Polonius do not leave the stage. It would be incorrect to mark the stage direction as an "exit" (as the Folio did.)
hw 1709, to hw 1718- (Hamlet enters)
Hamlet: To be, or not to be, that is the question,
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing, end them; to die, to sleep
No more, and by a sleep, to say we end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to; 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished: to die, to sleep;
---
Hamlet is a little early, for answering the summons from Claudius. He's intentionally early; he wanted to arrive first. Claudius has summoned Hamlet, by himself, for "a word in private." Claudius did it that way to ensure Hamlet would be alone. If Hamlet had somebody with him, it could interfere with Hamlet talking openly to Ophelia, and expressing his true feelings, which is what Claudius wants to hear. We can be confident Claudius told Hamlet he wanted a word in private, just the two of them.
In his summons to Hamlet, Claudius has implied that he, also, will be alone. That would mean, perhaps with no witnesses around, and no guards. As Hamlet arrives, he's thinking this might be a good chance to kill Claudius. If Claudius had really called Hamlet for a word in private, as he said, Claudius could be dead in this room, today. Claudius would have set himself up for his own death (if Hamlet could have brought himself to do it.)
Hamlet sees Ophelia in the room, at a distance. He doesn't approach her at first, because he's waiting to see if she'll leave. He won't kill Claudius with her witnessing it. He expects an opportunity to kill Claudius, when Claudius arrives, but his course of action now depends on whether Ophelia stays or leaves. Hamlet's soliloquy expresses his thoughts as he waits to see whether Ophelia will remain in the room. (The reader knows she's going to stay, of course, but Hamlet doesn't yet know that.)
Hamlet's to be, or not to be speech is his attempt to encourage himself to kill Claudius, if Claudius arrives alone, or maybe even if Claudius isn't alone. As usual, Hamlet expresses himself in philosophical terms, trying to look at the big picture.
Hamlet is pondering whether it would be right for him to kill Claudius, even if he dies as a result, also. Hamlet could die if Claudius does happen to bring his guards, or if Hamlet is caught, convicted, and executed.
Would it be more noble, that he tried? Or, is it more noble for Hamlet to tolerate the situation that Fortune has created, however outrageous? This is his question. Fortune, the various events over which he had no control, has made Claudius King - should he fight it, or accept it? Which is the more noble thing to do?
Noble, in one sense, means "kingly." There is strong irony, in that the kings in the play have dead brothers, or would like to have dead "brothers," their brother kings. The kings, like Claudius, kill people, even their brothers. Hamlet's father was very noble, and he killed people. So far as Hamlet knows, in the entire history of mankind, in all nations, the great kings, the great nobles, have always killed. Killing must be noble. On the evidence of history, it is. But is that how Hamlet, himself, wants to be noble - by killing, like Claudius did? Hamlet isn't pleased at the thought of being "noble" like Claudius.
To be, or not to be is not a meditation upon suicide. It is Hamlet's meditation upon risk. He has certainly not given up on his chance of killing Claudius - which he thinks he might do in this very room, in only a minute or two. Hamlet is weighing the risks in his present situation, but beyond that, he is trying to assess the moral principles. He does observe, as he goes along, that he could just kill himself, as a possibility, but that is not what he means as he begins the speech. The suicide possibility develops a little further on, as he thinks about it. Hamlet could beat Claudius, and continue "to be," or he could fail, and then "not be," or, if he just wanted "not to be," he could simply kill himself. It's quite a bit more complicated than a simple meditation upon suicide.
Slings and arrows are weapons used in making an attack. Hamlet is expressing that events are attacking him, just as he expressed at first, before the Ghost talked to him, when he said he was too too sallied. He still feels too sallied (upon.) "Arrow" comes from a meaning of "arc," which is a kind of turn. "Sling" comes from a meaning of "twist." Slings and arrows, in root meanings, means "twists and turns." The root meanings establish that the phrase as we know it is correct, and the occasional speculation, in the history of commentary, about other wordings, can be set aside.
By end them Hamlet means, end the troubles one way, or the other. If he can kill Claudius, that would end the troubles involving Claudius. Or if he dies in consequence, from the guards, or a later execution, that would end the troubles, too, as far as he's concerned.
And what if he does die? It might be like a dreamless sleep. That would be alright, with no pain to feel, and nothing to bother him.
hw 1719, to hw 1722- To sleep, perchance to dream; Aye, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come,
When we haue shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause; there's the respect
---
But what if death isn't a dreamless sleep? Hamlet knows about nightmares, and he also knows about the concept of Hell. What if his death is not a dreamless sleep, but turns into a nightmare, for his soul, in Hell?
Rub was a term in bowling, meaning something that caused the ball to change course. This connects back to the Player's recital, the part about bowling the round nave of Fortune's Wheel down to the fiends. In wordplay there, the "round nave/knave" meant fat Claudius, as the undertone. Here, Hamlet has noticed a "rub" in his intent to bowl Claudius to Hell. Committing murder could damn Hamlet's soul. The "rub" is Hamlet's regard for himself.
Coil means "shell," as in "seashell." Many seashells, and also snail shells, have a spiral shape, a coiled shape. The metaphor follows sea of troubles. Hamlet pictures himself as a little creature in a shell, a coil, trying to survive in a sea of troubles. The word, coil, has a secondary meaning of "turmoil" or "trouble," meaning the sea of troubles, itself. Coil can be read as meaning both "shell" and "trouble" at the same time. In shuffling off the shell, he would leave both his body, and his troubles.
In the coil idea, there is a further "shell" meaning, the nutshell of Elsinore. Elsinore is wrapped around Hamlet like the coil of a snake, the "serpent" Claudius.
So, coil refers to Hamlet's body, and the sea of troubles, and the coils of the serpent, Claudius, all at the same time. This is a hint of why Hamlet is so hard to figure out. The author, such a great genius with words, sometimes used words in a way so that they mean three or four things, or more, all at once. Historically, commentators have, in many cases, bounced from one meaning of a word to another, not realizing that all the meanings, that they've been arguing about, are right. The author was frequently able to use one word to make multiple references to ideas in the play. The hawk - handsaw line is perhaps the most salient example, but coil is another. The word intentionally means more than one thing. Interpretation of Hamlet can sometimes be a bit of a nightmare, on that account.
But the possibility of more nightmares for himself, even after death, gives Hamlet pause.
hw 1723, to hw 1736- That makes calamity of so long life.
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law's delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he, himself, might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin; who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscovered country, from whose bourn
No traveler returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have,
Then fly to others that we know not of.
