Sonnet XXIII
As an unperfect actor on the stage
Who with his fear is put besides his part
Or some fierce thing replete with too much rage,
Whose strength’s abundance weakens his own heart;
So I, for fear of trust, forget to say
The perfect ceremony of love’s rite,
And in mine own love’s strength seem to decay,
O’ercharged with burthen of mine own love’s might:
O let my looks be then the eloquence,
And dumb presagers of my speaking breast,
Who plead for love, and look for recompense,
More than that tongue that more hath more expressed.
O learn to read what silent love hath writ:
To hear with eyes belongs to love’s fine wit.
What do you make of Hamlet's mysterious, wordless visit to Ophelia while she is sewing in her "closet"? Is he putting on his "antic disposition" for her? His behavior sounds just a tad nutty -- how do you think it reflects his state of mind, or his plans for revenge?
Perhaps Shakespeare's Sonnet 23 sheds some light on what is on the prince's mind, or in his heart. Don't pass it by because some of the language is a little obscure to you. Work it, and view Hamlet through this prism.
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Oh? Is Katherine actually the FIRST to post a comment on the blog? I think I just disturbed the spacetime continuum.... Oh well.
First off, I feel really stupid for spending 5 minutes looking for this sonnet in my book.
Second of all *disclaimer* I have a lot to say, so my thinking/writing may not be in a very good order*, I didn't get the impression that Hamlet was putting up an his "antic disposition." I felt he wanted to talk to her, because, despite Polonius' and Laertes' views, their relationship may extend beyond lust and infatuation and Hamlet's going through a tough time, driving him to his lover's door. But he can't talk to her, without hurting her with his disturbing and mysterious words, she is but a frail woman, and the words he would utter to her would only upset her.
Yet, I know this is contradictory, he knows he must see her, not only to comfort him with her presence, but at the same to time to scare her away from him before he performs such ludicrous actions that would hurt her. He must say goodbye now. At the same time, if he said anything, he fears she would hear that something is bothering him and want to help, which could hurt his goal, and put stress on her. This may be farfetched, it could very well be that their relationship doesn't extend far enough that she would be able to read him well enough or be willing enough to help him, but what can I say, I'm a romantic.
As for this sonnet, the first line brought my mind another emotional quote from another Shakespeare character: Macbeth. "To-morrow and to-morrow and to-morrow" also portrays the metaphor as life as a stage, and offers an interesting contrast when here, Shakespeare speaks of the actor "who with his fear is put besides his part" whereas Macbeth says this play of life is "signifying nothing." If it means nothing, then surely it wouldn't matter if an actor is "unperfect" in this "brief candle" of life.
But connecting to Hamlet, the line "So I, for fear of trust, forget to say" backs up my earlier statement that he fears Ophelia will understand his madness if he speaks and well, trust him. The more people that do, the more likely his cover will be blown. "O! let my looks be then the eloquence," as Hamlet, would portray his want to speak, but his fear of trust keeps him from it, so Ophelia but get from his looks that he loves her but must leave her. This sonnet truly does seem to be Hamlet pleading to Ophelia to know that he loves her, to read him and understand what it means, why it must be this way and without words and yet, while not daring to trust her, or have her trust him, to trust him just the same.
Goodness, if any of that made sense, congratulations. If you have questions, I'll try to answer them as best I can, and after leaving it for a few hours, I'll try to edit it. Until then, just throwing this out there.
I thought that Hamlet's visit to Ophelia was one of anguish. Prior to last class, I thought that that scene was just another example of the Prince being nutty. But, Mr. Duncan seemed to try to tell us that the scene was more like a goodbye. Or maybe my attention was faulty and I came to that inference by myself, I don't remember. It seemed like Hamlet had pretty much decided that he had to focus the rest of his life, or so it seems, to revenge for his father. Because of that, he would have to sacrifice other joys and extracurricular activities he was part of. One being loving Ophelia. The silent passion of Hamlet's love was partly expressed by the gripping of Ophelia's wrist. His tormented face was a result of him accepting his "fate" - which is too strong of a word but "decision" is too weak. I felt that he didn't want to seek revenge against Claudius. Hamlet probably would have preferred to live with his breathing biological father and to woo his girl.
The wordless visit was silent because there was no way Hamlet could say everything. He couldn't say anything because he had too much to say. "More that tongue that more hath more expressed." He was filled with too much rage against his uncle, a weakened spirit, love for Ophelia. "O learn to read what silent love hath writ; / To hear with eyes belongs to love's fine wit" goes along with Hamlet's behavior. He acted funny around the girl he loved and looked at her with wild eyes. Love makes people nuts. He loved his father. He loves Ophelia. Of course Ophelia didn't know what to make of Hamlet's behavior, made apparent in the scene next, so the sonnet's explanation is nothing.
I did this without my book. Sorry.
