Skip to main content

What do we learn from Gertrude's farewell to Ophelia?

The short answer is that we learn either that

(1) Gertrude had been prepared to accept Ophelia as her daughter-in-law; or


(2) regardless of whether or not Gertrude had been accepting of this prospect, she was content to let the mourners at the burial believe it.


We also learn that Gertrude either believed Ophelia to have died a virgin, or wished her listeners to think she believed Ophelia died a virgin. To understand the significance of these points, we need to take the context into account.


Midway through the first scene of Act V, Hamlet is shocked to learn Ophelia is dead. While hanging out in the graveyard, he sees the procession of mourners, and overhears his mother, Gertrude, speak this farewell to the dead Ophelia:



"Sweets to the sweet: farewell!


(Scattering flowers)


I hoped thou shouldst have been my Hamlet's wife;
I thought thy bride-bed to have deck'd, sweet maid,
And not have strew'd thy grave."



Thus, Gertrude indicates her hopes that Ophelia had lived to marry her son, and suggests that Ophelia died "a maid" (meaning a virgin).


In Act II, Scene 2, Polonius informed Gertrude and Claudius that Hamlet had been sending love letters to Ophelia. Polonius—who was Ophelia's father—made it clear that he told Ophelia not to expect marriage.



"Lord Hamlet is a prince, out of thy star;
 This must not be."



Polonius wanted the King and Queen to understand that Polonius knew his place, and had no unseemly ambitions to promote his daughter in this way.


It's not clear (at this earlier state in the play) what Gertrude thinks about a prospective marriage between Ophelia and her son. A bit later, she tells Ophelia that she hopes Hamlet's bizarre behavior is attributable to his alleged love sickness:



"And for your part, Ophelia, I do wish
That your good beauties be the happy cause
Of Hamlet's wildness: so shall I hope your virtues
Will bring him to his wonted way again,
To both your honours."



This hints that Gertrude might have been amenable to Ophelia as a daughter-in-law, but it's by no means certain. Elizabethan audiences understood that princes kept mistresses. Accepting Ophelia as her son's love interest is not the same thing as accepting her as his wife.


Finally, it should be noted that the men in Ophelia's family were worried about the possibility of Ophelia becoming sexually involved with Hamlet. Hamlet's attentions to Ophelia could create gossip about this; Gertrude's comments suggests she rejects the idea that Ophelia had lost her virginity.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is the meaning of "juggling fiends" in Macbeth?

Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a... Macbeth is beginning to realize that the three witches have been deceiving him since he first encountered them. Like jugglers, they have kept changing their forecasts in order create confusion. This is particularly apparent when the Second Apparition they raise in Act IV,   Scene 1 tells him that no man of woman born can overcome him in hand-to-hand battle--and then Macbeth finds himself confronted by the one man he has been avoiding out of a sense of guilt, and that man tells him: Despair thy charm. And let the angel whom thou still hast serve...
Post a Comment
Read more

What are some external and internal conflicts that Montag has in Fahrenheit 451?

 Montag, the protagonist of Fahrenheit 451, faces both external and internal conflicts throughout the novel. Some examples of these conflicts are: External Conflicts: Conflict with the society: Montag lives in a society that prohibits books and critical thinking. He faces opposition from the government and the people who enforce this law. Montag struggles to come to terms with the fact that his society is based on censorship and control. Conflict with his wife: Montag's wife, Mildred, is completely absorbed in the shallow and meaningless entertainment provided by the government. Montag's growing dissatisfaction with his marriage adds to his external conflict. Conflict with the fire captain: Montag's superior, Captain Beatty, is the personification of the oppressive regime that Montag is fighting against. Montag's struggle against Beatty represents his external conflict with the government. Internal Conflicts: Conflict with his own beliefs: Montag, at the beginning of th...
Post a Comment
Read more

What is is the point of view in the story "The Scarlet Ibis" and the writing style used by the author?

This story uses the first person point of view. Brother, a character in the story, is the narrator. Using first person narration, Brother is able to tell the story from his own perspective and personal experience. So, the reader gets the events from Brother's own memory. Although this is not a series of diary entries, Brother does recall these events in a similar way. This story is Brother's confession about how he treated and mistreated... This story uses the first person point of view. Brother, a character in the story, is the narrator. Using first person narration, Brother is able to tell the story from his own perspective and personal experience. So, the reader gets the events from Brother's own memory. Although this is not a series of diary entries, Brother does recall these events in a similar way. This story is Brother's confession about how he treated and mistreated his younger brother, Doodle.  So, it is similar to a story like Edgar Allen Poe's "The C...
Post a Comment
Read more