---
Hamlet extends his own view to the general case. His concept, to be, or not to be, soars free, like a high-flying hawk, and scans the being, or non-being, of all men. He mentions various ways that people suffer. He concludes that those who suffer through a weary life must do so only because they fear something after death. He is not correct, however, that his own case is the general rule. He has overgeneralized.
Hamlet has left out something. A weary life has some joys: a few friends, a little romance, perhaps children, an occasional interesting event to talk about; and a few simple pleasures, such as a good meal now and then, a flower to admire, the song of a bird. Even a dreadfully weary life has a little reward. Hamlet mentions none of that. As he looks to his own future, he sees no joy anywhere.
Bourn means "boundary" or "border." Hamlet says nobody returns from the country of death. The Ghost is no argument against Hamlet's point. The Ghost may have been seen in the living world, but it's only the image of Hamlet Sr. The deceased person has not returned to life; he's still dead.
Ophelia is visible to Hamlet, in the distance. But although Hamlet must notice her, he mentions no joys of life. It's a bad sign for their imminent encounter.
hw 1737, to hw 1744- Thus, conscience does make cowards,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pitch and moment,
With this regard, their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action. Soft you now,
The fair Ophelia; nymph, in thy orizons,
Be all my sins remembered.
---
Hamlet's words And thus signify that he has concluded Ophelia is going to stay in the room for a while longer. His "enterprise" has just turned awry. Hamlet expects Claudius to arrive at any moment, and he's not going to kill Claudius with her there. He drops the idea of action against Claudius, here, today, even if Claudius does arrive unguarded. Hamlet doesn't want Ophelia to see anything that might give her nightmares.
Hamlet's pale cast versus native hue anticipates his remarks to the Ghost in the Closet Scene, where he'll speak of tears versus blood.
Great pitch means "great importance and urgency," as in referring to a tense, high-pitched situation. Indeed it was, since Hamlet thought he might be within a minute of committing regicide, until he decided Ophelia wasn't leaving soon. Moment is a time reference, referring to an especially opportune moment, in this case. "Pitch," and the idea of time, also allude to music, and here, current means "flow." In this figure of speech, Hamlet means it's as though a person is in the middle of playing music, but is diverted, so the music becomes discordant, loses its flow, and fades away.
Nymph means "maiden," and can also mean a water creature. The undertone is a tragic anticipation of Ophelia's fate.
Hamlet tells himself to hush, with his philosophical musings. Then, to himself, he asks Ophelia to remember him in her prayers. He expects her to outlive him, and hopes he won't be forgotten, at least in her prayers, the way everybody, except him, seems to have forgotten his father. He also implies he's going to "sin" against her, that he's intentionally going to offend her.
hw 1745, to hw 1747- (Hamlet approaches Ophelia)
Ophelia: Good my Lord,
How does Your Honor for this many a day?
Hamlet: I humbly thank you, well.
---
Now Hamlet has strong suspicion Claudius is already there. There's more to human communication than literal words.
Hamlet entered looking for Claudius, who had summoned him there. Hamlet is aware Claudius should be there, any time now.
Ophelia will do a certain thing as Hamlet approaches. It's a very natural thing that any person would do, unless the person has unusually good awareness and discipline, or has had training. As Hamlet approaches, she will glance at the arras where Claudius and Polonius are hiding. She looks to see if they're properly hidden. It's perfectly natural, and Ophelia is a very natural young woman, not at all accustomed to deception. She will look at the arras, briefly, and Hamlet will notice she did that. He will wonder why.
If I know Ophelia would do that, the author unquestionably knew it.
Also, Ophelia is blushing, from having to face him in this situation. Hamlet will badly misinterpret that, as we'll see.
Ophelia's greeting is oddly stilted. Polonius and Claudius have not given her any lines to say, in playing her part, so she's having to ad-lib, and she's having to do it without any rehearsal. She doesn't know quite what to say. Hamlet is good at spotting bad acting. Think back to his encounter with R & G, where he identified them as "handsaws," bad actors. Here, Hamlet will know Ophelia is trying to play a part, and not doing it well. With no lines given her, and no rehearsal at all, there's no chance Ophelia can fool Hamlet in this situation. (This is another instance on the major play theme of Putting On A Show. People only put on a show when they have an audience.)
So, Hamlet arrived expecting Claudius to be in the room, or to be there soon. As he approached Ophelia, she glanced at the nearby arras. And now, her speech is strange, not at all how she would normally greet him in private. In addition to the odd phrasing of her greeting, she avoids using a nickname for him that she always uses in their private conversations.
Hamlet knows. Claudius, the man he expected to be in the room, is behind the arras. Hamlet doesn't know why Claudius is hiding. Hamlet will guess, shortly, but his guess will be terribly, terribly wrong.
The Folio's "well, well, well" is the actor onstage overdoing it on the point of Hamlet knowing. Properly, Hamlet only says well once. It would be appropriate, in performance, if he glances at the arras, the same as she did. Well has the double meaning of Hamlet telling Ophelia he's healthy, and is also a thoughtful "well" to signify Hamlet has realized the situation.
hw 1748, to hw 1757- Ophelia: My Lord, I have remembrances of yours
That I have longed long to redeliver;
I pray you now receive them.
Hamlet: No, not I, I never gave you ought.
Ophelia: My honored Lord, you know right well you did,
And with them, words of so sweet breath composed,
As made these 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.
---
Longed long is Ophelia's stumble as she attempts to ad-lib in this dreadfully difficult encounter. She does a surprisingly good job, though, despite having no lines and no rehearsal. She's a very bright girl.
Ophelia does not look happy, not in the least. She's sad and upset, and it shows. She hates that her father ordered her to do this. From Hamlet's point of view, she does not look glad to see him. That isn't really it, but it's the impression he gets when she doesn't smile at him. Her expression, as she looks at him, is woeful, and he naturally thinks her expression is for him. He thinks she's sorry to see him.
The remembrances are a few small gifts he's given her. They're not the love letters. Polonius has kept the letters, as his "legal proof" of Hamlet's love for his daughter.
The remembrances don't have any significant financial value. They aren't jewels or gold. They're things like a small flower, and a little seashell. But they mean the world to Ophelia, since Hamlet gave them to her, and it's breaking her heart to give them back. Keep in mind she doesn't know why she's been ordered to do this; she doesn't know what Polonius's goal is. Polonius can't explain things when he tries, and he thinks so little of Ophelia, he wouldn't even try. It's predictable he's mouthed a couple sayings at her, and that's all.
Polonius's scheme is absolute torture for Ophelia, because Polonius wants to prove something to Claudius, his Lord.
Pause for a moment, for a look at the Polonius character. What Polonius is forcing Ophelia to do here, is supposed to get Hamlet married to her, according to Polonius's ideas.