While Hamlet may act like a madman and put on an “antic disposition” during much of the plot, I believe his behavior here is a sincere and deeply emotional act. Within his actions towards Ophelia, one can glimpse a curious mix of true madness (in the sense that his mind is in great turmoil), regret, and complete sincerity. I don’t really understand why his “…stockings [were] fouled, ungarterd, and down-gyved to his ankle” but it shows that his mind is elsewhere and is in stress over his father’s murder, his deceiving uncle, and his shallow and unfaithful mother. There is this sense of emotional instability and delicateness as Ophelia describes Hamlet with a “…look so piteous…” and “…knees knocking each other.” All these revelations have come about and Hamlet’s mind is on the brink of collapse. If Hamlet is truly mad anywhere in this book (though I haven’t read to the end), it’s at this passage. Accosting Ophelia, he seems as if he has “…been loosed out of hell,” his mind weary and fatigued over his plans for revenge. But to make things clearer, when I say that he’s “truly mad”, I believe he’s not in a state of madness where he can’t go back to sanity, but rather in a temporary and highly unstable mental state.
However, I also believe his actions are a reflection of his sincere love for Ophelia and his sense of regret over his inability to love and stay with her. When Hamlet “…falls to such [a] perusal of [Ophelia’s] face,” he is silently saying goodbye. He must leave her as his plans for revenge have not made a place for her. He’s dedicated his life to revenge and cannot look back to youthful courthship. With the revelation of his father’s death and uncle’s scheming, he energy has been consumed by plotting and thus his “…love’s strength seems to decay.” It’s not that he loves her less, but that he must turn away from her and focus on his own plans. Likewise, I believe that when Hamlet “…[raises] a sigh so piteous and profound,” he is expressing his regret over his abandonment of Ophelia.
When Hamlet visits Ophelia, I doubt that he is putting on his “antic disposition” for her. On the contrary, I believe his scattered appearance and odd actions reflect the turmoil that he’s feeling inside. Considering the fact that he’s had a conversation with his father’s ghost who told him that his own uncle, now the present king, murdered him and took his wife for his own, it’s quite understandable that Hamlet would be such a wreck. Hamlet struggles with what to believe is the truth, whether or not to believe the ghost that is supposedly his father and avenge his death, and it has taken a toll on him.
Hamlet also seems to be telling Ophelia goodbye. He realizes the situation he’s in and does not want to bring her into it, because he truly does care for her. He also seems to be aware that for her to be so closely associated with him, people would associate her with his bizarre behavior as well. Though he doesn’t say anything (possibly because he does not want to slip and say something he didn’t mean too), the goodbye seems to be for him as well. It appears that he needs her presence, at least for a short time, to help him sort out his thoughts.
In Shakespeare’s Sonnet 23, “More than that tongue that more hath more expressed. O learn to read what silent love hath writ: To hear with eyes belongs to love’s wit”, seems to me to fit what Hamlet is trying to get across to Ophelia. Although he loves her, he hopes that she’ll understand that he has to keep that love silent for her own good. Though he would like to, he can not fully express his love for her.
I don't believe Hamlet was acting at all. He is horribly shaken by what the ghost of his father tells him, and in his distress, he goes to the one person he feels strongest for. It's natural to want to be with someone you love in a time of hardship.
Hamlet is undoubtedly feeling the weight of the burden which has been laid upon him; stressed to the point of breaking and probably still in partial shock, he makes his way to the chambers of his beloved. Distraught as he is, Hamlet could care less of his appearance. Likely he made his way to Ophelia with all haste, in the process soiling his appearance. I believe his face, "pale as his shirt," and his knees "knocking each other," clearly point to him being distraught over the revelations of the ghost.
Hamlet does not speak because he loves Ophelia. "Ask me no questions and I will tell you no lies." Hamlet cares for her so much that he will not open his mouth to speak, even though I'm sure he would like nothing else but to tell her everything on his mind. However, he can not reveal his plans for revenge, and to tell Ophelia anything about what has happened to him would have dire consequences. That's why he says nothing. And because he can not speak, parting from her is even harder than it would be under normal circumstances. Instead of a goodbye he watches her as long as he can before reaching the door.
His pain is clear in the way he gazes long into her face. This is not an act; he loves Ophelia, but can not speak to tell her so without revealing what has happened. And so, tormented, he is forced to stare. I imagine that as he stood looking into her eyes, he was thinking all the words he wished he could let pour from his soul and ease his burden. But again, no one can know, not even her. It's an incredibly tragic situation, and I pity Hamlet.
Okay, on to the Sonnet; I'm going to take this a few lines at a time so bear with me.
"As an unperfect actor on the stage
Who with his fear is put beside his part"
Here Shakespeare is describing the subject of the sonnet; someone imperfect, and unsure of himself. He is afraid, but is forced to deal with it. He has been thrust into a situation where it doesn't matter that he's scared. He just has to face it.
"Or some fierce thing replete with too much rage,
Whose strength's abundance weakens his own heart;"
I'm not so sure about these lines, but maybe they are saying he is angry with himself for being so afraid, and that anger further weakens him?
"So I, for fear of trust, forget to say
The perfect ceremony of love’s rite,
And in mine own love’s strength seem to decay,
O’ercharged with burthen of mine own love’s might:"
I think these lines are fairly clear. He feels unable to fully trust in his love, and so can not tell her that he loves her. And though his heart is telling him his is in love, he feels that because he can't trust himself with love, that love is somehow tainted. The burden of this conundrum is weighing him down.
