PlayShakespeare.com: The Ultimate Free Shakespeare Resource
PlayShakespeare.com: The Ultimate Free Shakespeare Resource
PlayShakespeare.com: The Ultimate Free Shakespeare Resource
PlayShakespeare.com: The Ultimate Free Shakespeare Resource
  Saturday, 19 May 2007
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Here's a walk-through of the "Nunnery Scene," which is Scene 8 in the play, traditionally Act 3 scene 1.

The Scene begins with Claudius talking to R & G about Hamlet. They report that they haven't found out anything in particular about Hamlet. They mention the arrival of the Players, who'll perform a play that night. Claudius dismsses R & G and they exit.

The preparation to eavesdrop on Hamlet then begins. Claudius says.....

~~~~~
... we have closely sent for Hamlet hither,
~~~~~

Claudius's word "closely" has a double meaning. First, it means "privately." The message to Hamlet said Claudius wanted a private meeting with him, just the two of them. Claudius expressed it that way to ensure Hamlet shows up alone. Hamlet's conversation with Ophelia would be inhibited with other people standing around, and Claudius knows that. So Claudius said it was to be a private meeting.

This idea of "close" is the same as for Gertrude's "Closet." A "close" meeting is a private meeting; Gertrude's Closet is her room for private conversation.

Second, "closely" means it's close to the time when Hamlet should be there. The Bard got double-duty out of "closely," as he did with many words and phrases in the play.

Going back just a tad.....

~~~~~
Sweet Gertrude, leave us two,
~~~~~

Claudius told Gertrude to leave, without even thinking about it. She's just going to walk out, while they stay and eavesdrop on what her son says? Dream on. Claudius should know better.

Gertrude will say.....

~~~~~
I shall obey you.
~~~~~

In a pig's eye. There's no time to argue the point, because Hamlet is due to arrive any minute. But she isn't leaving. There's another arras in the room, in the direction of the door.

Gertrude walks toward the door, looking back over her shoulder. When Claudius and Polonius turn to Ophelia, and Ophelia looks at them, Gertrude steps behind the other arras to hide. She's going to listen, too. The other characters never know she's there.

Polonius gives Ophelia an "acting lesson".....

~~~~~
Ophelia, walk you here; gracious, so please you;
We will bestow ourselves; read on this book,
That show of such an exercise may color
Your lowliness ...
~~~~~

He tells her to walk there, meaning to pace back and forth close to the arras. He tells her to be "gracious" as if she'd be anything else. She's a naturally gracious young lady. And Polonius gives her a book. And that's it.

Polonius's instructions to Ophelia contrast profoundly, and ironically, with his earlier, very detailed instructions to Reynaldo, and his long-winded instructions to Laertes. That's intentional from Shakespeare, of course. It's obvious Polonius doesn't take Ophelia, a girl, as seriously as he takes men. But while Ophelia may be "only a girl," she also happens to be the "star Player" for this important show with Hamlet, and it's extremely stupid of Polonius to treat her so carelessly, if he wants the show to be good.

The book is a conversation starter, if one is needed. Go back to the "fishmonger" passage, where Polonius asked Hamlet what he was reading. Also recall that Ophelia told Polonius that when Hamlet rushed into her room, he didn't say anything. Polonius is trying to handle the potential problem of Hamlet not saying anything, again, by providing the book as something for Hamlet to talk about. Polonius has it that if Hamlet can't think of anything to say, he'll ask Ophelia what she's reading, the same way Polonius asked Hamlet what he was reading, earlier.

You'll often see the book described as a prayer book, or perhaps even a Bible, which is a ridiculously foolish misinterpretation, oblivious to the facts of the play dialogue, but it's an interpretation which oddly persists. Polonius has, of course, provided a book that would interest a university scholar, which Polonius knows Hamlet is. As a conversation starter for a university student, the book will be something like Aristotle, or some other classic that a university student would recognize, and might want to talk about.

While talking to Ophelia, Polonius tosses in a saying, about deception, phrased in a way that's not very apt. He loves sayings, and tosses that one in as a matter of habit. Claudius, aside, reacts to the saying, and begins to reveal his guilt in his brother's death. The functional purpose in the play, for Polonius's saying and Claudius's reaction, is not immediate. Polonius has accidentally gotten to Claudius's conscience before Hamlet's 'Mousetrap' play. It's an intentional irony, that Polonius, by pure accident, gets to Claudius's conscience, before Hamlet has a chance to.