In Polonius's scheme, at the point where Ophelia tries to give the things back, Hamlet is supposed to refuse them. He's supposed to say, no, he wants her to keep them, because he loves her. Bingo. Then, Polonius will have his proof, in Hamlet's own words, that Hamlet loves Ophelia - and Claudius will hear it. Claudius will be justified in ordering Hamlet to marry Ophelia. That's what Polonius thinks will happen. Then, when Hamlet marries Ophelia it will cure his "madness." Hamlet became "mad" when Ophelia refused to see him, so being with Ophelia will cure Hamlet. Polonius thinks. It will all be a happy ending, in which Polonius gets credit for curing Hamlet, and has a Prince for a son-in-law. Perfect.
Yeah.
Hamlet denies giving Ophelia the things for several reasons. First, his ego is hurt, that she'd give them back, so he rejects the idea he ever gave them to her; it's a small way of soothing his own pain. Second, he doesn't want them back, he wants her to keep them. Third, now that he knows Claudius is there, he wants Claudius to think the things meant so little to him that he can't even remember them. Hamlet doesn't want Ophelia closely associated with him, in Claudius's thoughts, because he fears it could be a danger to her.
Ophelia's word perfume goes back to what Laertes said to her as he was leaving for France. Ophelia told Laertes she would remember what he said, and she has. She's smart, with a fine memory, but this situation is far beyond her.
Ophelia's line Rich gifts wax poor sounds like one of Polonius's sayings. As she tries to think what to say, with Polonius nearby, she unintentionally mimics the way he talks. Hamlet will notice that, and think "Polonius." In performance, as Ophelia is trying to think what to say, it would be correct for her to glance, again, at the arras, where her father is, looking for guidance, before she says this line. It would be natural for her to glance that direction for help, as she fumbles for something to say.
Her phrase noble mind repeats what Hamlet was pondering in his soliloquy, about what is nobler in the mind. She didn't hear him; her use of the phrase is coincidental. This is on the Fortune theme of the play. Hearing her say it disturbs Hamlet, though. Goodness, she just said the same thing he was thinking about, and what he was thinking about generally was killing Claudius.
In the course of Ophelia's inadvertent saying, Hamlet heard her call his gifts poor. Hamlet, who's styled himself a "beggar," is sensitive on that point. She called him unkind, as well. Literally, she told him his gifts weren't good enough for her, now, and he was unkind to give her such junk. She used to think they were nice, but now she doesn't, according to what she said: the gifts have waxed poor.
Hamlet can't help but wonder: why'd she change her mind? Is somebody giving her better things now? She said noble, too. It's a word that refers to a king - and he knows Claudius is there.
So, Hamlet has heard her call him unkind, and his gifts poor. She didn't mean a word of it. She was merely trying to come up with something to say, anything, in this terrible situation her father has put her in. It's a saying she picked up from her father's many sayings; she has an excellent memory. She said that particular saying because it's the only one she knows that has the word gifts in it, that's all. She meant the word gifts, but the rest was empty recital, only filler.
Hamlet accepts the return of the items as she hands them to him.
hw 1758, to hw 1763- Hamlet: Ha, ha, are you honest?
Ophelia: My Lord?
Hamlet: Are you fair?
Ophelia: What means your Lordship?
Hamlet: That if you be honest & fair, you should admit
no discourse to your beauty.
---
Hamlet's honest means "honorable," and includes the idea of being noble, which she just mentioned, and that Hamlet was pondering. His laugh is partly from the strange coincidence. The laugh is also a relief of emotion, as she gives the things back, and in response to her words; he's hurt, and he laughs instead of crying. He is not really amused. He's thinking as hard and fast as he can to figure out what's going on. When Hamlet thinks hard and fast, he can be extremely impressive, but that doesn't mean he's always right.
Giving the things back is the honorable thing to do, if their romance is at an end. But Hamlet suddenly has doubt she's honorable, because of the strange situation, as he quickly considers possibilites.
Hamlet's question, of whether Ophelia is honest, relates to this line from Ralph Roister Doister: "If ye be honest, my words can hurt you nothing." Hamlet is trying to reassure himself that what he's going to say to Ophelia won't hurt her. He is also beginning a defense of his ego. He also is going to try to fool Claudius. He has also formed a horribly mistaken idea about Ophelia. He's going to make a logical argument to try to deal with everything.
Four different things are going on, all at once. All shall be explained. It does take time. And there is not any "antic disposition" to be found in this passage, by the way. It isn't antic disposition by Hamlet, it's the genius of the author who wrote Hamlet. Everything Hamlet says, he says for a serious reason, and more than one reason. He is certainly not babbling to create confusion; he means what he says, and is doing the best he can. It's quite complicated, however.
For emphasis: if you try to take it that Hamlet's behavior is "antic disposition" you will never understand this scene. You have been warned.
The "Four Issues" are:- 1. Hamlet's attempt to defend his own ego;
- 2. Hamlet's attempt to give Ophelia good advice, and protect her;
- 3. Hamlet's attempt to deceive Claudius, whom he knows is there; and,
- 4. Hamlet's disgust and dismay at what he mistakenly concludes the deception, involving Ophelia, is all about.
Hamlet, the scholar, has quickly formulated a logical argument to try to handle all that.
A full explanation would be book-length. I'll keep it shorter.
Fair means beautiful. Hamlet is beginning his "logic." Hamlet says that if Ophelia is both honorable and beautiful, she should not allow compliments on her beauty. She shouldn't allow men to call her beautiful.
hw 1764, to hw 1775- Ophelia: Could beauty, my Lord, have better commerce
Than with honesty?
Hamlet: Aye, truly! For, the power of beauty will sooner transform
honesty, from what it is, to a bawd, than the force of honesty can
translate beauty into his likeness; this was sometime a paradox, but now the
time gives it proof; I did love you, once.
Ophelia: Indeed, my Lord, you made me believe so.
Hamlet: You should not have believed me, for virtue cannot so
evocutate our old stock, but we shall relish of it; I loved you not.
Ophelia: I was the more deceived.
---
Ophelia's use of commerce is an unfortunate choice of word by her. It's a small instance of bad luck, on the Fortune theme, since the word has a financial or trade connotation that goes along with Hamlet's horribly mistaken idea. Ophelia only intends commerce as in "conversation."
Ophelia is asking, shouldn't her beauty be mentioned in a truthful way? She uses honesty to mean "truthfulness." Ophelia wants to know, if she's beautiful, why shouldn't men truthfully say so, in talking to her? Should she make men lie?
Hamlet says, yes, she should make men lie to her about her beauty, and tell her she isn't. His use of truly, in affirming that men should lie to her, is ironic wordplay.