"O let my looks be then the eloquence,
And dumb presagers of my speaking breast,"
Again, not so sure about the line about letting looks be his eloquence, but the dumb presagers of the speaking breast I think I get. The "speaking breast" is what his heart is telling him.
"Who plead for love, and look for recompense,
More than that tongue that more hath more expressed."
The "dumb presages" of the last lines I looked at are stupid predictions of love. His heart is telling him that he is in love, but his head is telling him otherwise. His heart tells him of his love more than his tongue has. While he can not bring himself to speak it, his heart speaks for him.
"O learn to read what silent love hath writ:
To hear with eyes belongs to love’s fine wit."
Alright, now this one I'm kind of at a loss. I guess I'll hazard a guess anyway. Maybe he is wishing that the girl he loves could see the love he has inside; that she could read his "silent love." He want's to trust himself to love, and though his heart screams it, his head won't let the words pass his lips. He wishes that his love can see with her eyes that he loves her, because he can not say it for her ears to hear it.
I do believe that Sonnet XXIII has some bearing on what Hamlet was going through. It's a slightly different situation, but, there are similarities. Hamlet is unable to tell her he loves her, and so stares at her in the hopes that she might see it, or maybe that he might see the love he feels for her reflected in her eyes for him.
Matthew's first comment was kind of the message i was going for in mine (I say this to clarify mine, not to one up Matt)
It seems to me that Hamlet's love for Ophelia is clouding his resolve to murder his uncle. Already madly in love with her, speech does not come easily to him. He comes to her, looking for someone to talk to, and finds that the darkness of his heart would probably frighten her away. This conflict of interest I believe silences him, and it's a time when he is not certain that revenge is for the best.
Sonnet 23 says to me that love makes people more confused about what is wrong and right. Hamlet's anger, "whose strength's abundance weakens his own heart," has changed his perception to the point that little else matters before resolving his revenge mission. Love causes him to reevaluate this, because the "[burden] of mine own love's might" has changed his views on life. His silence is explained at the end of the sonnet, where the "silent love" encompasses his inability to speak his mind to the one he loves.
The sonnet expresses a poet who is rendered silent under his love for another, and also how he hopes that this person can find meaning in other things about him, other things besides his words. “O learn to read what silent love hath writ / to hear with eyes belongs to love’s fine wit.”
These last lines especially stuck out to me as connecting with Hamlet’s strange visit to Ophelia. I saw this visit not as an act in connection to his plans for revenge, but something completely separate. In my opinion, Hamlet, despite what Laertes warned his sister, cares deeply about Ophelia, and this last silent visit seemed to me as almost an attempt to get her to see what Hamlet himself could not say. I imagined him entering, trying to speak silently through the way he carried himself, hoping for her to understand him and what his odd behavior meant.
Like others have said, Hamlet’s visit was emotional. If his revenge had to go as planned, there was no way he would be able to share with Ophelia. Even if he loved her, and desperately wanted to be honest with her, he knew at this point, his love would be a burden to her. He wished her to see, in this visit, not his madness but his true, genuine love for her, trusting her to understand things that he could not explain to her, for fear of burdening her.
Why does Hamlet go visit Ophelia? I found this question, although rather straight forward, nearly imposable to give a finite answer. But I believe the best attempts must begin by examining Hamlets feeling towards Ophelia. When he visits her a second time it is under the preplanned watch of Claudius and Polonius. He rudely directs Ophelia to a nunnery where she would be better off not bringing any sinners like him into the world. He wishes her not to marry or to "marry a fool; for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them". Hamlet is expressing a great deal of bitter resentment; I believe because he feels as though he has been made a fool by Ophelia. She has led him to believe she had genuine affection toward him when really it was all a pretense. She is only the tool of her father who is a tool of the King who Hamlet despises. In a way she smashes his ideals of love which leads him to the conclusion "I say that we have no more marriages". Hamlets doubts of love are very understandable since this is the second time he has witnessed a woman he cared about be in his mind untrue. Ophelia is untrue to him just as Gertrude is untrue to the memory of his father. These doubts are expressed in sonnet XXIII
"So I, for fear of trust, forget to say
The perfect ceremony of love’s rite,
And in mine own love’s strength seem to decay,
O’ercharged with burthen of mine own love’s might:" Hamlet's heart is leading him one way but his head tells him not to follow it because he knows love is false. He fears to trust his emotions and I believe he also fears to trust the one he loves since she is the puppet of her father. He will not speak his love because he does not trust his heart or Ophelia's, but he has one last desperate plea that Ophelia would see his love that he doesn't speak. "O learn to read what silent love hath writ:
To hear with eyes belongs to love’s fine wit" He must only speak in riddles since he is always being watched, but he wishes that Ophelia could hear beyond wit to the true core of his emotions and respond in a way that could reinstill his belief in love. This is what he is doing when he goes to her silently and dishelved. He is looking into her eyes and searching for a responce. His implores her to be more than artificial, to recognize his doubtful loving expression and reassure him in some way. But, she doesn't, Hamlet looks into her eyes and sees only vacancy so he turns and exits. When they meet again Hamlet expresses his disinterest in her. He says that he may have once loved her but he loves her no more. Maybe he even is aware of the King and Polonius watching the procession, verifying his conclusions on Ophelia. When he tells her to go to a nunnery I dont think it is all from spite but also a reprieve. He wants to rescue Ophelia from the bureaucracy and conspiracy of court, to escape as he has never been able to. He is almost saying- Go, foolish youth, to a nunnery where you will be safe from the betrayal and heartache I am living with. Hamlet relizes that the court is just a stage full of actors, of which is an unperfect actor, since he allows himself to almost be taken by love. He is disappointing in Ophelia and her inability to fulfill his ideals of love, but he also pities her, a tool just like him, and wants to spare her some of his suffering.