Hamlet enters, and speaks you-know-what.

(Continued.....)
16 years ago
·
#1816
(Continuing.....)

Hamlet says.....

~~~~~
... Farewell.
~~~~~

Hamlet is trying to get Ophelia out of the room. He means he wants her to leave. She doesn't understand that. It's on her mind that she's supposed to stay near the arras.

Hamlet gestures toward the door with his left hand (presuming he's right handed.) He's trying to point Ophelia to the door. However, he has that little parcel crushed in his hand, so he's making the gesture with his fist. It doesn't look like pointing to Ophelia, it looks like Hamlet is waving his fist in a threatening way. She doesn't see his intended meaning.

When Hamlet says "farewell" he starts to draw his sword. Hoping Ophelia will leave, Hamlet is going to kill those rats behind the arras.

But Ophelia is the one who gave his things back, and she's the one seeing his murderous anger, right in front of her.

When Ophelia sees Hamlet start to draw his sword, she thinks he's going to kill her. Now! She thinks Hamlet has just told her "farewell" from the land of the living. The man she loves is going to kill her. Now.

She turns pale, trembles, her eyes grow wide. She prays.

(Ophelia's prayer move is simple. She's already dropped the book, and she has her hands in front of her chest, in a defensive posture. She brings her hands together, into the prayer position, and she looks upward. Try it yourself. An easy move.)

~~~~~
O, help him, you sweet heavens.
~~~~~

She doesn't say "help me." Why not? - She's devoutly religious, and she knows that if Hamlet kills her it will be a mortal sin against his soul. She'll never see him in Heaven. That scares her more than anything, the idea of Hamlet going to hell. She's asking God, and all the angels, to stop Hamlet from killing her, so that he won't have a mortal sin against his soul. Or, if that isn't possible, she's asking God to suspend the Commandments, just for a second, while Hamlet kills her, so that it won't count against him.

Earlier, Hamlet hoped that Ophelia would forgive him in her prayers. She's doing much more than that now, right in front of him. In her agony of fear, she's praying fervently to save his soul. Not her life, his soul.

Hamlet hears her say "him" and thinks she means Claudius. He thinks she's praying for the life of her sugar daddy, who gives her rich gifts, because she wants more diamonds.

Hamlet sees that Ophelia isn't leaving, and he angrily slaps his sword back into the scabbard. He isn't going to kill them with Ophelia present.

To Ophelia, it looks as if her prayer worked. Maybe it did.

Hamlet thinks of more to say to her.

~~~~~
Ham. If thou dost marry I’ll give thee this plague for thy dowry: be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. ...
~~~~~

Hamlet means she won't escape slander, since rumors that she's untrue to her husband will circulate because she's been a courtesan, (under his logical conclusion.)

Hamlet should stop and think about his own words. She isn't escaping calumny now, from him, as he slanders her in his own thoughts.

(Continued.....)
16 years ago
·
#1817
(Continuing.....)

~~~~~
Get thee to a nunnery, farewell. ...
~~~~~

Again Hamlet tries to get Ophelia out of the room. He gestures toward the door with his fist again, which she only sees as threatening behavior.

~~~~~
Or if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, ...
~~~~~

Hamlet is feeling like a fool, completely taken advantage of, by Claudius, and Polonius, and by Ophelia leading him on only because she expected him to be King. "Marry a fool" he says, as he feels like a total fool. Even when he doesn't intend to, he's asking Ophelia to marry him. He can't help it.

~~~~~
... for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go; and quickly too. Farewell.
~~~~~

Hamlet tries again to get her out of the room, and starts to draw his sword, again. And again, Ophelia thinks he intends to kill her.

She prays, again. (Same prayer move, of course, from defensive posture to prayer position.)

~~~~~
Oph. O heavenly powers, restore him!
~~~~~

Hamlet angrily slaps his sword back into place, again, when she doesn't leave. Again, it looks to Ophelia as if her prayer worked. Could be.

Hamlet berates her more.

~~~~~
Ham. I have heard of your paintings too, well enough; God hath given you one face, and you make yourselves another. ...
~~~~~

When Hamlet says "heard of" he means he's heard about courtesans and harlots, but has no personal experience with them.

