Hamlet s Elastic Heart Comparing Hamlet And Ophelia

Hamlet’s Elastic Heart The everchanging relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia in the play Hamlet by Shakespeare has captivated audiences for over 400 years; making it one of the most iconic relationships in literary history. Hamlet and Ophelia’s relationship has been scrutinized since the play s conception in the late 1500s. Thousands of literary critics have made their opinions known about the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia without any definite consensus. Both Hamlet and Ophelia had feelings for eachother but after talking with her father Ophelia expressed her disinterest in Hamlet; their relationship also personifies many key themes for readers. At the beginning of the play Ophelia’s love for Hamlet is present but, as the†¦show more content†¦On the other hand, even after Ophelia expresses her disinterest Hamlet’s love for Ophelia never wavers through the play. With his heart shattered and ego in shambles Hamlet’s love for Ophelia still persists throughout the play. When Ophelia confronts Hamlet to return his letters he says that â€Å"No, not I. I never gave you aught.† (III.I) Internally Hamlet is crushed; he opened up to Ophelia so much only to have it all handed back as though it meant nothing to her. For Hamlet the situation is so unbearably embarrassing that he feels that redirecting blame from himself to Ophelia is the best solution. In a letter to Ophelia, Hamlet wrote to â€Å"Doubt thou the stars are fire, Doubt that the sun doth move, Doubt truth to be a liar, But never doubt I love. O dear Ophelia, I am ill at these numbers. I have not art to reckon my groans, but that I love thee best† (II.II) Through everything Hamlet told Ophelia to never doubt that he loved her. The way Hamlet treats Ophelia isn’t from lack of love but rather, he feels betrayed by the way Ophelia disregarded his feelings. In light of Ophelia’s fate Hamlet asks Laertes â€Å"Dost thou come here to whine, To outface me with leaping in her grave? Be buried quick with her?—and so will I.†(V.I) To Hamlet, life isn’t worth living without Ophelia. Even with Ophelia dead, and with no other reason to deceive, Hamlet still openly speaks about Ophelia as though he loves her. TRANSITION SENTENCE The progression of Hamlet