I do have to admit that, having read this play before, Ophelia is one of my favorite characters in all of Shakespeare’s plays. So I’d be lying if I said I didn’t go out of my way to write a post about her!
Sadly, what Laertes says to his sister, Ophelia, is true. As the prince of the blood and part of the royal family, Hamlet would have to think of the needs of his people first before himself and this could cause him to drop Ophelia, though by all rights he does seem to love her. In this day and age, marriage was more a political thing that was done to solidify ties between countries or prevent war here or there. There was very little love involved, especially when it came to those who had more power. They had responsibilities. And Laertes warns his sister of this, and being the proper lady that she is, she listens to her brother quite well. Though, time will prove that we will wish she hadn’t, because it could be said that this leads to her eventual suicide.
But I digress. Laertes warns Ophelia not to go to far with Hamlet because she doesn’t know when the state of Denmark will cause him to turn his back on her. Her father then reinforces this fact. Neither of her family approves of this affection that he is showing Ophelia. It is more that they don’t want their girl hurt, seeing as most would jump at the chance to have their daughter wed the prince. I would more expect Polonus, her father, to encourage this and try to get Hamlet to marry his daughter, seeing as he is the Prince of Denmark, rather than try and warn her away because he is unsure that Hamlet’s affections are anything more then a passing folly.
In this, it sets up Hamlet in our minds. When marriage was something of a political arraingement and getting your daughter married to the prince meant you were set, why then would both Ophelia’s father and brother warn her away from Hamlet? Though Hamlet has already made his appearance, this little set up puts a black mark on his record before he’s had a chance to really establish himself. It makes us think he must not be that loyal if Ophelia’s being warned away.
“In few, Ophelia,
Do not believe his vows, for they are brokers
Not of that dye which their investments show,
But mere implorators of unholy suits,
Breathing like sanctified and pious bawds,
The better to beguile.”
Why would Polonus warn Ophelia away so strongly? Is this because Hamlet may just turn his back on her? Or is it more because Hamlet is truly more unstable after the death of his father and his mother marrying his uncle, which is enough to make anyone unstable if you ask me. Either way, it seems to be a bad thing in the terms of the play. The loss of Ophelia’s love, seeing as she does obey her father and stay away, makes Hamlet much less stable. It is like a house that loses one of it’s beams, and this rickety house surely needed every beam it had.
The main point of this blog post is this: Why does Polonus warn Ophelia away from Hamlet when the tie would only be beneficial to his family?
New Paltz Students Blogging about Shakespeare
2 comments:
"This little set up puts a black mark on his record before he’s had a chance to really establish himself."
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One thing I noticed about Hamlet (the play) is that it opens up with Barnardo, a peripheral character, asking the question "Who's there?" In all the other plays we've read, excepting Othello, one or more of the central characters are present during the first act. In Othello it is clear that the titular character is acted upon by others, that his reputation, traits, and identity are presented to us through what others say about him; he does not physically appear until the second scene. This is exactly what happens with Hamlet (the character.) While Othello is the second person to speak in the second scene of his play, Hamlet only speaks up after Claudius, Laertes, and Polonius have spoken. This illustrates the disorder in the world; the delay of his speaking mirrors how distant he is from the throne.
While all aspects of Othello were initially transmitted by others, it is only Hamlet's sexuality that is, as you noted, given to us by persons other than himself. In the scene where Ophelia is being warned by her brother and father it is clear that they are trying to control her sexuality. But they also exert a kind of control over Hamlet's sexuality by characterizing him as only being interested in her for sexual reasons. It's curious that the two men cite Hamlet's ascension to the throne as a reason why he would cast Ophelia aside, when it is obvious how removed he is from it.
I think Ophelia gets a bad rap. She's really at the center of this emotional turmoil that is the state of Denmark. From the moment we meet Ophelia, she's being warned against being a part of this clan. Her brother is rushing off to return to France. Obviously, he's not interested in being a part of what's going in the royal house. I imagined Polonious speaking to her in desperation, maybe even grabbing her and shaking her. In this scene with Ophelia, we know this play will not be about vengeance but will be a true tragedy.
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