Hello all. Normally I would not do something like this-- but we were promised extra credit, and it turns out I have a price. Here's my Hamlet midterm. It's really funny! (Just kidding).

Allison Hartsell

Ms. Blunk

English 301

2-20-2012

Essay #2 Part 1

Royalty and Disloyalty

Most of the characters in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet have ties of loyalty to others, and none of them stand entirely alone. Queen Gertrude has King Claudius; Ophelia, Laertes, and Polonius all have each other; Hamlet has Horatio; and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have each other. Gradually, Shakespeare reveals act of betrayal among these characters; those of the Queen to Hamlet Sr., Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to Hamlet, and even Hamlet to Ophelia. Some of these characters display depth and remorse at their disloyalty, while others simply die. The act of disloyalty occurs several times. Shakespeare uses the literary elements of character and repetition to suggest that disloyalty creates turmoil—at its best, residual guilt, and at its worst, death.

Gertrude, Hamlet Sr.’s “most seeming-virtuous queen” (Shakespeare 1.5.46), appears quite cheerful at the beginning of Hamlet, and even chides Hamlet for mulling over his father’s very recent death. Although she has recently wed the brother of her deceased husband, and it has only been two months since Hamlet Sr.’s death, Gertrude is seemingly unperturbed. Later though, in Act 3, Hamlet confronts his mother regarding her betrayal and she insists, “O Hamlet, speak no more:/Though turn’st mine eyes into my very soul;/And there I see such black and grained spots/As will not leave their tinct” (3.4.89-92). Up until this point, Gertrude has only moved onward, refusing to acknowledge sadness or regret over the deceased Hamlet and her ensuing actions. By having even a morally shady character display remorse over their disloyalty, Shakespeare demonstrates the lasting effects that such behavior can have: regret.

Like Gertrude, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern decide to be loyal to a person they shouldn’t (Claudius) and in turn are disloyal to a person that they should be faithful to (in this case, Hamlet). According to Gertrude, Hamlet “hath talk’d much of you;/And sure I am two men there are not living/To whom he more adheres” (2.2.19-21). We are introduced to the characters as being friends of Hamlet. Yet, as the play progresses, they betray him repeatedly. In Act 2 they promise the King and Queen that they will essentially weasel information out of Hamlet as to why he is acting crazy, which Hamlet quicly becomes aware of. In Act 3 Scene 3, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern agree to escort Hamlet to England for the sake of Claudius’ safety, disregarding their friend’s well-being. After Hamlet mistakenly kills Polonius, believing him to be Claudius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern once again promise the King that they will escort Hamlet to England—unbeknownst to them, with a letter asking the King of England for Hamlet’s execution. When Hamlet discovers this, he rewrites the letter to demand the execution of his former friends. Their relationship begins with friendship and sours over time; Shakespeare suggests that with disloyalty, friendships die.

Shakespeare also structures Hamlet in a way that draws attention to the theme of disloyalty. He has friends betraying each other; a brother betraying his brother; a queen, her husband; and two young lovers, each other. Each disloyalty occurs in a unique manner. By repeating disloyal actions but making them occur in unique ways, Shakespeare uses repetition to make his “disloyalty begets trouble” theme evident.

Hamlet has several instances of guilt being the result of an act of betrayal. Queen Gertrude reflects on the guilt that consumes her in Act 4, “To my sick soul, as sin’s true nature is,/Each toy seems prologue to some great amiss:/So full of artless jealousy is guilt,/It spills itself in fearing to be spilt” (4.5.17-20). Although she has appeared unaffected by her involvement in Hamlet Sr.’s death up until this act, Shakespeare reveals that guilt eventually overtakes the guilty party, even if they do not at first feel regret. Even evil Claudius expresses feelings of guilt over his murder of Hamlet Sr. when he prays; he says, “Though inclination be as sharp as will:/My stronger guilt defeats my strong intent” (3.3.39-40).

Hamlet also has many instances where disloyalty is linked with another's demise. Although it follows a wide arc, Gertrude ultimately “unknowingly” drinks poison and dies after many events have unfolded, the catalyst of which was her unfaitfulness to Hamlet Sr. Ophelia betrays Hamlet before he reciprocates; whether Hamlet would have treated Ophelia with the same cruelty had she not insisted that they cease visiting with each other is impossible to know, but Ophelia is ultimately overwhelmed with grief following the emotional loss of Hamlet and the physical loss of her father. She commits suicide as well, and the conflict befalling Hamlet and Ophelia can be linked to her suicide. After all, shortly before she dies Ophelia sings, “Quoth she, before you tumbled me,/You promis'd me to wed./So would I ha' done, by yonder sun,/An thou hadst not come to my bed” (4.5.62-65), suggesting that Hamlet does not stay with Ophelia because he has already gotten what he wants from her. Hamlet's betrayal breaks Ophelia's heart, and the damage is completely done when he kills her father.