He says, the reason is, the power of truthfulness can't make beauty into a virtuous truth. Beauty, when true, will be a non-virtuous truth, because it will cause lying.
The power of beauty will more easily transform the virtue of truthfulness, from what it is, into a non-virtuous thing (lying,) than the power of truth can make beauty a virtuous thing like truth. Hamlet says.
The paradox is that the combination of virtues, beauty and truth, will result in a non-virtuous thing: a lie.
The above is somewhat simplified from what Hamlet said. Specifics will help. I promise.
Hamlet pictures it as a contest between beauty and truth. Hamlet is "truth." Ophelia is "beauty." Hamlet says that, in such a contest, beauty will defeat truth, easier than truth will defeat beauty. None of his truth changed her beauty. However, her beauty changed his truth. Beauty defeated truth. He, truth, told a lie, because of her beauty. The lie was when he said he loved her.
Ophelia - beauty - made Hamlet - truth - tell a lie.
The time means this particular case, at this particular time, between Hamlet and Ophelia. Hamlet means, "this instance, between you and me."
Once means "earlier." Hamlet did tell her he loved her, earlier. That was before he realized it was her beauty defeating his truth.
Hamlet has the answer, to uphold the virtue of truth, and prevent truthful men like him from lying to Ophelia.
If Ophelia stops men from telling her she's beautiful, it will avoid the contest between truth and beauty. There won't be any battle between truth and beauty, that beauty would inevitably win, to the detriment of truth. Truth, as a virtue, will be preserved.
Essentially, Hamlet is saying he lied to Ophelia. The lie was when he said he loved her. He lied because he was overwhelmed by her beauty. He didn't realize it, himself, at the time, but now he does.
That's the logic of it, so far. Discussion of Hamlet's logic in relation to the "Four Issues" will follow, at Hamlet's exit.
Evocutate is the correct word in the playtext. It is apparently the author's own coinage. It means the opposite of "inoculate." To inoculate, is to put into, like grafting a bud into a plant. The author's evocutate means "to be taken from," like taking a bud from a donor plant. The author needed an antonym of "inoculate," but finding none, he created one.
Relish means "suggest," or "indicate." Our old stock means the race of men, male human beings. Hamlet is telling Ophelia that virtue cannot be taken from men, like taking a bud from a plant, but men will suggest to her that it's possible. Men will seem virtuous to her when they're not; men will be lying to her when they seem truthful. He means there's not really any virtue to be had from men, although it may look that way.
On the plant metaphor, Hamlet is saying the "buds of affection" men may offer Ophelia, will not have the virtue they appear to have. Hamlet's little gifts to Ophelia were his buds of affection to her.
(A quick side note, that Saint Gertrude of Nivelles, associated with Gertrude in the play, is a patron of gardeners.)
There's something we all know. It's the old saying: beauty is in the eye of the beholder. That saying is absolutely true. "Beauty" is a human perception - and Hamlet is basing his whole logical argument on how beautiful Ophelia looks to him, as he gazes at her, which tells us more than words could say. Why does she look so overwhelmingly beautiful to him? Because he loves her, of course. The author certainly knew that basic fact, about beauty and love.
So much for Hamlet's "logic." He does love Ophelia. However, he now claims he doesn't. That's because of the issues he's trying to deal with.
Ophelia can't follow the "logical argument" by Hamlet. Nobody ever does. But Hamlet did say he used to love her, and now he doesn't. She got that much of it. It goes right along with what she thinks Polonius told her, about when Hamlet rushed into her room. Polonius told her, as she took it, that Hamlet did love her, earlier, but when she refused to see Hamlet under Polonius's orders, Hamlet then hated her. Hamlet has confirmed it to her, as she heard him. Hamlet used to love her, once, but no more - and Polonius caused it. Her father is to blame.
Ophelia, who dearly loves Hamlet, thinks he used to love her, but he doesn't now. He just told her so, himself, and it confirmed what her father said.
Hamlet, who deeply loves Ophelia, thinks she used to love him, but she doesn't now. She's refused to see him, and now she's given his gifts back.
Ophelia said she's the more deceived, but she's wrong, it's equal between them. They've been equally deceived. In plain reading, the more deceived, means "that much more deceived."
hw 1776, to hw 1788- Hamlet: Get thee a nunnery, why would'st thou be a breeder of sinners?
I am myself indifferent honest, but yet I could accuse me of
such things, that it were better my mother had not borne me: I am
very proud, revengeful, ambitious, with more offenses at my beck,
than I have thoughts to put them in, imagination to give them shape,
or time to act them in; what should such fellows as I do, crawling
between earth and Heaven, we are arrant knaves, believe none of us;
go thy ways to a nunnery. Where's your father?
Ophelia: At home, my Lord.
Hamlet: Let the doors be shut upon him,
That he may play the fool nowhere but in his own house;
Farewell.
---
Breeder of sinners has the mundane meaning of every person being a sinner, so any child of Ophelia's would be a sinner. That isn't really what Hamlet meant. He's still with his "logic," and is saying that Ophelia will cause men to lie by being so beautiful. Men will all be telling her they love her, the same way he did, because of her beauty. She'll "breed" sinners in that way, by making men lie, about loving her, like he did, if she's in a place where there are men around. So, he tells her to go to a nunnery, where there won't be any men. She can avoid causing the sin of lying, among men, by doing that.
Q2 omits the word "to" before a nunnery. However, the "to" is easily inferred, and the line flows better without it. The author may have dropped the "to" intentionally. He was casual with prepositions. I do not call the omission an error, and retain the line as Q2 has it.
Hamlet calls himself indifferent honest, meaning he's as honorable as average, among men. He points out all his bad qualities, and warns Ophelia about men in general, offering himself as a typical example (which he certainly is not.) He says she shouldn't believe any man, but should simply go to a nunnery.
Purgatory is a place between earth and Heaven. The phrase has some allusion to Hamlet's nightmare about Ophelia, when he dreamed he was dead and in Purgatory, spending time there, "crawling" between earth and Heaven. In plain reading, crawling means Hamlet perceives the time going by with unpleasant slowness, in his difficult situation.
There's an immediate reason why Hamlet asks, Where's your father? Polonius, in his earlier conversation with Hamlet, standing close to Hamlet, caused Hamlet to think of "fishmonger" and "dead dog." Vision is not the only way to find Polonius. There's some air circulation in the room. Hamlet has caught a whiff of Polonius. The Hamlet actor should sniff just before he speaks this line.
