Talk:Hamlet

Sorry, edit conflict:

When Hamlet feigns mental illness (some speculate that he actually was mad) to cover his unusual activities, he confides to Horatio, "I am only mad north by northwest" and "There's a method to my madness"

Good point, I'll incorporate that. Ed Poor

Ophelia

I don't think we give enough attention to Ophelia. She had it rough. Although we don't know how deeply they were involved, she may have been sleeping with Hamlet. If so, it would be ever so much painful to find out, after being told to break up with her boyfriend, that he had killed her father.

There's a kind of parallel between Ophelia and Hamlet.

• Each lost a father
  1. Hamlet's father was murdered by his uncle/stepfather
  2. Ophelia's father was killed by her ex-boyfriend Hamlet
• Each seemed to go crazy after finding out who caused their father's death
  1. Hamlet pretended to be mad, while preparing to take revenge on his uncle (his mother's husband!)
  2. Ophelia might not have been pretending, and had no way to take revenge on anyone other than by killing herself

--Ed Poor ^Talk 20:41, 12 January 2008 (EST)

Garden of Eden

Aschlafly, re my recent edits, it looks like I acted too quickly! I now see that you added the reference to the Fall. But don't you think that the Garden of Eden connection needs to expanded on? Also, while it is possible that Ophelia might be pregnant, there is no mention of this, or to an abortion in the play, unless drowning yourself is taken as involving abortion?