At first glance, like many of you all, I thought that Hamlet's behavior was quite strange. But if the sonnet is a reflection of Hamlet's inner feelings, he does feel a love for Ophelia which he cannot express. Like the player in the sonnet, he is overburdened by his sentiments of love, I think not just for Ophelia but also for his deceased father, whom he is burdened by the need to revenge. Sonnet 23 expresses an apology for lack of eloquence and the actor like Hamlet hopes that his lover will be able to see past his speechlessness and for Hamlet's part see the turmoil and frustration he faces. Hamlet wants to follow through with his interests in Ophelia but because he is not able to hopes she will see from his actions that his intentions are sincere.
I don't think I just made any sense.
After rereading Act 2 Scene 1 again (for better clarification), the approach Hamlet had toward Ophelia can be seen as an antic disposition. However, I do not necessarily think he has gone completely insane (though his actions certainly tend to contradict my opinion) but rather he has lost the ability to express himself rationally (due to what he is facing). In addition, it is clear that Hamlet's love toward Ophelia is authentic (which has already been exposed).
I do not fully see Hamlet's plot for revenge until the end of Act 2 Scene 2, in which he makes his soliloquy. Here, he shows his true feelings toward the King, whom he believes murdered his father and is going to confirm it by hosting a play.
I think Sonnet 23 may explain how conflicted Hamlet is. He's acting like a madman to everyone as part of his plot to seek revenge on Claudius. Basically everyone, except perhaps Horatio, whom he warned at the end of act 1 not to show that he knows anything about Hamlet's plan, thinks he's gone crazy. He completely acts the part.
However, I think he feels bad that Ophelia also believes he's gone mad. He talks about being "an imperfect actor on the stage," which could refer to his conflict within himself. When he visits Ophelia and acts so strange, I think it could be those two sides of him struggling. On the one hand, he has this duty to revenge his father, which is why he's acting mad. On the other hand, he loves Ophelia and wants her to realize he does love her, as shown by when he says, "O learn to read what silent love hath writ: To hear with eyes belongs to love's fine wit." During Hamlet's visit in the closet with Ophelia, he doesn't say anything, just touches her face and stares at her. I think he may have been trying to convey his true feelings through his eyes, rather than through words.
I think that Hamlet’s wordless visit to Ophelia was not unintentional. As has been previously mentioned, I feel that his visit was a way for him to say goodbye. I think that he was appreciating Ophelia and his sincere love for her without putting her in the middle of it— complicating the situation for both of them.
In the first part where he says “Or some fierce thing replete with too much rage, whose strength’s abundance weakens his own heart;” I think that he is expressing how hard it is for him to give up his love for Ophelia in order to satisfy his need to avenge his father. I don’t think that he is going crazy, but rather that he is letting go a future that he had looked forward to for some time.
I think that Hamlet’s visit is not him putting on an “antic disposition” for Ophelia, but rather him showing his internal conflict, and eventual acceptance of what he faces ahead.
When I first read Hamlet's strange encounter with Ophelia, I thought that he was doing that because he had to act crazy and dimwitted to make people believe that he was not capable of planning a murder to revenge his father. His insanity would bring him closer to finding out whether or not the "ghost" was a spirit of his father and not the devil taking his father's shape to take advantage of him, tricking him into believing that Claudius is his father's murderer. So his meeting with Ophelia while she was sewing in her room was just a ploy to get closer to Claudius so he can plan his revenge. However, I think he loves Ophelia at the same time. In the beginning, I had my doubts on whether his love was real or not because of his strange antics. However, he does reveal his true feelings toward Ophelia when he finds out that it was she that was being buried. "What is he whose grief bears such an emphasis, whose phrase of sorrow conjures the wandering stars, and makes them stand like wonder-wounded hearers? This is I, Hamlet the Dame" "I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could nor with all their quantity of love make up my sum." "Woo't weep? Woo't fight? Woo't fast? Woo't tear thyself? Woo't drink up eisel, eat a crocodile? I'll do 't. Dost thou come here to whine, to outface me with leaping in her grave? Be buried quick with her? - and so will I..." He loved her, loved her so much that he would jump into the grave with her, reveal himself and ruin his plans of revenge, and say things he would have done to have her alive again. I think Hamlet's visit to Ophelia was unintentionally including her into his plans, which he didn't want to hurt anyone but Claudius. He accidentidly included Ophelia with no intention of getting her harmed, but in the end everyone that got involved got hurt in some way.