In trying to answer Hamlet's question, Ophelia is caught between Hamlet and her father, who dominates her. She can't tell Hamlet the plain truth, in this situation, but she still tries to answer him truthfully. With her reply, Ophelia does what Hamlet so often does: tell the truth in an obscure way. Claudius and Polonius both said earlier that they'd bestow themselves behind the arras, and one meaning of bestow is "to house." In that sense, of being bestowed, Polonius is "at home."
Also, since Polonius is the top aide in the government, he's provided with a nice suite in the Castle. He's in the Castle, so he's "at home." There's additionally the idea of Polonius spending so much time behind arrases that he's "at home" there. He "lives" behind the arrases - for a while.
Hamlet shouldn't be putting Ophelia in a position where she has to be deceptive. She's naturally a very truthful person, and by doing that, Hamlet is corrupting her. He's teaching her to lie, which is not kind. This is after his "logical argument" where he confused her on the subject of truth. Ophelia's unintentional, rhetorical reference to him as unkind is coming true as the scene proceeds.
Hamlet says fool intending for Polonius, and Claudius, to hear it. He's calling Polonius a fool, and also asking whom they think they're fooling. It's rude of Hamlet to use Ophelia to make a jab at Polonius behind the arras.
Hamlet thinks he's been a fool, so he's playing the fool in his own house. He lives at Elsinore Castle. The line has an undertone of self-reference.
Hamlet says Farewell, but he doesn't leave. He's as bad as the Ghost.
hw 1789- Ophelia: Oh help him, you sweet heavens!
---
Ophelia is personally devastated, by what Hamlet has said to her, but her first thought is for him.
Hamlet, earlier, to himself, hoped Ophelia would remember him in her prayers. She's doing that right here. She's praying to Heaven for him. She hasn't been able to follow him very well, but she sees there's something terribly wrong with him, and she loves him so, so dearly.
hw 1790, to hw 1796- Hamlet: If thou dost marry, I'll give thee this plague for thy dowry:
be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape
calumny; get thee to a nunnery, farewell. Or if thou wilt needs marry,
marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you
make of them; to a nunnery go, and quickly, too. Farewell.
---
Hamlet more explicitly breaks his engagement with Ophelia. A dowry is something the bride, or her family, gives the husband. Hamlet says he gives Ophelia a plague she can, in turn, give whomever she marries. In this case, chaste and pure do not refer to virginity, but to being true and faithful to her husband. Calumny means "slander." Hamlet says that what Ophelia will give her husband is slander of herself. She'll be a burden to her husband, because people will say she isn't faithful, and her husband will think she isn't faithful. Plague means people will talk as though she's diseased (which is how people have been talking about Hamlet.)
Hamlet should heed his own words, about it being only slander, that she's unfaithful. He fails to do so.
Hamlet says if she must marry, she should marry a fool, since a wise man will know that if he marries her she'll be unfaithful. Monsters means "cuckolds," as the plain reading.
There's an undertone meaning of monsters, following from Hamlet's logical argument. He argued that he lied to her, in saying he loved her, because of her beauty. So, if he married her, and was constantly exposed to her great beauty as he sees it, he'd "lie" to her all the time that he loved her. As his wife, she'd turn him into a lying, loving "monster." He'd "lie" to her every day, that he loved her. It'd be monstrous. Says Hamlet.
Hamlet is being the fool here. In telling Ophelia to marry a fool, the undertone is that he's telling her to marry him. He doesn't intend to mean that, but he can't help it; he loves her that much. Even in breaking their engagement, he inadvertently adds an undertone telling her to marry him, the "fool."
He again instructs her to go to a nunnery.
hw 1797, to hw 1805- Ophelia: Heavenly powers, restore him.
Hamlet: I have heard of your paintings well enough; God hath given
you one face, and you make yourselves another; you gig & amble,
and you lisp; you nickname God's creatures, and make your
wantonness, ignorance; go to, I'll no more on't, it hath made me mad;
I say we will have no mo' marriage, those that are married already, all
but one shall live, the rest shall keep as they are: to a nunnery go!
(Hamlet exits)
---
Ophelia again prays to Heaven for Hamlet. His earlier-expressed desire, that she'd pray for him, is being answered right in front of him. She's doing exactly that.
Hamlet's your means "women like you." This is from Hamlet's horribly mistaken idea. His word paintings refers to facial cosmetics, and connects back to Claudius's line about the harlot's cheek beautied with plastering art. Something bad is being covered up, is the notion.
Gig means for a woman to sway her posterior in an exaggerated and suggestive way while walking; it was behavior which was at that time considered characteristic of harlots. Amble means to stroll, to walk in a leisurely way, as when a courtesan strolls down the street with an air of casualness. God's creatures means "men." Nickname God's creatures means, for example, when a woman of a certain kind calls all men "John."
Make your wantonness, ignorance means to pretend ignorance of her own sexual misbehavior, and further carries the meaning of her trying to keep others ignorant of what she's doing. This is still from Hamlet's mistaken idea.
His word mad means both "angry" and "crazy." He's extremely angry, and it's driving him crazy.
Those are the plain meanings, to that point, for a plain reading of the text. Hamlet's remarks have undertones of much different meaning.
His paintings phrase has the undertone that he likes Ophelia's face without makeup, the way God made it; she looks beautiful to him, just as she is, with no change. Here, gig means to spin like a top, and is his recollection that sometimes, as he was walking with her, she'd do a simple dance, spinning and turning, like a top, as he watched and smiled. His amble means he liked the way she walked with him, casually and easily. He adores her lisp. Nickname means he's very flattered Ophelia has a nickname for him (Robin) - this is part of how he knows the conversation is being overheard, and something is going on: she would always call him "Robin" in private. His wantonness and ignorance mean "playful" and "innocent," in this undertone; he's loved how innocent and playful she was in their private time together. It's an undertone of things he loves about her.
Concerning Hamlet's logical argument and the "Four Issues" mentioned earlier:
1. Ego. Hamlet thinks Ophelia has informed him she doesn't love him, by first refusing to see him, and now, returning his gifts. The emotional pain is intense. Hamlet was trying to persuade himself, logically, that he never really loved Ophelia, who looks so beautiful to him, to help himself deal with the pain. It's self defense, in Hamlet's "scholarly" way. If he didn't really love her, but was only responding to her beauty, it wouldn't be so bad. He wasn't able to convince himself, against his own emotion. He couldn't talk himself out of being in love, but he gave it a try, as best he could.
2. Protection and advice. Since Hamlet loves Ophelia, but saw that he couldn't be close to her to protect her, he tried to warn her about men. It's essentially the same thing Laertes did, when he lectured Ophelia as he left for France. Hamlet also knows Ophelia's mother is not there, to tell her about men. Hamlet, the scholar, tried to show Ophelia, logically, that men would lie to her, for their own selfish reasons, because of her beauty. It's basically good advice, but he only confused her with the way he said it.
