The Cause of his Melancholy - Ophelia & the Tragedy of Hamlet

[Ray Eston Smith]

Hamlet
. . . . I have of late- but wherefore I know not- lost all my mirth . . . .Man delights not me- no, nor woman neither . . . .

Yet, within the last two months, since his return from Wittenberg, Hamlet has had “private time” with Ophelia and apparently she delighted him then.

Polonius
'Tis told me he hath very oft of late
Given private time to you . . . .
Ophelia.
He hath, my lord, of late made many tenders
Of his affection to me.

Of late, of late, of late. What had changed between the “of late” of the “private time” and the “of late” when Hamlet lost his mirth and his delight in woman? Not his father's death. That occurred before the private time.

When Hamlet was a scholar in Wittenberg, he had apparently been courting Ophelia via letters. When he returned from Wittenberg, he courted her in person in their “private time.” Hamlet wanted to go back to Wittenberg – perhaps to resume his long-distance courtship, or perhaps he hoped to take Ophelia with him, as the bride of a Wittenberg scholar. But then something changed.

Claudius
. . . .for let the world take note
You are the most immediate to our throne,
. . . . For your intent
In going back to school in Wittenberg,
It is most retrograde to our desire;
And we beseech you, bend you to remain
Here in the cheer and comfort of our eye,
Our chiefest courtier, cousin, and our son.
Gertrude.
Let not thy mother lose her prayers, Hamlet.
I pray thee stay with us, go not to Wittenberg.
Hamlet.
I shall in all my best obey you, madam.
Claudius.
Why, 'tis a loving and a fair reply.
Be as ourself in Denmark. . . .

Bound by duty to his mother (and later by duty to his dead father), Hamlet is confined in the prison of Denmark, doomed to be as Claudius in Denmark, to inherit the throne. He is no longer the Wittenberg scholar, now he is the Prince of Denmark, heir to the throne. Now as Laertes had warned,

. . . Perhaps he loves you now,
. . . but you must fear,
His greatness weigh'd, his will is not his own;
For he himself is subject to his birth.
He may not, as unvalued persons do,
Carve for himself, . . .
. . . .Then if he says he loves you,
It fits your wisdom so far to believe it
As he in his particular act and place
May give his saying deed; which is no further
Than the main voice of Denmark goes withal.

Laertes had feared that the daughter of the Steward would be considered an unsuitable match for the heir to the throne (but the Stewart line of kings had began when Walter Stewart, Sixth High Steward of Scotland, married Marjorie, daughter of King Bruce). However, Prince Hamlet could have married Ophelia – his mother was hoping for it:

Gertrude.
Sweets to the sweet! Farewell.
[Scatters flowers.]
I hop'd thou shouldst have been my Hamlet's wife;
I thought thy bride-bed to have deck'd, sweet maid,

But suddenly Prince Hamlet no longer wanted to make Ophelia his bride. Now that Hamlet was confined to the “prison” of Denmark, if he married Ophelia she would become not a scholar's wife but rather, like his mother, the “imperial jointress to this warlike state.” She would be a “breeder of sinners” - warlike princes and kings like Fortinbras, Claudius, and his own father, “the question of these wars.” Hamlet loved Ophelia too much to do that to her.

So in one stroke Hamlet had lost both his scholarly career and the love of his life. That was the cause of his melancholy and the tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.

[Gladys]

While I understand, Ray, the drift of your argument, some details trouble me. Your “breeder of sinners" is followed by Hamlet's, "I am myself indifferent honest, but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me", rather than some reference to warlike kings consistent with your contention.

Moreover, I can recall nothing in all Hamlet's words implying his father was bred a "sinner", or even became a "sinner". Hamlet respects and admires his father, does he not?

But suddenly Prince Hamlet no longer wanted to make Ophelia his bride.

Surely Hamlet's change of mind stems from the fickleness he perceives in the return of his gifts and his love - and the fickleness of Gertrude accentuates his reaction.

[Ray Eston Smith]

While I understand, Ray, the drift of your argument, some details trouble me. Your “breeder of sinners" is followed by Hamlet's, "I am myself indifferent honest, but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me", rather than some reference to warlike kings consistent with your contention.

Hamlet later fully realized that he had "from himself been taken away." He had wiped away his true scholarly self and written his father's commandment in the volume of his brain. So Hamlet himself was "indifferent honest", yet while "from himself taken away" was the heir of his warlike father, "the question of these wars."

Hamlet (while "from himself taken away") said, "I am very proud, revengeful, ambitious." That description fits Hamlet Sr much more than Jr:

Hamlet Sr was so proud that he likened himself to a "radiant angel." When did Jr display pride?

Sr was ambitious. He killed a man to gain a piece of ground that was now the "question of these wars." Jr could "be bounded in a nutshell and count [himself] a king of infinite space" - but he feared dreams of ambition.

Sr was so revengeful that he returned from the grave to exhort his reluctant son to vengeance, while Hamlet Jr was even now acknowledging that revenge was a sin.

- Ray

Moreover, I can recall nothing in all Hamlet's words implying his father was bred a "sinner", or even became a "sinner". Hamlet respects and admires his father, does he not?

Hamlet's father called himself a sinner: "the foul crimes done in my days of nature." But his father himself did not understand exactly what his "foul crimes" were. He would have been held responsible only for those crimes committed since his last confession. What foul crime had he committed in the last week of his life? The same sin that was dooming Claudius - he could not give up his earthly kingdom, even to save his soul. Even after his "days of nature," he was still, as Horatio speculated, walking the night for "extorted treasure in the womb of earth." The Ghost said and believed that all he wanted was revenge. But the context indicates that the Ghost really wanted to vicariously reclaim his kingdom by taking over the brain of his son, heir, and namesake, and then making Hamlet kill a king to gain a kingdom.