Through Shakespeare's use of characters, their conflicts, and repetition of a subject—disloyalty—Shakespeare shows that unfaithfulness is destructive in its various potential consequences.

The Liberation of Ophelia

Ophelia is not an independent or very emotionally strong young lady. Throughout the play, she meekly acquiesces, be it to Laertes, Polonius, or even Hamlet, even when a normal young lady might object; such is the case when Hamlet is essentially calling Ophelia a whore with “Get thee to a nunnery” (3.1.118), while Ophelia is begging God to help him instead of defending her honor. It is not until this sweet young lady has gone mad that she begins to speak her mind. In having the meekest character transform into the most straightforward and honest due to “insanity,” Shakespeare is saying that there is freedom in madness.

When she is first introduced to the audience, Ophelis's brother and then her father are instructing her to avoid Hamlet and to mistrust his declarations of affection; Ophelia humbly submits to their request, although she loves Hamlet. To Polonius she says, “I shall obey, my Lord” (1.3.136). Later she agrees to being part of Polonius’ scheme to determine the cause of Hamlet’s madness, merely to appease her father (although her feelings of loyalty are divided, she knows that she should obey Polonius). When Hamlet is slinging offensive words at her, like “[I]f thou wilt needs marry, marry/a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you/ make of them” (3.1.132-134), Ophelia does not protest or argue; she just begs “O heavenly powers, restore him!” (3.1.135). It is not until Ophelia has “gone mad” that she begins to speak with strength, and people begin to listen; as Horatio says, “'Twere good she were spoken with: for she may strew/Dangerous conjectures in ill-breeding minds” (4.5.14-15), suggesting that her words now have power.

Ophelia's madness also gives her the freedom to speak the truth without punishment. In Act 4, Queen Gertrude keeps attempting to interrupt Ophelia's song, but Ophelia continues to sing and insists “Pray you, mark”--listen!--and tells the tale of the virgin maid who is discarded once she has been used, surely a taboo subject to sing about in front of royalty; even more inappropriate since the song is about herself and Gertude's son. And yet, Queen Gertrude does pause and listen. Later, she gives the Queen columbines to symbolize her adultery, and to King Claudius she gives rue to suggest he needs to repent. Ophelia openly accuses the King and Queen of being sinful, and NO ONE stops her or even chastizes her for the inpropriety. Perhaps King Claudius and Queen Gertrude believe that Ophelia no longer has control over what she says, or even that she means it. But the sins that the royalty has been hiding is quickly revealed because Ophelia has the freedom to do so.

Patriarchal rule was not questioned in Shakespeare's era. Young ladies did first what their fathers bade them, then their husbands. Ophelia was no exception; her submissive role reflects the times. Her madness is liberating, but this madness is the result of two losses: first her lover, then her father at the hands of her lover. In this sense, she is freed both from the dominating male figures in her life who have previously controlled her and the restraints that society have placed on her. Upon her loss of sanity, Ophelia talks and sings to anyone who nearby, no longer behaving like a perfect maiden. Polonius' death liberated Ophelia physically; her ensuing insanity freed her emotionally.

Death is the ultimate freedom. There are no more troubles, no more worries. As Hamlet says, “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?” (3.1.57-60). Although Ophelia's drowning is rather passive, described by Queen Gertrude as falling “in the weepy brook” (4.7.173), she does not resist the pull of the water. Ophelia continues to sing unconcerned, resigned and willing to be submerged. Upon death, Ophelia has no more sorrow, expectations to meet, or unrequited love; and her madness drove her to the complete liberation that is death.

Ophelia is not given to long speeches like most of the other main characters of Hamlet. Polonius, Queen Gertrude, King Claudius, and Hamlet have lengthy musings to say aloud. Such expression does not occur with Ophelia until she has gone insane. Her insanity gives her the freedom to speak at length, to be listened to, to declare horrible truths—both universal and specific to her company—without any listener's protest. She is permitted to accuse the Queen of adultery and the King of sin because they feel she is saying nonsense, although her words are exact and true. Only when it appears that Ophelia has lost touch with reality does she begin to express genuine emotion for more than a moment, mourning the loss of her father, Hamlet, and her innocence. The perfect, beautiful Ophelia unravels and in doing so, is finally set free.