Hamlets Treatment of Ophelia.

Hamlets treatment of Ophelia in the play acts as a lynch pin to one of the major questions
presented by Shakespeare. Is Hamlet truly mad or is the whole thing a showing of his antic
disposition? Hamlets previous experience with Ophelia isnt one hundred precent clear however
we know for certain that they were somehow romantically attached. However despite this love he
once held we see him berate and abuse her verbally and drive her to madness. The nunnery scene is
considered by many not an act of antic disposition but a true outburst of madness and this leads to
the hypothesis that Hamlet has three psychotic episodes where he truly loses his mind. This
accounts for his treatment toward Ophelia in the nunnery scene as well as his actions in the grave
scene. The reason for his first outburst (nunnery) toward Ophelia is a result of his perfectionist
complex. Hamlet is an idealist, holds everyone to the highest standard and most of all he holds the
women in his life to this. He sees the women (his mother and Ophelia) as beings meant to be chaste,
loving and pure and so any deviation from this creates a madness in Hamlet that bursts out as a
psychotic episode. Hamlets high standard for Ophelia may be a result of his true love for her,
though it is speculated by Laertes and Polonius Hamlets poetry attests to the fact that he is truly in
love with Ophelia hence his outrage and fury when she spurns her and he suspects that she is
reporting his actions to her father. This strong love and passion for her is confirmed in the grave
scene where he spurns Laertes believing his love to be false and claiming that he loved her greater
than any. The dramatic act of throwing himself in the grave confirms this idea, reinforcing both his
eccentric nature in regard to acts of passion as well as his love for Ophelia. Ophelia is however, also
subject to moments of Hamlets antic disposition. Key moments are the scene where he does the
long, intimidating stare as he walks out of the room and the other is his bawdy banter with her
before the mousetrap. While the mousetrap incident seems to have no real purpose other than to
make people uncomfortable the exiting the room scene is clearly intentional to have Ophelia report
his madness to her father and the king and throw them of the scent of his true intent. Hamlets
treatment of Ophelia bases itself mainly in love, he loses his mind briefly when expectations as a
result of his love are not met and his love for his father and his hunt for the truth results in his use of
antic disposition when around her.










Uncertainty in the play.
Uncertainty is the key reason that the play has continued to remain so relevant to audiences even to
today. The uncertainty is sometimes credited to Shakespeare not knowing himself the answers in
the play thus making it a bad play and him a bad writer, however I believe that Shakespeare
intentionally uses uncertainty and it is the reason the play remains popular to this day. The
uncertainty in the play is introduced at so many different points, concerning a variety of issues which
means that no matter the context or time set of the play decisions can be made by actors and
directors to make the play relevant to the modern audience. A tone of uncertainty is established
from the very beginning by the use of short, sharp questions, halt! Who goes there, the single
syllabic structure in the opening exchange establishes an air of uncertainty and distrust that is
continued throughout the entire play. This uncertainty and dishonesty is a key feature not just in the
nation itself but also on a personal level as we see Hamlet, self-affirmed in his justice and
righteousness ,despise and berate those around him who he views as untrue. The levels of
uncertainty are heightened when the ghost appears to Hamlet, while his instructions are clear
Hamlet doesnt know if he can trust him leaving him and audiences unsure who to trust by
immediately after talking to the ghost having Horatio and Hamlet himself speculate on the ghosts
credibility. Hamlet has good reason to be untrusting, he is uncertain of the stance of every character
around him (but for Horatio) and even his friends when pressed reveal that they were sent for by the
king. This coupled with the uncertainty surrounding his fathers death causes Hamlet to add his own
layer of uncertainty and Shakespeare to pose another question to audiences worldwide is Hamlet
really mad? Depending on the interpretation takes the play on very different paths, if truly mad
then he becomes a sadder figure, driven to madness by the world around him, if not mad at all he
becomes and anti-hero, cruel and spiteful to those he loves all seemingly for fun, there may also be a
middle ground where in some cases he is truly mad and others he just puts it on. The uncertainty in
the play serves as a key feature, leaving many questions open for interpretation and debate
whenever the show is performed and it is these open ends that has made Hamlet stand the test of
time and be relevant to every era since it was first written.