His following "gig and amble" etc. lines are intricate and take a while to explain.

~~~~~
... Go to . . . I’ll no more on’t;
~~~~~

He starts to tell her to go to a nunnery again, but stops in frustration that he can only think of repeating the same thing.

Angry at himself, Ophelia, Claudius and Polonius, and the whole world, he bellows.....

~~~~~
... it hath made me mad. ...
~~~~~

He means both it's driving him crazy, and he's angrier than he ever thought he could be. He bellowed the "mad" line loud enough to make the arras quiver, and shock Ophelia horribly.

(Continued.....)
16 years ago
·
#1818
(Continuing.....)

~~~~~
... I say, we will have no more marriages: ...
~~~~~

The thought has crossed Hamlet's mind that if Claudius has taken up with Ophelia, Claudius must have gotten tired of Gertrude awfully fast. Claudius killed his own brother, or so the Ghost said. What would Claudius do with a wife he no longer wants? And then, would Claudius want to marry Ophelia?

It's unthinkable. Unspeakable. Hamlet will try to kill Claudius, Polonius, Ophelia, everybody in the Castle, and himself, before allowing Claudius to marry Ophelia. That's what he means, that she'll never marry Claudius. "No more marriages" (for Claudius.)

~~~~~
... those that are married already, all but one, shall live; ...
~~~~~

Anybody who says too much will eventually say the wrong thing. It always happens. Here, it happens for Hamlet, as he gives Claudius too strong a hint.

~~~~~
... the rest shall keep as they are. To a nunnery, go.

Exit.
~~~~~

By "the rest" he means Ophelia, that she is to stay single, for him. Also, that Gertrude is to remain Claudius's wife, keeping as she is. It's also a vow from Hamlet to Ophelia, that he'll stay single, keeping as he is, until and unless he can somehow marry her. He's made it sound different, for his 'audience.'

His parting words are again the order for her to go to a nunnery, which is exactly what he wants her to do.

He takes a long stride toward the door, then realizes he's still clutching that little parcel. He's broken and crushed it in his fist. He hurls the things to the floor, and storms out.

(Outside the room, he goes to a corner or niche where nobody can see him, pounds the wall with his fist, and cries.)

Ophelia thinks aloud, in sorrow and despair.

~~~~~
O, what a noble mind is here o’erthrown.
...
O, woe is me,
T’have seen what I have seen, see what I see.
~~~~~

Ophelia's soliloquy takes considerable time to go through. As far as she could tell, Hamlet went crazy.

When she concludes with "seen" and "see" she covers her eyes. She's seen enough.

Devastated, she sinks to the floor in a high kneeling position. Her exact posture is dictated by which side of her the arras is on, right or left. Let's say it's to her right. She covers her eyes with her right hand, keeping her elbow rather high. The elbow is needed. She holds her left forearm across her midsection, hugging herself. She maintains that position, eyes covered, kneeling, for now.

~~~~~
Exit Gertrude.
~~~~~

Gertrude steps quickly from behind the other arras, and goes out the door. Ophelia has her eyes covered, weeping, Hamlet has already left, and Claudius and Polonius haven't emerged yet. None of the others ever knows Gertrude was there. She heard Hamlet say, "those that are married already, all but one, shall live." She's married, to Claudius, and she knows Hamlet doesn't like that. But Hamlet couldn't mean he intends to kill her. Could he?

In the later Closet Scene, Gertrude is quick to jump to the conclusion that Hamlet intends to kill her. This is why.

(Continued.....)
16 years ago
·
#1819
(Continuing.....)

~~~~~
Enter King and Polonius.
~~~~~

Claudius and Polonius waited to emerge from behind the arras until they were sure Hamlet was well away. They heard how Hamlet sounded. He sounded like he wanted to kill somebody, and neither of them was eager to volunteer. (Their fear of Hamlet provides the time for Ophelia to speak her soliloquy. They wait to be certain Hamlet is gone.)

The thought of coming out to try to protect Ophelia didn't occur to either of them, not even for a moment. They didn't even think of that. They don't care about her at all.