- Ray

Surely Hamlet's change of mind stems from the fickleness he perceives in the return of his gifts and his love - and the fickleness of Gertrude accentuates his reaction.

That is certainly a possible explanation. It's what Polonius believes. But Hamlet had great influence with his mother, who had great influence with Claudius, who had absolute control of Polonius. Hamlet could easily have reversed Polonius' injunction against him, if he wanted to.

And even before Ophelia's rejection, Hamlet felt his life was "not worth a pin's fee." That is not the attitude of a man in love - unless he has just learned that he is no longer a fit husband for his beloved.

As Claudius pointed out, "that father lost, lost his." Losing a parent is painful, but life goes on. However losing a career and at the same time losing the love of one's life can make somebody lose love for life, and count that life as worth less than "a pin's fee."

- Ray

[Gladys]

So Hamlet himself was "indifferent honest", yet while "from himself taken away" was the heir of his warlike father, "the question of these wars."

Makes good sense, Ray. Hamlet is not his warlike father.

Hamlet's father called himself a sinner

Proud Old Hamlet's abasement seems nothing more that the least expected of a contrite Roman Catholic, suffering in purgatory for sin extant through the absence of last rites. A 'wholesome' king - God's anointed, 'a radiant angel' - humbling himself before almighty God.

But it's Hamlet's perspective, not his father's, that matters here.

Moreover, I can recall nothing in all Hamlet's words implying his father was bred a "sinner"...

Far from viewing his father as the male counterpart to a 'breeder of sinners', Hamlet's says of him:

See what a grace was seated on this brow;
Hyperion's curls; the front of Jove himself;
An eye like Mars, to threaten and command;
A station like the herald Mercury
New lighted on a heaven-kissing hill:
A combination and a form indeed
Where every god did seem to set his seal
To give the world assurance of a man.
This was your husband.

[billwic]

Laertes seems to have been instructed by Polonius to discourage Ophelia's relationship with Hamlet. Polonius knows that an elder brother has more influence than a father and has set Laertes the task of persuading Ophelia to cut off the relationship with Hamlet. Reasons given by Laertes are that Hamlet is playing with Ophelia. (1.3.5-10). (There is some credibility to this, since Hamlet wanted to return to Wittenberg.); and that he cannot choose for himself, since he can only marry for reasons of state. (1.3.17-28) However, Ophelia is of sufficient rank to marry Hamlet. Polonius is a man of high nobility. Laertes protests to Claudius that Polonius was not buried in a manner fitting his high state. (4.5.210-15) The mob cries to have Laertes as king. (4.5. 104-07) In the graveyard scene, Gertrude says that she had hoped to deck Ophelia’s marriage bed with flowers after her marriage to Hamlet, rather than her grave. (5.1. 229-32) Polonius’ daughter would be a suitable match for Hamlet. It is probable that Claudius would prefer Hamlet to marry a Dane rather than a foreign princess, whose father might aid Hamlet in obtaining the throne. The real reason is that Polonius is chief counselor and adviser to Claudius. Hamlet and Claudius are rivals for the throne. If he becomes father in law to Hamlet, it would put Polonius in an impossible situation. Claudius will no longer be able to trust him. If Polonius helped Claudius to the throne, would he not do the same for his son in law and to make his daughter queen? Polonius makes clear his loyalty to Claudius by emphasizing that he forced Ophelia to break off her relationship with Hamlet. (2.2.129-145) After Laertes leaves, Poloius forbids the now persuaded Ophelia to rebuff Hamlets advances. (1.3.131-34) His admonition is more powerful after Laertes warning.

[Ray Eston Smith]

Polonius is a man of high nobility. Laertes protests to Claudius that Polonius was not buried in a manner fitting his high state. (4.5.210-15) The mob cries to have Laertes as king. (4.5. 104-07) .

Good points. I'd hadn't thought of those before as reasons why Ophelia was qualified to marry a prince.

I think, at first, Claudius did not see Hamlet as a rival. Hamlet's desire to return to Wittenberg showed a lack of royal ambition. Laertes bolstered his own legitimacy and stability by naming Hamlet as his heir. That made it seem to the people less like Claudius had usurped the throne from the rightful heir - because now Hamet is still the heir. By naming Hamlet as his heir, Claudius made Hamlet, like Gertrude, a "jointress to this warlike state." (Jointress not so much in the sense of "joint ruler," but rather in the sense of a joiner (carpenter) of the "out of joint" state.) Naming a popular, but loyal, heir makes it much harder for any other contender to overthrow the king.

Of course, as soon as Claudius realized that Hamlet was not really a submissive pawn, he tried to kill him.

[Odysseus93]

I must admit that I have been confused by the line of succession that is represented in Hamlet. My study of the middle ages has led me to understand that the brother of a king, such as Claudius, can only become king of a state if there is no rightful male heir to the throne. However, this does not appear to be the case in Hamlet, and I have been really puzzled by Shakespeare's representation of the medieval line of succession.

[Gladys]

I must admit that I have been confused by the line of succession that is represented in Hamlet.

You may find this link helpful: http://shakespeareforums.com/showthread.php?t=3247

[Apathy]

I believe Hamlet is in love with Ophelia. He tries to deny this afterward because of two reasons:
1- Having given up his scholarly career he knows he must become King and does not want to bind Ophelia to Denmark because he loves her. He expresses his thoughts about the Queenship when he talks about Gertrude.
2- He comes to doubt that she truly feels love for him because of the fickleness his mother showed by marrying Claudius. Hamlet thinks Ophelia is too naive to know the differance between Love and like.