Ophelia, lost

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In act IV what stands out most to me is Ophelia.  She is an empty headed girl who lets the men in her life tell her what to do. She is so co- dependent that when her father dies she is  lost, literally. Ophelia loses her mind. She speaks in riddles as she can no longer make sense of the world without her father to tell her what to do. It is not evident to me whether or not Hamlet’s departure is a contributing factor to Ophelia’s madness because she does not outwardly demonstrate her feelings towards him.

When we first meet Ophelia her brother is warning her about Hamlet telling her to fear him, “Be wary then; best safety lies in fear;” (1.3.43). Twice more in the course of his speech, he cautions her to “fear” Hamlet. Laertes is instructing Ophelia not to think for herself but just to be afraid.  Immediately after her she receives the third degree from Laertes, her father proceeds to instruct her on how to conduct herself. At no point does she assert herself. She does tell her father, “I don’t know, my lord, what I should think” (1.4.104) but does concede to “obey”.

In the exchanges between Ophelia and Hamlet she is either void of emotion or being a dutiful pawn (daughter) in following her father’s plan.   Hamlet transposes his ill feelings towards his mother in the guise of concern for Ophelia’s wellbeing. He warns Ophelia of the danger she is to men and that she should lock herself away.  Hamlet speaks offensively to Ophelia yet she just tells him he is being impolite.  An implication of Hamlet & Ophelia’s familiarity is when he tells her, “It would cost you a groaning to take off mine edge” (3.2.228). I would think that this comment would be enough for a proper lady to get up and move away from such crude and obnoxious comments.

After hamlet murders Polonius, Ophelia is no longer coherent. She sings songs. One of the songs she sings alludes to a virgin to sleeping with a man and then his refusal to marry her. There is mention of shame, “Alack, and fie for shame!”(4.5.58). It could potentially be an implication to her relationship with Hamlet. If that is the case, it only strengthens my opinion that Ophelia is a week minded female because she should have known better than to sleep with Hamlet. Her father and brother’s repeated warnings should have resonated within her.   

Ophelia reminds me of a receptacle.  She takes her father and brother’s advice. She accepts Hamlets displaced aggression toward females. Finally without her father to fill her head she takes on water to fill the void.  My initial annoyance with the weak character Ophelia subsides when I think of her in this way. Instead it is sad but as Laertes reminds me, “Too much of water hast though poor Ophelia, And therefore I forbid my tears” (4.7.157-158).

*One of  my favorite John William Waterhouse's pieces.

 

The Unknown and Uncertain

While answering the question about how Claudio tries to convince Isabella to give herself up to Angelo, his powerful speech about death really stuck out. Claudio's first line "Ay, but to die, and go we know not where" reminded me of Hamlet's "to be or not to be"(3.1.118). Claudio is beginning to question the great uncertainty and unknown that surrounds death, just as Hamlet does. Does anyone really know what death is? What happens after death? Where do we go? No one lives to tell about it. Like Claudio says, it could be being suspended in nothingness or "to live in cold obstruction and rot"(3.1.119). It's as if reality has hit him that he may actually die. You don't realize the permanence and uncertainty of death until you're face to face with it.
These words are quite different from what he said in the beginning of Act 3 Scene 1 when talking to the Duke. It's as if he's gone back on his words. In the beginning he tells the Duke: "I've hope to live, and am prepared to die"(3.1.4) and "I find I seek to die, And seeking death, find life. Let it come on"(3.1.43-4). Claudio seems almost at peace with the idea of dying, but as the scene progresses, he's worried about the unknown. Will death mean blowing "with restless violence round about the pendent world"(3.1.125-6). At the end of his speech Claudio states "That age, ache, penury, and imprisonment / Can lay on nature is a paradise / To what we fear of death"(3.1.130-2). My take from this is that Claudio sees being old, living in prison, and/or being poor as better than having to face death and what happens after. Death has become unfathomable to Claudio, which I believe leads him to ask his sister to do the one sin that would be the worst for her to commit.
Lastly, it seems that Claudio is concerned with both what happens physically and while in purgatory. He talks about becoming a kneaded clod and the spirit bathing in fiery floods or "to reside in thrilling region of think-ribbed ice"(3.1.122-3). I think Claudio would feel as if he were a menace if he were killed. Obviously, Claudio wouldn't be dying gracefully and in his time, wouldn't be seen as deserving a place in heaven. What adds to this is that it seems that Claudio commits the ultimate selfish act by asking his sister to give her virginity to Angelo. In a way, I believe this would make Isabella the prisoner. Yes, Angelo would be free, but Isabella would pay the price and have to live with the sin she'd be committing. Isabella calls Angelo a "faithless coward" and ultimately tells him she'll pray that he dies. Claudio does seem like a coward...he's trying to escape death and his punishment by having someone else take the punishment. Claudio believes that Isabella's deed will be excused or inconsequential, when in fact, it won't be.
I think this all brings out Claudio's character more, and even leads Isabella's character to develop more. It's clear after their exchange that Isabella is determined and knows what she wants, much like Portia in Merchant of Venice. I'm interested to see how Claudio's character develops and how Isabella's plan to fool Angelo plays out.