Claudius says.....

~~~~~
Love, his affections do not that way tend,
Nor what he spake, though it lacked form a little,
Was not like madness. ...
~~~~~

Claudius means it didn't sound like mad babble to him, but rather the tone of what Hamlet said sounded like murderous rage. Yep.

~~~~~
There’s something in his soul
O’er which his melancholy sits on brood,
And I do doubt the hatch and the disclose
Will be some danger; ...
~~~~~

Claudius is now pretty sure what that "something" is. Hamlet wouldn't mind killing him. Claudius doesn't know why, whether Hamlet is ambitious for the crown, like Claudius was, or something else. Either way, it doesn't matter, Claudius knows he needs to act.

~~~~~
... which for to prevent,
I have in quick determination    
Thus set it down: he shall with speed to England
For the demand of our neglected tribute.
Haply the seas, and countries different,
With variable objects, shall expel
This something-settled matter in his heart,
Whereon his brains still beating puts him thus
From fashion of himself. What think you on’t?
~~~~~

Claudius's exact word usage could be discussed at considerable length, not immediate to events.

Since the diplomatic mission to Norway was such a success - Claudius thinks - he decides to try that again. He'll send Hamlet on a diplomatic mission to England. He hasn't thought of the rest of it yet, to try to get rid of Hamlet permanently. Since the mission to Norway was Polonius's suggestion, Claudius asks Polonius about the idea for this one.

~~~~~
Pol. It shall do well. But yet do I believe
The origin and commencement of his grief
Sprung from neglected love. How now, Ophelia?
You need not tell us what Lord Hamlet said; ...
~~~~~

All this time, Ophelia has been kneeling there, weeping. Polonius's quick couple lines, spoken almost impersonally, are the only notice either Claudius or Polonius takes. Speaking of "neglected love." What an understatement.

~~~~~
... We heard it all. My lord, do as you please.
But if you hold it fit, after the play,
Let his queen mother all alone entreat him
To show his grief. Let her be round with him,
And I’ll be placed, so please you, in the ear
Of all their conference. If she find him not,
To England send him, or confine him where
Your wisdom best shall think.
~~~~~

The word usage admits of considerable discussion, not directly relevant to events. "Fit" has allusion to madness, "round" is partly a fat joke, etc.

Polonius wants to try the arras bit again. He probably knows a saying about trying again.

~~~~~
King. It shall be so:
Madness in great ones must not unmatched go.
~~~~~

"Unmatched" is the right word, from Q2, in ironic anticipation of the fencing match. Claudius knows nothing of that as he speaks. For his character, it's purely accidental. It's not accidental from the Bard, of course, who knew his own play.

As Claudius and Polonius start for the door, to exit, Polonius reaches down and takes Ophelia by the elbow, and lifts her, like luggage, to her feet. They follow Claudius for a couple steps. Ophelia slips from Polonius's grasp, and goes down again, on all fours.

Polonius has an instant decision to make. He can either pick up Ophelia again, or he can stay close to Claudius. For Polonius it's an easy decision. He hurries after Claudius, and leaves his daughter on the floor.

When Hamlet exited, he threw down the crushed parcel, and the things scattered on the floor. Ophelia notices that the daisy is right in front of her. It just happened to end up there. (Wheel of Fortune motif.) She picks it up, moves to a kneeling position again, and holds it to her heart with both hands, with her head bowed, looking at the daisy through her tears, all alone, crying.

End of Scene.

(In the later Scene with Laertes, when Ophelia is mad and handling the flowers, she says "There's a daisy." She doesn't give that poor little crushed daisy to anybody. She takes it from her clothing, and holds it up for everyone to see, then puts it back over her heart, where she always keeps it. Where'd she get it? A daisy is a "sun" flower, and Hamlet is the "son." Hamlet gave it to her. When and how? The same way you'd get any daisy. One day when they were out walking together, he picked it and gave it to her, with a word of love. The daisy will be found in her clothing, over her heart, when she's dead. Whoever finds it will carelessly throw it away.)
16 years ago
·
#1820

Yes. I modernize it to the form shown. It's a Shakespeare coinage, the antonym of "inoculate." The coinage has gone unrecognized.


Having a Shakespeare coinage go unrecognized doesn't speak much for its credibility. The term "Evocutate" is unrecognized in the Shakespeare community and the gardening community from what I can see though I am eager for sources on the issue.


There's a way to get "inoculate" to work for the utterance, but the major problem with "inoculate" is that it gives up the "take" concept which is quite significant in the play.