3. Deceiving Claudius. Hamlet intends to kill Claudius, and he sees danger to Ophelia if Claudius thinks Hamlet and Ophelia were very close. Claudius's suspicions could turn against her, and he has a King's power, which is great and dangerous. A King could, for example, order a person's death merely with a written order, based on some legitimate-sounding reason, even if the reason isn't true. Hamlet also recognizes the possibility of failure, in trying to kill Claudius. He's not a trained assassin. He might blunder, so that he dies and Claudius survives. Claudius wouldn't know for sure Hamlet tried it alone, and could think others might be involved. Then, if Claudius thought Ophelia and Hamlet were very close, Claudius would think she might know something that Hamlet told her, that's important for Claudius's own safety and life. Claudius would be virtually desperate to find out everything, and his suspicion would turn against Ophelia. He wouldn't take a simple "nothing" for an answer - and Claudius is a man who, according to the Ghost, murdered his own brother. Claudius is physically dangerous to the people around him.
Would Polonius protect his daughter against Claudius's suspicions? - not a chance. Polonius sees his daughter as only property, and his main goal is to prove his loyalty and dutifulness to Claudius. So, with Hamlet knowing Claudius is behind the arras, listening, his logical argument was an attempt to convince Claudius that Hamlet and Ophelia were never really that close, not real love, but Hamlet was only intrigued by her beauty, and only interested in her sexually. The logical conclusion being, as Claudius was supposed to hear it, that Hamlet never told Ophelia anything serious that Claudius would want to know about.
The deception of Claudius won't work the way Hamlet hopes it will. Claudius can't follow the "argument." Who can? Hamlet doesn't realize he can zoom with logic and allusions a lot faster than other people can follow. Hamlet's unusual ability also leads to him overcomplicating things. As we'll see, Claudius will only be confused and uncertain, as far as the "logic" goes.
4. Hamlet's horrible mistake. Claudius summoned Hamlet for a private chat. When Hamlet walked in, Ophelia was there, but Claudius wasn't. Hamlet quickly discerned that indeed Claudius was there, behind the arras. Why would Claudius be behind the arras, where Hamlet couldn't see him? He's hiding, for some reason. Why? Hamlet concludes, it's so that he wouldn't see Claudius and Ophelia together. Logical enough. That must be it. Claudius and Ophelia were together there, and when they heard Hamlet approach, Claudius hid behind the arras.
So, Claudius summoned him, but not for what he said. It was for Ophelia to give his gifts back. Claudius wanted Ophelia to inform Hamlet she had no further use for him. Claudius and Ophelia were together, and she was giving his gifts back, but they didn't want Hamlet to see them together . . . they didn't want him to see them together. That's obvious, so obvious.
It's happened again. His mother allied with Claudius, against his father, and against him. As we'll see portrayed later, at the Mousetrap play, Hamlet thinks Claudius bought his mother's affection with gifts. Then R & G, his old friends, allied with Claudius against him. It's easy enough for Hamlet to conjecture that Claudius must have promised R & G some reward, a king's reward.
Now, it's happened with Ophelia. Hamlet's gifts have waxed poor, as she said, because Claudius can give her better things, gold and jewels, from the wealth of a king. Hamlet can understand Ophelia wanting nice, rich things. He had wished he could give her gold and jewels, but he's only a beggar, and he couldn't. All he could give her was a daisy, a little seashell - worthless things he happened to notice, because he thought they were pretty, like her.
Under his mistaken idea, Hamlet takes Ophelia's blushing as a blush of shame, which he'll allude to, later, at the Mousetrap play.
But Polonius has to be involved, somehow, Hamlet knows. Polonius dominates his daughter, and his only appreciation of his daughter is in what she's worth. Further, Polonius is frantic to prove his loyalty and keep his job in Claudius's new government. So, Polonius has found what Ophelia is worth to him. Polonius has bribed Claudius - with Ophelia! And yes, Polonius is there, too, behind the arras. Hamlet can smell him. That confirms it. Polonius has arranged the whole thing, he's pimped Ophelia to Claudius.
Polonius, that worthless rat behind the arras - Hamlet would like to kill him - has given Ophelia to Claudius as his plaything, to bribe Claudius so that Polonius can be sure of his job. Ophelia has gone along with it, because Claudius can give her gems and jewels and gold, much richer than his own poor gifts. It all makes sense to Hamlet now.
As Hamlet stares into the big, sad eyes of sweet, gentle, innocent, virginal Ophelia, who loves him dearly, and whom he deeply loves, he thinks he's looking at the face of Claudius's whore.
Hamlet's scholarly logic, working with too few facts, has led him into a horrible, dreadful mistake about Ophelia, and the whole situation.
This setup was Polonius's idea, to prove Hamlet's love for his daughter, and get Hamlet to marry her. Nice job, Polonius. All in a day's work.
Hamlet's dreadful misunderstanding explains his behavior that we'll see later, at the Mousetrap play. He'll be trying to publicly embarrass Claudius and Ophelia about their supposed sexual activity, which he's sure they must be wanting to keep secret. That's why he'll make the lewd remarks.
Hamlet's warning to Ophelia about men, is also his attempt to warn her against Claudius, which is something he can't state openly. Claudius must have gotten tired of Gertrude already, which means he probably won't be interested in Ophelia for very long. What's going to happen to Ophelia when Claudius casts her aside? She could get traded around, among wealthy men, as long as she's pretty - she's so beautiful they'll all tell her they love her, and lead her on - and she'll eventually end up as an old harlot with a painted face, Hamlet fears. Oh, god.
Five times, he tells Ophelia to go to a nunnery. It's an idea he originally got from her. Ophelia is very religious, and she told him she had been thinking of becoming a nun, until their romance began, and they became engaged. (There's indication of this, in undertone, later, that it was originally her idea.) He's trying to remind her of that, to catch her conscience. He wants her to go to a nunnery now, instead of ending up in the wrong kind of "nunnery" later. Nunnery was also a slang term for a brothel.
Also, if Ophelia were in a nunnery, Hamlet could proceed to try to kill Claudius, with that much less to worry about. She'd be safely away, and Hamlet would know where she was. Then, if he can kill Claudius and get away with it, and become King, himself, he can go get Ophelia, buy back her affection with gold and jewels from his wealth as the King, and marry her to be his Queen. That's his plan, if she'd go to a nunnery, now.