The sonnet, silly me, I actually went onto YouTube and listened to it read so I can get some insight of the tone. It's not much different from the voice in my head, but somehow it helped a bit. I'll break it up and explain it how I saw it and how it involves Hamlet:
"As an unperfect actor on the stage" < Life goes on without any practice, but as the saying goes "life is a stage, and people are merely players" every one is an unperfect actor (or actress) because they are not practicing their lines and they do not know what is going to happen next in their life. Hamlet is just living his life
"Who with his fear is put besides his part / Or some fierce thing replete with too much rage" < Fear is put aside, Rage is adding onto the flame of love. Hamlet is not afraid of showing himself as a fool in front of Ophelia, and his anger of Claudius is one of the reasons as to why he is approaching Ophelia in the first place in his most humiliating moments.
"Whose strength's abundance weakens his own heart" < Love does weaken the heart by a considerable amount. It makes people feel queasy and lightheaded and weakens people. Being lovestruck is a person's weakest moment. For Hamlet, he is in love with Ophelia and seeing her is his weakest moments. He doesn't think of revenge, he doesn't think of Claudius, he doesn't really think of himself anymore. He's just too absorbed into her.
"So I, for fear of trust, forget to say / The perfect ceremony of love's rite" < Trust is a major thing in love and relationship, so the "perfect ceremony of love's rite" is probably the wooing of someone. Hamlet doesn't know who to trust anymore because his own uncle is the one who killed his father. Who does he believe? No one at the moment. So he forgets the ways of wooing a girl, and just acts like a complete fool.
"And in mine own love's strength seem to decay / O'ercharged with burthen of mine own love's might" < The person's love is beginning to fade away because they are thinking of how much work love is. For Hamlet, he was so focused on plotting his revenge on Claudius, and the burden that he's upholding, the only person in the entire kingdom of Denmark who knows that Hamlet Sr. was murdered, forgets his love.
"O let my looks be then the eloquence / And dumb presagers of my speaking breast" < A person who is in love looks at their love from afar, a speaking breast may be the heart thumping as they see their loved one. Hamlet being on the rampage (exaggerating a bit) of being an insane little man can only admire Ophelia from afar.
"Who plead for love, and look for recompense / More than that tongue that more hath more expressed" < A person's entire body wants to be in love, and have the comfort of another human bean by their side. Words do not always express love well, but there are other ways to express love wordless. Hamlet, he doesn't tell Ophelia that he loves her, but his actions made it seem like he did. In the beginning, I couldn't see the love that he was displaying, but in the end when he wants to be buried with her. That's a sign of love.
"O learn to read what silent love hath writ: / To hear with eyes belongs to love's fine wit" < The loved has to learn to understand the lover's other methods of showing affection other than words. Instead of hearing someone say "I love you" the action of giving someone a ring is another way to say "I love you." Hamlet could not directly say I love you to Ophelia, so he did it in other ways. But by the time that he did show his affections, she was already gone and dead.
In this scene Hamlet’s acting seems to express his feelings in a way that is sincere and completely sane, but might not be understandable to those around him. The sonnet reflects these feelings to a point where it can be used as a way of understanding Hamlet’s unstated thoughts. “O let my looks be then the eloquence is proof for the claim that Hamlet has no other way to express what he feels for Ophelia. He loves her and wants to confide his troubles to her, even though he is a master with words, his “antics” are the only way he can express himself to her, he can tell her about his plan to kill Claudius. During his time in the play Hamlet is plotting the revenge of his father this seems to be the most important thing on his mind, so he brushes aside his love for Ophelia, but his love is so powerful that he cannot continue with his plans until he has satisfied himself with somehow letting her know of emotions. And so by asking Ophelia “To hear with eyes belongs to love’s fine wit.” he pours out all his emotions and can continue with his plans of revenge.
I think Hamlet visiting Ophelia like this was completely planned and intentional. Hamlet probably realized that whatever his revenge was going to be, he wouldn't come out of it alive. In order to kill his uncle he probably figured he would have to die in the process. Hamlet knew Ophelia loved him and he might have felt the same way too so in order to maybe save her the grief of his death he would try to scare her away from loving him. In the sonnet it even says "As an unperfect actor", so Hamlet may have been acting the whole time.
I believe that the most important part of Ophelia's recount of Hamlet's wordless visit to her was that "he seemed to find his way without his eyes, For out o' the doors he went without their helps, And, to the last, bended their light on me". This shows how Hamlet has found his way and followed on with his plans for revenge with out the guidance of his father and that these plans have been the focus of his time and efforts. Also he recognizes that he has these feelings for Ophelia but they must come last behind his revenge plans.
Shakespeare's Sonnet 23 is an example of how Hamlet is feeling the love in his "speaking breast" but wants to "dumb" it so he can complete the task of revenging his father.