I can see what your looking for but consider this. Its not that Hamlet is looking for Ophelia to "take", i.e. accept, the virtue of men, rather he is explaining the motivation from a man's perspective. She should not have "taken" him because the graft of virtue is not enough to change men's nature, though the taste, hint, suggestion-the relish- makes one think so. Virtue in men is a graft, not nature. The mere taste misled Hamlet to say things that deep down he professes now were not true. She should not have believed him.
16 years ago
·
#1821

... I am eager for sources on the issue.


You already know the source, I'm sure, since you posted it: the Second Quarto printing of Hamlet. The source is "Shakespeare," the same as for any Shakespearean word. All Shakespearean words are known from the printings of his writings, of course.

"Evocutate" is not the only unrecognized Shakespeare coinage in Hamlet.

Imagion. Shroudly. Comart. That's three more, offhand.


There's a way to get "inoculate" to work for the utterance, but the major problem with "inoculate" is that it gives up the "take" concept which is quite significant in the play.

I can see what your looking for but consider this. Its not that Hamlet is looking for Ophelia to "take", i.e. accept, the virtue of men, rather he is explaining the motivation from a man's perspective. She should not have "taken" him because the graft of virtue is not enough to change men's nature, though the taste, hint, suggestion-the relish- makes one think so. Virtue in men is a graft, not nature. The mere taste misled Hamlet to say things that deep down he professes now were not true. She should not have believed him.


That can't be right, because once grafted, virtue could indeed be taken from men. That's exactly why grafting is done. An original plant is grafted to others, which are then grafted to others, etc. If a graft survives, it's there for the taking. A graft that survives becomes a part of the living plant, available for further propagation.

The fruit that a grafted tree bears is true to the graft. If Virtue works as a 'graft' into men, the 'fruit' that men bear will be virtuous.

In the case of a fruit tree, the "stock" will be a rootstock, and the graft will form the entire upper part of the tree. The grafted part will bear the fruit, and the fruit will be true to the graft.

It can be referred to the Christian model of man. Man is born sinful, evil (at root.) Ergo, Virtue must be 'grafted' into men. If the 'graft' works, men will bear virtuous fruit, or if doesn't work, they won't. The moral 'grafting' for men is done through moral instruction.

One could picture it, I suppose, as Hamlet being "the tree" and Ophelia taking the "fruit" from the tree (the "fruit" being Hamlet's statement that he loved her,) and Ophelia biting into the "fruit," thinking it was good, i.e. that Hamlet's statement was true and virtuous. He's now saying, sorry, my "fruit" is no good, no matter how it seemed at the time - I was lying, I didn't really love you.

In Christian terms, the oldest known woody plant that could be a "stock," that's known by name or at least by description, is the Tree of Knowledge. By the way. So, there's a hint of that old story, with a bit of a twist. Ophelia is Eve, Hamlet is the serpent, tempting her to bite the fruit, in which she finds no virtue. Bitter fruit. The analogy combines the Tree and serpent, making Hamlet both; he'd be both the tempter and the one providing the "fruit." It makes men both the fruit bearers to women, and the serpents, to generalize. (One looks at Genesis because of Cain and Abel, brother kills brother. Also, the story of the Tree includes "thou shalt surely die," which is clearly of interest in connection with the Death theme in Hamlet.)

The Folio language.....

~~~~~
For virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock, but we shall relish of it.
~~~~~

The way that "inoculate" can be made to work, is first to read "virtue" with a capital V. Capital-V Virtue, the quality of Virtue, cannot be grafted into men (Hamlet claims.) Thus, men have no virtuous "fruits" to offer, although appearance may suggest they do. "Inoculate" is read as "be grafted into."

In other words, for the Folio language.....

-=-=-
For Virtue cannot be grafted into our old stock so, but we shall suggest it has been.
=-=-=

Hamlet would be basically asserting that moral instruction doesn't really work, thus all men remain evil, so Ophelia shouldn't have believed him. It's a gross exaggeration, at best; not true. Moral instruction does work, although not perfectly. Hamlet's statement directly challenges Ophelia's religious beliefs, and Christianity itself, on the value of moral instruction.

But with "inoculate" the meaning is indirect, and requires an additional assumption. That being, the simple assumption that since Virtue isn't there, it can't be taken. "Inoculate" allows for an indirect reading of what "evocutate" expresses directly.

