Essay on Novel- Hamlet

Submitted By kristydee
Words: 591
Pages: 3

"To Be, or Not To Be?" That is the question and moral of the novel- Hamlet. William Shakespeare composed one of the greatest tragedy's of all time in the 1600's. Hamlet struggles to keep the pain inside him trapped, thinking that the miseries of life couldn't be beard. Hamlet turns against Ophelia and thinks of her as a breeder of sinners, which makes Ophelia go insane. Hamlet and Ophelia develop many ways in the book that make them both alike and different. Hamlet and Ophelia have a lot in common. They both share similarities, For Example, They both pretend not to love each other when they really do. For instance, Hamlet tells Ophelia "Yes, truly, for the power of beauty will transform sincerity from what it is to a pimp faster than the force of sincerity can translate beauty into his image. This used to be contradictory, but now the time proves it's true. I did love you once" (111.i .120-124) Here Ophelia wishes to return the tokens of love he has given her, but Hamlet denies giving her anything then states that he did love her once. I think Hamlet is confused and does not know what he wants, I think the death of his father has affected him and Ophelia, and Ophelia plays along pretending to not love him either, such as when Hamlet states "You should not have believed me, for virtue can't graft a new plant onto our old stock but we shall relish of it. I didn't love you" (111. i .126-128) Ophelia goes along with Hamlet and agrees with him, with whatever he says. I think Ophelia wants to state what's on her mind but Hamlet denies it so she does too. This proves that what Hamlet and Ophelia have in common is denying their love for each other. Apart from their similarities, they both share a lot of differences. When her father tells Ophelia to quit seeing hamlet, she replies "I shall obey, my lord" (1.4.145). Ophelia obeys her father and is very loyal to him, apart from Hamlet. When Polonius uses Ophelia as bait to spy on Hamlet for King Claudius, she has no choice but to do what she's told. As long as she's unmarried, she must live by her father's rules. Ophelia had no control over her emotions or