I believe that this is just the love that he feels for Ophelia. At first glance it seems like anguish/ madness but I really do believe that his love for Ophelia is geniune and true. EVen though his love Ophelia does exsist to affect his behavior there is another evident factor that affects his behavior. ITs his intense anger and hurt that he now contains. His dad's death, the disloyalty he feels because of his mother's sudden marriage and his uncles deception causes him all this anger. We see this in the court wherePolonius believes that Hamlet's odd behavior is caused by his love for Ophelia while the queen believes that Hamlet's despair is caused by his fathers death and her qquick marriage. It seems like it is an addition of the two.
First off, I'm a little intimidated by these ginormous posts(Thanh). Since when were people posting posts the size of fully grown manatees?(Thanh)
I think Hamlet is caught up in all of his emotionsand doesn't know what to say at his 'mysterious wordless visit' to Ophelia's 'closet'. He is definitely distraught over what the ghost of his father said about his death, and I think maybe he is debating inside his head whether to tell her or not.
I don't think he's putting on his antic disposition at all infront of her. Although it may not be his normal behaviour, he's certainly experienced a lot and he's got a lot stirring inside him. He's obviously in love with her and he wants to be with her because she's someone that cares about him.
Basically I'm trying to say what Matt, better known as Mr.Putnam, said in his first post (of 3)((jeez)) except he just beat me to it and said it a lot better.
I thought the sonnet did a good job of portraying what Hamlet might have been thinking, and I liked it...lololol.
Having read through everyone's comments and agreeing pretty much with what everyone said , i guess i can try to add my own opinion. And thanks to the people who interpreted the sonet for us, i was way confused.
Anyway, I honestly originally assumed that Hamelt's crazy visit to Ophelia was merely Hamelt's way of thickening the plot, commecting to the reader by making them feel more informed than the other characters of the story, and thickening the plot. Sadly, in my innocence, i clearly failed to see it from it's many different aspects. Thanks to mister duncan's hints.
I agree with Jill in that Hamlet was saying goodbye to Ophelia. It's clear by the sonnet that he was overwhelmed by his love for her. Which, by the way, I think was real love. I don't see Hamlet as a play boy. I think he takes life on as deeply and passionately as possible. I think we can see this through his dedication to his father's revenge. He was not someone who loved lightly, and i think Ophelia knows that.
I think he came to Ophelia because he wanted to be near the person he loved the most at that current time. He couldn't go to his mother as she so clearly disregarded his father's death. And he doesn't love his friends the same way he does Ophelia. I think he was seaking comfort.
I also wanted to mention that the sonnet reads "O learn to read what silent love hath writ". This, i think, is a tribute to the fact that although he was unable to express his woes and problems to Ophelia he still was looking for comfort. Perhaps he hoped she would understand what was in his heart and interpret his craziness correctly. I think this sonnet almost begs Ophelia to understand how much he loved her and to see into his secrets.
Of course, there is a good possibility that i'm completely misinterpreting.
The encounter described by Ophelia was vivid and frankly, something I think we all can relate to. He seems mad in the anecdote, but a closer look yields quite the opposite. He is only putting on the madness act to hide his motive of revenge. This confrontation, given the implied history between them, goes beyond acting; it hits too close to home to be a simple ploy. It is known that Hamlet sent letters and such to Ophelia, which were rejected. It is very plausible that Hamlet has some feeling for Ophelia. So, for him to appear mad to her goes against his motive. I think this is Hamlet at his most sincere: when he has no words. This is an important part, since Hamlet has a piercing control of language, and he uses it to explore himself as a human in ways that far surpass mosts' expressive potentials. Yet, even he is at a loss: this can't be dismissed as a ploy.
If it is in fact heartfelt, what does it signify? I am at a loss, but have some conjectures. It could be, as discussed in class, his goodbye to Ophelia, marking his plunge into murderous ambition. This would lend us the assumption that Ophelia is in fact very important to Hamlet, which is definitely possible. Why would he mark his beginning with Ophelia? Is she the only person he can now turn to in love? On the other hand, I can also see it as Hamlets moment of pure transparency. It reminds me of the lost feeling I gathered from Holden Caufield.
This speculation brings up another point: Hamlet's age. I think that the overall effect of the play is magnified if Hamlet is younger than the supposed thirty, say his mid to low twenties. He just feels younger.
The sonnet, as far as I could discern, feels like the lament of a man who cannot express his love correctly. This matches fairly well with the mad encounter with Ophelia. He could , as I mentioned earlier, be at a loss of words. This predicament is only further magnified given Hamlets single greatest talent.
Just as others mentioned, I do not believe that Hamlet was putting up an antic disposition for Ophelia. I was pretty disturbed by the physical state this poor guy was in: "with his doublet all unbraced, No hat upon his head, his stockings fouled... his knees knocking each other...," but I think that he had every reason to be in this state. He had just returned from his encounter with the Ghost, a confrontation with the spirit of his dead father, where he grudgingly assumes the responsibility of taking revenge for his father's death ("O, cursed spite, That ever I was born to set it right!"), while he still battles with his hatred for his own mother... what other state of mind could he possibly be in? He is torn up in his relationships and in what he thinks he is meant to do. I think that his presence and his "look so piteous in purport As if he had been loosed out of hell To speak horrors," attest to his confusion.
