Hamlet+1.3

4. Polonius says, "This above all: to thine own self be true,/ And it must follow, as the night the day,/ Thou canst not then be false to any man" (1.3.84-86). I have heard this quotation before and have always loved its message. When I read Hamlet for the first time this summer, I was extremely excited to read just this line for the first time in context. Although I still enjoy its message and hope to apply it to my own life, in context of the play, I think it is ironic because most of the characters in //Hamlet// are not being honest with themselves, and therefore, nor with others. This could even include Polonius himself, acting as a hypocrite. Earlier in the scene, Ophelia accuses Laeartes of being a hypocrite as she says, "Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,. Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,/ Whiles, (like) a puffed and reckless libertine,/ Himself the primrose path of dalliance treats/ And recks not his own rede" (1.3.53-55). This kind of deceitfulness is starting to permeate throughout the play.

6. The relationship between Ophelia and her father is introduced in this scene. It appears as though Polonius is very strict and unaffectionate with his daughter, which is evident when he tries to explain the dangers of love/spending time with Hamlet to Ophelia while using military and financial terms. He says, "Set your entreatments at a high rate/ Than a command to parle" (1.3.131-32). In this way, rather than trying to relate to his daughter, Polonius forbids her from ever speaking to Hamlet again. It also intrigues me that Ophelia does not fight back or argue much. Instead, the scenes just ends with her says, "I shall obey, my lord," as though he is in complete control of her (1.3.145). She seems really scared of her father, conveying an aggressive part of Polonius's character. Polonius also criticizes his daughter when he says, "Ay, (springes) to catch woodcocks" (1.3.124). When Ophelia tells her father of Hamlet's vows of love, he basically says that those are just things people say so that stupid people can be easily mesmerized. Essentially, he is calling his own daughter stupid and naive, instead of really listening to what she has to say/her point of view.

5 and 7. It kind of bothers me that Ophelia is so subservient to her father. I was glad that she talked back to her brother about his hypocrisy, but that was the most confident she got. In consideration of the time period, it's understandable that Ophelia is not fighting back to these male figures in the household, because they have a lot of authority over - but she doesn't even care about her own feelings for Hamlet. This makes me question whether Ophelia really does love about Hamlet. If she were like Shakespeare's Juliet, she would not have cared about her parents' consent and just followed her heart, which is ironically the advice (to be true to herself) that her father states right before their conversation. If I were Opehlia, I definitely would have said something. I feel bad for her though - she is in a tough position due to the disapproval and warnings of her family. They might know more about what they're talking about, but by the looks if it, it looks like they do not know much about love, vows, or affection. But do the deceiving theme in the play so far, how does she know that Hamlet really loves her? Who can she trust?