But, what about Gertrude, his mother? Claudius has gotten tired of her, already, so soon, Hamlet thinks. According to the Ghost, Claudius killed his own brother, his own flesh and blood. What's Claudius going to do about a wife he doesn't want any more? It scares Hamlet to think about it.
So, that's what Hamlet now thinks the situation is. He isn't crazy, or pretending to be crazy. What he is, is very, very wrong.
Hamlet is stopped from killing both Claudius and Polonius, there and then, by three things. First, he doesn't want to possibly damn his soul to Hell by committing murder. Second, and most important, he doesn't want Ophelia to see such a thing. He thinks she has affection for both Claudius and her father, and it would frighten her and upset her greatly. He couldn't do that to her. It might give her nightmares, and Hamlet knows all about nightmares now, both the sleeping kind, and the kind you have when awake. Third, he still wants confirmation of Claudius's guilt for murdering his father, which he hopes to get at the Mousetrap play, later. So, Hamlet overcomes it, and doesn't kill them.
Hamlet's last two lines are his vow that if he can't marry Ophelia, nobody will, or at least not Claudius. There'll be no more marriage (for Claudius.) Forget the Ghost, Hamlet would kill Claudius on his own account before allowing Ophelia to marry him.
Anybody who talks too much will make mistakes. It's inevitable, and Hamlet, like everybody else, is not perfect; far from it. In his emotion, and the heat of his rhetoric, Hamlet has made some mistakes. Although he knows Claudius is listening, Hamlet has said revengeful and ambitious. In his final lines, Hamlet says all but one shall live. Claudius couldn't follow the logic, about love and truth and beauty, but he'll have a pretty good idea what that last phrase means.
The all but one phrase is not an aside, by the way. Hamlet says it loud and clear, to Ophelia, and everybody in the room hears it.
In staging, Hamlet feels a killing rage against Claudius and Polonius, as he stands in front of Ophelia, and his instincts try to take over. That is, he displays "killing rage" behavior, and she sees it, up close. His eyes glare, his jaws clench, and so on, and his voice bellows. It isn't meant for her, it's for Claudius and Polonius, but she's the one who sees it. Ophelia does not know, intellectually, what it is, but she instinctively fears, as she faces him, that the man she loves is going to kill her. Hamlet intends no such thing. In particular, the Hamlet actor should bellow made me mad fairly close to the Ophelia actresses's face, as she recoils from bewilderment, shock and fear.
Ophelia hears Hamlet say, those that are married already, all but one shall live. For Ophelia, the one important married person in her life, who's no longer alive, was her mother. As Hamlet goes on, forbidding marriage, it sounds to Ophelia as if Hamlet is regretting her mother ever bore her, and wants Ophelia not to have children. Hamlet must really hate her, to say such a thing. It's just as her father said, earlier, that Hamlet's love had turned to "hate" (when Ophelia misunderstood Polonius's inane attempt at an epigram, where he phrased "have it" as "hate" to get verbal contrast with "love.") Yes, Hamlet hates her because of her father. It's her father's fault. She hears confirmation of that. It's all her father's fault.
First, Ophelia's father forbade her to see Hamlet, her beloved fiancé, and it made Hamlet "hate" her. Then, her father took away her love letters from Hamlet, to show the King, tearing her clothes to do it, and locking her in her room. Now, her father has forced her to give back the treasures Hamlet gave her, which are her most precious possessions, to try to prove something-or-other to the King about Hamlet loving her. Ophelia now has a deep, abiding hatred of her father. She's very religious, and she knows it's wrong, but she wishes Polonius would drop dead. She wishes somebody would kill him. If somebody would just kill Polonius, it would be like a dream come true to her. Hamlet doesn't know that.
Hamlet finally manages to tear himself away from Ophelia, and storms out.
hw 1806, to hw 1817- Ophelia: Oh what a noble mind is here o'erthrown!
The courtier's, soldier's, scholar's, eye, tongue, sword,
The expectation, and rose of the fair state,
The glass of fashion, and the mold of form,
The observed of all observers, quite quite down,
And I, of ladies, most deject and wretched,
That sucked the honey of his musiced vows,
Now see what noble and most sovereign reason,
Like sweet bells jangled out of time, and harsh,
That unmatched form, and stature of blown youth
Blasted with ecstacy; oh, woe is me,
To have seen what I have seen, see what I see.
(Gertrude exits)
---
Ophelia's first thoughts are still for Hamlet, ahead of herself. She truly loves him. She doesn't even mention herself until the sixth line.
Ophelia has dropped the book, without even thinking about it. This is additional confirmation that the book is not the Bible, nor a prayer book. A Bible or prayer book would not be dropped onstage in Elizabethan times, nor would the author have it so.
The wording of Ophelia's second line has often been argued, historically, but the line in the original is correct, as shown by the meanings. The "courtier's eye" means an eye for what's going on at the Royal Court. Ophelia has been impressed by Hamlet's ability to tell her about the various business and events at the Royal Court, that she couldn't understand. He could always tell her what a certain procedure meant, or what a certain petitioner was requesting, and why, and things like that - basically the who's who, and what's what, of the Court, in daily business.
Ophelia, in her emotional confusion, gets the words soldier's and scholar's switched, accidentally. The wording is not a mistake in the playscript. Ophelia's verbal slip provides intended allusions.
The "soldier's tongue" is an ironic, anticipatory allusion to Hamlet's later behavior at the Mousetrap play, where he'll make suggestive sexual remarks, and sexual jokes, like a soldier on leave at a bar. Hamlet will, indeed, display a "soldier's tongue."
The association of scholar's and sword is another pertinent allusion, unintentional by Ophelia. Hamlet is a scholar, and he handles a sword like a scholar, in other words, not very well. Hamlet spends his days with books, and pen and tablets, not in practicing with a sword. There's anticipation of the fencing match, later, and also an astonishing allusion, in deep undertone, to something going on that has to do with Gertrude, which will be discussed later.
Glass of fashion is on the Mirror theme. In the past, others looked to Hamlet for how they should dress, hoping to "mirror" him. Mold of form is a similar idea, of other men trying to copy Hamlet.
Musiced vows are flowery promises. The ideas of poetry as music, and of poetry as flowers, is mingled here. Poetry - is Flower - is Music. Ophelia is portrayed as a lovely butterfly, feeding on the sweet flowers of Hamlet's vows, music to her ears.
The sweet bells are the wedding bells Ophelia dreamed of, but those bells were out of time, heard in her mind at the wrong time. There's to be no wedding. The allusion assures us that time is the correct word in the play, as Q2 shows.
Ecstasy means a serious mental upset, a person not showing his normal state of mind. Ophelia is not calling Hamlet "crazy" as such. Blasted means "diseased" or "poisoned," with some reference to plants, going along with the flower idea, and the gardening idea in the play.