In Hamlet's encounter with Ophelia, he goes on to grip her hard, study her face and nod. Again, I don't think that Hamlet was putting on an antic disposition, but that "And in mine own love’s strength seem to decay,” that he is overwhelmed by his love for Ophelia, and not to mention overwhelmed by the other tasks that lay ahead of him, that he is not able to convey his love properly. The only love and trust that Hamlet could really turn to was Ophelia. His father, who he so much revered, had passed, and his mother just betrayed her own son, shattering what he perceived to be true in this world. His attachment to Ophelia is incredibly strong at this point, but he also has to detach himself from her because his first priority is to avenge his father’s death. This incongruence is what, I think, causes Hamlet’s frazzled behavior.
Um… I think I switched tenses about a million times. Sorry about that!
Looking at the passage alone, it is apparent that Hamlet does not hold an antic disposition (I believe in Act I he was just fine when around Ophelia). His state of mind is best described as one of shock. He has just spoken to his dead father who told him that he was murdered by kin. (Coincidentally, has anybody ever seen the Black Adder series with Rowan Atkinson? There was a skit that they did which I now realize may have been based off of Hamlet.)
I don't know what everybody is talking about, Hamlet having to say goodbye to his dear Ophelia. I don't think that Hamlet has the slightest reason for leaving Ophelia, certainly not because he found out that his uncle was the slayer of his father. That has nothing to do with her.
On to the sonnet. Viewed in this light, Hamlet is the "unperfect actor" on the stage, forced to act oddly because of his fear of the truth (sounds like Oedpius). I am going to be honest, from the third line on, I have no idea what the hell is going on. The best I can make out is that his love decays because it is so great; it falls underneath its own encumbering weight. "O let my looks be then the eloquence" I perceive to mean that even though his heart speaks no more of love, he may put on the air of still having the same love. His outwardly appearance also acts as a sort of bait for any future love that may come his way (first impressions). In essence, I believe that the sonnet is about a loss of love at his fault. When we view Hamlet through this "prism" of a sonnet, I suppose I better understand why people are saying that he is disregarding Ophelia's love. It does not have anything to do with the Ghost, but with himself. Maybe the realization that his family is so criminal makes himself feel unworthy of anything but to plan out his revenge to make himself feel right? Maybe? Possibly?
Camden: I feel that I disagree with what you're saying about Hamlet wanting to be with his closest love at that time when he needs it most. I think that it in fact is something he doesn't want to do at all; it is an encounter based upon a whim of his, meant to pour out his feelings of hatred and anger for his uncle, but being able only to quiver and shake when those feelings confronted his of immense love towards Ophelia.
Mr Putnam: placing aside the fact that you are a balloon-addict, I quite agree with your third post. Hamlet doesn't come to say goodbye, he comes to profess his love, but is unable to, as he is preoccupied with matters much more important. This also rolls into Aditya's idea of the "addition of the two", the hatredy of his murderous uncle's marriage to his unfaithful wife.
See you in 4 hours, Mr Duncan.
Like an actor who has forgotten his lines, flattened by the pressure of his part, or a wild beast who thrashes around in a waste of his massive strength, without direction, our poet finds his tongue hopelessly tied in the presence of his love. His love is simply too great--too unwieldy a burden to properly carry.
But this means that his love, despite its lack of eloquence, is far more genuine than other suspiciously eloquent expressions of love.
Our poet's love is not expressed through his words, then. It is silently expressed through looks and glances: emotional moments.
Hear true love not with thy ears, but thine eyes--just as Cupid himself must, in his blindness.
So let's apply this to Hamlet, shall we?
Polonius instructs Ophelia to spurn Hamlet's letters, for Hamlet is horribly eloquent with his words. They are not to be trusted.
This, of course, is a major theme in Hamlet: words can be crafted to bend and alter the truth. (Claudius killed King Hamlet by pouring poison into his ear, and the ghost says that Claudius has even poisoned “the whole ear of Denmark” with his words; oh, what an awesome metaphor.)
As such, Polonius' concern is really not outrageous--Hamlet's eloquence could come from a nasty silver tongue.
So how does the reader know whether or not Hamlet's love for Ophelia is genuine, if words cannot be trusted? Is the closet-moment Hamlet making good on his promise to Horatio and behaving as a madman, or is it a genuinely passionate expression of love?
While one could argue the issue forever, it's really pretty obvious when viewed through the "prism" of the sonnet.
Beautiful verbal expressions of love are unreliable, our poet says, but the silent passion in "looks" is truth.
Wordy Hamlet bursts into Ophelia's room, but uncharacteristically says nothing. His disheveled clothes are left over from his "antic disposition," of course, but why say nothing? If he wanted to convince Ophelia that he was batty, why not say odd things, as he does with Polonius in their later scene?
