Friday, November 6, 2009

"Get thee to a nunnery."


Hamlet's cruel rejection of poor Ophelia was particularly interesting to me. It is known that a nunnery can either be taken for a convent or a whorehouse. Personally, I think Hamlet is telling Ophelia to go to a whorehouse where she belongs. She has returned his love letters and renounced any relationship that they had. Hamlet knows that she has lied to him when asked about the whereabouts of her father. He seems enraged and betrayed and thinks her a whore. He asks mockingly if she is honest (meaning "chaste"). Questioning her chastity was disrespectful and insulting. The fact that Hamlet's accusations have no merit and are made with no reason leads me to believe that he is losing his grip on reality. As he does so, his world starts to unravel and the community within the castle begins to fall to pieces.

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