Ophelia's use of unmatched is ironic in anticipation of Claudius's last line in this Scene, where Claudius will say Hamlet's madness must not go unmatched.
Gertrude steps from behind the arras near the door, where she was hiding, and exits. Ophelia is now weeping, at the end of her speech, with her face in her hands, Hamlet has already left, and Claudius and Polonius have not yet emerged from behind their arras. Nobody sees Gertrude leave, and nobody else knows she was ever there (except the theater audience, when it's correctly played, according to the authentic Hamlet.)
The simple Exit in Q2 is correct. It is not any kind of misprint or mistake. It is the "true and perfect" marking of Gertrude's exit.
Gertrude heard what was said, by Hamlet and Ophelia. She doesn't know what to make of it, specifically, but clearly her son is very upset, and he went on some about marriage. She knows he doesn't like her being married to Claudius. She heard Hamlet say, those that are married already, all but one shall live.
She's married.
hw 1818, to hw 1831- (Claudius and Polonius emerge)
Claudius: Love? His affections do not that way tend,
Nor what he spoke, though it lacked form a little,
Was not like madness; there's something in his soul
O'er which his melancholy sits on brood,
And I do doubt, the hatch and the disclose
Will be some danger, which for to prevent,
I have in quick determination
Thus set it down: he shall with speed to England,
For the demand of our neglected tribute;
Hap'ly the seas, and countries different,
With variable objects, shall expel
This something, settled matter in his heart,
Whereon his brains still beating,
Puts him thus from fashion of himself.
---
Claudius is now very sceptical of Polonius's contention that Hamlet loves Ophelia. It sounded to Claudius that Hamlet must hate her, to talk that way to her. He recognizes the male "rage bellow," one use of which is to frighten enemies and drive them away. His remark that Hamlet's speech lacked form a little is his admission that he couldn't follow Hamlet's logic. He means he hasn't the slightest idea what Hamlet's beauty/truth/love thing was all about. With respect to Claudius, Hamlet achieved his desired effect, of proving to Claudius's satisfaction that Hamlet never really loved Ophelia, not with his logic, but with his emotional outburst. Claudius will not think Hamlet ever told Ophelia anything important, since Hamlet apparently hates her. Hamlet got his intended result, with Claudius, by accident, from sheer emotion, rather than his carefully-framed "logical argument."
Claudius says not like madness in conformance with his propaganda against Hamlet. Objectively, Hamlet did sound mad, if one doesn't know the reasons for what he said, in detail, (which Claudius doesn't.) The madness slur against Hamlet, that Claudius is spreading, is that Hamlet's "madness" is his grief over his father. As already discussed, Claudius is promoting that Hamlet is mad as a political move against Hamlet, and to suppress any further interest in the subject of Hamlet Sr's death. Hamlet didn't mention his father, so, by Claudius's terms, it wasn't Hamlet's "madness." It's vital to Claudius to remain true to his own propaganda against Hamlet, so he's quite careful about that, and he's a sly person.
Claudius heard all but one shall live. He's no longer interested in an exact diagnosis of Hamlet. Claudius heard a possible threat to his life.
Brood and hatch are on the "bird" idea in the play, including the occasional depiction of people as birds. This something, settled matter in his heart means "This whatever-it-is, the trouble that has descended on Hamlet's heart, to disturb him."
Claudius thinks the diplomatic mission to Norway worked, so he'll try another one, involving Hamlet. He'll send Hamlet to England. Claudius intends that Hamlet will never return.
hw 1832, to hw 1847- What think you on it?
Polonius: It shall do well;
But yet do I believe the origin and commencement of his grief,
Sprung from neglected love. How now Ophelia?
You need not tell us what Lord Hamlet said,
We heard it all; my Lord, do as you please,
But if you hold it fit, after the play,
Let his Queen-mother, all alone, entreat him
To show his grief; let her be round with him,
And I'll be placed (so please you) in the ear
Of all their conference; if she find him not,
To England send him: or confine him where
Your wisdom best shall think.
Clau: It shall be so;
Madness in great ones must not unmatched go.
(everyone exits)
---
The diplomatic mission to Norway was Polonius's idea, so Claudius asks Polonius about sending Hamlet on the mission to England. Polonius sees nothing wrong with it.
Polonius still tries to push his notion, a little, of Hamlet loving Ophelia, but even he has doubts at this point. It didn't go at all as he hoped and expected. Claudius couldn't care less about that subject, now.
Polonius accidentally says something apt, about Hamlet's grief springing from neglected love. If Claudius had loved his brother, none of this would be happening. It's Claudius's neglect, of brotherly love, that has caused Hamlet's grief, and the entire tragedy.
Polonius fatuously excuses Ophelia from telling them what Hamlet said, as if Ophelia were in any mood to make a clerical report. Polonius is totally blind to his own daughter. Polonius was doubly-right about neglected love. His own neglected love of his daughter is what led to Hamlet's outburst that they heard, and is what has destroyed Polonius's hopes of a Prince for a son-in-law. If Polonius had treated his daughter with love, and the respect that goes along with love, from the very beginning, he'd be a happy man now.
Polonius never gives up. He wants to try the same thing again. He probably knows a saying about that. Polonius had better take a bath, if he wants to hide behind an arras from Hamlet.
Polonius has no ability to estimate what other people know. He can't see things from anybody else's point of view. He says Queen-mother to Claudius because he thinks it might be necessary to remind Claudius that Gertrude, the Queen, is Hamlet's mother. Polonius isn't certain Claudius knows that. Correctly speaking, the Queen Mother is the mother of the reigning monarch. Polonius, while speaking to Claudius, has just called Hamlet the King. Claudius doesn't seem to notice.
But then Claudius calls Hamlet great. It's an odd word choice by him, more a word that would be used for a king. A king wouldn't typically call a prince "great." Who's the real King at Elsinore, that everyone knows in their hearts, including Claudius, but is afraid to say it? One wonders.
Unmatched is the correct word in the playscript. It follows Ophelia's earlier unmatched, and is an anticipatory allusion to Claudius matching, and surpassing, Hamlet's "madness" with the fencing match scheme in the final Scene.
Claudius says Madness in great ones, and "great" is a word more typically used of a king. Claudius is the King. Claudius has accidentally referred to himself as mad. He is.
Commentary on Hamlet traditionally centers on whether Hamlet is mad, but it isn't Hamlet, it's Claudius. Claudius is the kind of lunatic who could get them all killed. Claudius is dangerously insane, and Hamlet is the only one who suspects it, but even he hasn't fully realized the extent of the danger.
End of Scene 8
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(Regained)