He just grabs her... and stares. Just stares. "Looks." Looks awhile and leaves.
True love speaks silently, according to Sonnet XXIII.
"I love you, but can't be trusted say it to you right--so let my looks be the eloquence and hear my silent love."
With that said, I think it's important to say that this is merely an analysis through this particular prism.
Things like Hamlet's recent experience with the fairer sex should be considered, as well: his mother’s betrayal (in his eyes) has probably shattered his opinion of women.
Saying that Hamlet merely stares his love into Ophelia and nothing else, without considering these other things, is kind of like Polonius' inadequate conclusion of lovesickness, really. (What of that sigh, at the end of their moment? So many ways to interpret that.)
There's probably a little "just plain crazy" amidst all that "in love," all things considered.
... Well, that was actually pretty fun. An hour well spent.
Time to get ready for class in two hours.
Sure hope this actually gets read by someone, here at the end of the line.
Hamlet is trying to express in his sonnet the words that he can’t express. “And dumb presages of my speaking breast” he can’t find the right words to express how he is feeling to Ophelia. His feelings are genuine and he wants to tell someone everything he feels, but he is binded by secrecy and danger. Ophelia is the person he wants to pour his soul to, but even she refused his letter and refused to see him. Hamlet acts “nutty”, because he doesn’t know who to turn to and the secret of his father’s murderer is driving insane. I don’t think the actions were all for his sincere love of Ophelia.
Most of the words and actions are meant for his own soul and how tormented he is at the current situation. Hamlet can’t tell anyone about the murder, yet he can’t bring it to himself to slay his father’s murderer. He feels weak inside and self loathes his inability to act in the way that is expected of him. Hamlet is also saying goodbye to Ophelia. He knows that he loves her, but can’t be the person she expects him to be anyone, because he learned to truth that changed him. His life has a mission to avenger his father and he doesn’t believe that he can love a woman and kill his uncle at the same time.
My first interpretation of this sonnet is, as other have stated, that Hamlet is not crazy, he is just crazy in love. His “nutty” behavior is due to the fact that he just found out that dear Uncle Claudius killed his father in order to become king and marry Hamlet Jr’s mother. Anyone would be crazy and freaking out if they found out that their uncle had killed their father, I know I would. And even besides that point, there’s the whole fact that regardless of whom Hamlet saw, he saw a ghost! I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t be stunned if they had an interaction with someone from “beyond the grave” and assuming or thinking that Hamlet is crazy simply because he’s stressed and nervous and worried isn’t a very logical conclusion.
My second interpretation actually involved the fair Ophelia, or at least it involves Hamlet’s love for her. As Beyonce Knowles once sang, “Got me lookin so crazy right now ,your love's got me lookin so crazy right now” and I really could not have said it better myself (As a side note: Jabs at my use of Beyonce as a reference are 100% ok, however seeing that I’m like the last person to post I don’t foresee it happening.) People act like fools when they are in love, or even when they have a crush on someone. They say stupid and awkward things, they tease and annoy, they’re really just all over the place. Hamlet, just like any other normal person, falls into this category. He does some pretty odd things, such as visiting Ophelia in her “closet”. But he is not coming here because he’s crazy, he is coming here because he really truly loves Ophelia and after an intense encounter with his father’s ghost, he needs someone to comfort him and help relieve his fears about avenging his father’s death, and his fear of really going mad.
I think that’s all I have for now, and remember, by all means, make fun of my beyonce reference!
-Miranda
Sonnet 23 the love that Hamlet feels for Ophelia. At first Hamlet's appear that he was crazy or mad but I believe that his love for Ophelia is legitimate and real. Though his love for Ophelia affects Hamlet and his behavior, his intense feelings of anger, pain, and a sense of duty or revenge blinds him.
His fathers' death, the disloyalty he feels because of his mother's sudden marriage and his uncles deception causes this blindness. We see this in the court where Polonius believes that Hamlet's odd behavior is caused by his love for Ophelia while the queen believes that Hamlet's sorrow is caused by his fathers' death and her quick marriage. In my opinion neither is fully correct, I believe that Sonnet 23 reveals that it is a combonation of the two sources that causes Hamlet to act out of character.
(Sorry this is so late, JD! College stuff has made me fall behind two blog posts.)
I do not believe that Hamlet puts on his 'antic disposition' in this sonnet. Rather, I feel that he tries to ask for Ophelia's forgiveness. He cannot bring himself to explain to her the reasons behind his bizarre conduct, so he blames love - a malady that (so he claims) has left him crippled by doubt and insecurity, hopelessly tongue-tied in Ophelia's presence, with no way of expressing those feelings that weigh upon his 'speaking breast'. It is love that has made him so tormented and afflicted. It is love that has prompted his rash, erratic behavior. He quite desperate that Ophelia learn that, that she does not consider him crazy as others do, yet there is something that still prevents him from expressing that, just as with all those other buried feelings of guilt and romance. It makes me wonder if his antic disposition is still indeed merely a disposition; it makes me wonder if Hamlet has already lost what sanity he once had, if his desire for revenge has overtaken all his capacities to reason.
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