Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, plays a critical role in the play Tragedy of Hamlet. He is given the unique capability of being able to talk with the ghost of his late father. The tragedy in the story is depicted at this early stage of the play as most of the characters believe the prince is mad because of his constant conversation with a ghost no one else can see. He is committed to avenging the murder of his father, but his effort ends tragically in the death of Ophelia, the lady he loved, and Polonius, her father. Besides the tragedy that reverberates throughout the play, one of the major themes that come out in the play is love. The aim of this paper is to determine if Hamlet loves Ophelia. The essay seeks to confirm, based on conversations and admission of the main character, that indeed Hamlet loves Ophelia.
The love that Hamlet has for Ophelia is demonstrated in letters that he wrote to her. Ophelia says, “No, my good lord, but as you did command I did repel his letters and denied His access to me,” (Shakespeare 5.2. 98-100). In this statement, Ophelia admits that Hamlet had been writing to her letters, expressing his love. Reading the content of the letters helps in accurately explaining the feeling that the prince had towards her. Polonius read one of the letters to the queen. It read as follows, “Doubt thou the stars are fire, doubt that the sun doth move, doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love. O dear Ophelia, I am ill at these numbers. I have not art to reckon my groans, but that I love thee best, O tost best, believe it. Adieu. (Shakespeare 2.2. 125-130). The love that Hamlet has towards Ophelia is expressed in his admissions in this letter. Although he is in constant conversation with the ghost, a factor that has made many people believe that he has gone mad, he constantly expresses his love and admiration of Ophelia to himself and those with who he interacts throughout the play.
As shown in his direct words, Hamlet seeks to eliminate any doubt about his love for Ophelia. He tells her that she is at liberty to doubt anything, even those that are considered naturally true, such as the belief that stars are fire. However, he insists that she should never doubt his true love for her. He says that he loves her best and is willing to do anything it takes to win her over. The strong attraction that Hamlet had towards Ophelia is expressed in direct admissions of the prince in other sections of the play.
Hamlet realizes that Polonius is against his relationship with Ophelia, partly because he believes the prince is not in the right mental state. However, the prince is determined to overcome any force that tries to stop their relationship. He knows that he has to inform Polonius that he is in love with his daughter. The main challenge that Hamlet faces is how to express his feeling to someone who believes that he is not in the right mental state. Part of their conversation in confirms the love that Hamlet had for Ophelia. Hamlet says to Polonius, “Why, One fair daughter, and no more, then which he lovèd passing well,” (Shakespeare 2.2. 430-433). However, Polonius is determined to ensure that the relationship is stopped.
He knows that besides convincing Ophelia about his love for her, he has to make others understand his feeling. So he decides to inform the mother about the love he has for Polonius’ daughter. Hamlet confronts the mother and explains to her how much he loves her. Ophelia also feels compelled to talk to the queen about the love. Ophelia is already convinced that Hamlet loves her when she is invited to have a conversation with the queen. The queen says, “I shall obey you. 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,” (Shakespeare 3.1. 41-44). Ophelia is committed to the relationship and assures the queen that she will support Hamlet in overcoming his condition.
At this stage, Hamlet believes that he is making good progress in winning over Ophelia. His mother, who is the most important person in his life after the death of his father, approves of the relationship and is willing to support it, as shown in the dialogue above. Ophelia does not show signs of resisting the relationship and assured the queen that she was at their service. Although the queen, just like other members of the kingdom, is convinced that Hamlet is not in his right mental state, she believes that the love of Ophelia may make him overcome the grief.
Hamlet reminds Ophelia that he is in love with her in the later stages of Act 3 of the play. Hamlet is rude to most of the characters in the play, including his mother, the queen, and the new king. However, his tender nature is expressed when he is with Ophelia. Although he is the prince, his choice of words when talking with Ophelia in this scene demonstrates he values and cherishes her. In their conversation, Hamlet says, “With this regard, their currents turn awry and lose the name of action. Soft you now, the fair Ophelia.—nymph, in thy orisons, be all my sins remembered.” Ophelia replies, “Good my lord, how does your Honor for this many a day” (Shakespeare 3.1. 95-105). Hamlet is happy with the response and thanks her. She tells him that she has and will always have remembrance of him. She admits that she wanted to tell him about the love she has for him earlier but lacked the opportunity to do so. The conversation confirms that the two are deeply in love with each other.
The spying scenes also help in demonstrating the love that the prince had for Ophelia. Hamlet spies on Ophelia, keen to know what she is doing and whether she has another lover. She engages her in a conversation in one of these scenes. He says, “Ay, 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” (Shakespeare 3.4. 121-125). She takes the opportunity to express to Ophelia how he feels about her. In this statement, the prince explains that the beauty of Ophelia will translate into his likeness. He is also attracted to her honesty and other virtues that make her a perfect partner for him.
The conversation further confirms the strong love that Hamlet has for Ophelia. He calls her ‘the fair Ophelia’, stating his only prayer is that she remembers how much he loves her despite all his sins. He wants her to constantly remember him, even if he is not with her. For a man who has been rude to everyone else in the kingdom, using the words ‘I humbly thank you when talking to Ophelia is a further demonstration of his love. She reassures her that she has and will always have the memory of him. She admits that she is also in love with him and has longed for an opportune time to express herself to him.
When he was sent to England, he could not stay there for long because he wanted to see her once again. He later learns of the tragedy that befell her. He expresses his feeling upon the realization that the woman she loved was no more. The queen asks, “O my son, what theme?” And Hamlet replies, “I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not, with all their quantity of love, make up my sum. What wilt thou do for her? (Shakespeare 3.4. 281-285). Hamlet believes that the love he had for Ophelia was incomparable to what any other person, including her father and brother, felt for her. It was pure affection and he was willing to do anything for her. It is a further demonstration of his love for her.
Events at the graveyard help further demonstrate the strong love that Hamlet had towards Ophelia. When he realized that she had died, he was shocked. The prince says, “What, the fair Ophelia?” (Shakespeare 5.2. 254-255). The statement demonstrates his affection toward her. Hamlet was so saddened by her death that he felt it was no longer necessary to protect his life anymore. He is willing to risk his life to fight for the love of Ophelia. He explains to the queen that the love he had for Ophelia was by far greater than that of her brother. The fact that he ignores the threat to his life to come and bids her farewell reaffirms the love. The king and Laertes are determined to kill him for the murder of Polonius but he feels that his love for Ophelia is greater than the threat to his life.
The play Hamlet is full of tragedies from the beginning to the end. King Hamlet is killed by the brother who becomes the ruler of the kingdom. Ophelia, the lady Hamlet loves so much, dies soon after the death of her father. Claudius, the new king and Hamlet’s mother also died of poisoning, alongside Laertes, Ophelia’s brother. Hamlet also dies of poisoning, as had been planned by the king and Laertes. Despite these numerous tragedies, it is evident that Hamlet truly loves Ophelia in spite of his mental condition. He makes an effort to be with her regardless of the opposition from her father and the king. When he finally learns of her untimely death when he is in exile, he opts to come back home, knowing about the risk of doing so. He finally dies at the hands of Laertes just to prove his love to Ophelia.
Work Cited
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Edited by Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine, Folger Shakespeare Library, 2016.