Q2 "evocutate" gives, in equivalent terms, (still assuming capital-V Virtue).....

-=-=-
For Virtue cannot so be extracted from our old stock, but we shall suggest it can be.
=-=-=

It leaves no need to make the additional assumption about "taking," the idea is expressed directly.

"Inoculate" - be grafted into
"Evocutate" - be extracted from

The variation is quite interesting. It could possibly be authorial variation. Alternatively, it could be that the Folio editor couldn't read the word well on the 20-year old papers he had to work with, did the best he could, and came close.

As already mentioned, "relish" has a definition referring to something "evocative." That supports the Q2 word (unless someone would wish to argue "relish," too, which I don't think many would.) "Evocutate" and "relish" go well together.

Well, that's enough for one forum post.
16 years ago
·
#1822
Hamlet's mistaken idea about Ophelia is why he makes the indecent remarks at the 'Mousetrap' play. Hamlet gets the idea of using sexual innuendo to shame Ophelia, and Claudius, in public, about what they're doing. Since they're not actually doing anything, Hamlet only ends up looking crazy.
16 years ago
·
#1823

You already know the source, I'm sure, since you posted it: the Second Quarto printing of Hamlet. The source is "Shakespeare," the same as for any Shakespearean word. All Shakespearean words are known from the printings of his writings, of course.


Very clever. I was actually looking for your independent source in modernizing the word from "euocutat" to "evocutate" and then your source for your definition. If you don't have it that's fine. I just couldn't find anything in any of my sources that supported your view.


That can't be right, because once grafted, virtue could indeed be taken from men. That's exactly why grafting is done. An original plant is grafted to others, which are then grafted to others, etc. If a graft survives, it's there for the taking. A graft that survives becomes a part of the living plant, available for further propagation


But the graft has no effect on the old stock it just gives the taste. The graft on the other hand can die or it may not even take, or the rootstock can sucker, or the rootstock can die and the graft dies with it. Grafts are good we just can't lose sight of the rootstock. You see the graft as important, I see the rootsock as important. Since my view is tightly intertwined thematically, your view just doesn't work for me.
16 years ago
·
#1824

You already know the source, I'm sure, since you posted it: the Second Quarto printing of Hamlet. ... All Shakespearean words are known from the printings of his writings, of course.


Very clever. I was actually looking for your independent source in modernizing the word from "euocutat" to "evocutate" and then your source for your definition. If you don't have it that's fine. I just couldn't find anything in any of my sources that supported your view.


It is not very clever to ignore what Shakespeare wrote. The 'independent source' is "Shakespeare." I gave you both the source and the definition for "evocutate." But if you don't want them, that's fine. Nobody's trying to force you into anything. However, you might want to consider that if you rely only on old secondary sources, you'll never learn anything new.



That can't be right, because once grafted, virtue could indeed be taken from men. ...


But the graft has no effect on the old stock it just gives the taste. ...


For the analogy, the point is the fruit, or flower. Hamlet's statement of love to Ophelia was a "product" of his, that is, a "fruit" or "flower." Grafting changes the fruit, or flower, of a plant. That is exactly why grafting is done.

The reason why I see grafting as important is because that's what the line in the play is referring to. A person cannot understand Hamlet by ignoring what it says.

You mention "sources" again. What sources? The source for this is still "Shakespeare," and Hamlet. I'm talking about what the play says. What are you referring to?
16 years ago
·
#1825

You already know the source, I'm sure, since you posted it: the Second Quarto printing of Hamlet. ... All Shakespearean words are known from the printings of his writings, of course.

It is not very clever to ignore what Shakespeare wrote. The 'independent source' is "Shakespeare." I gave you both the source and the definition for "evocutate." But if you don't want them, that's fine. Nobody's trying to force you into anything. However, you might want to consider that if you rely only on old secondary sources, you'll never learn anything new.


You don't apply this same standard to to the word "inoculate".

"[I]noculate" is the correct term, "euocutat" is a misprint.

The dichotomy of the human condition is what Hamlet faces as he attempts to understand the world in broad universals. The nunnery scene (in part) expresses this theme. Hamlet's view of the world is stark. He sees the base nature of man as an adversity and the "celestial" as aspirational. So, while grafting of plants is a useful, worthy and purposeful endeavor as you point out, Hamlet's metaphor sees it as a negative. The graft puts a false face on the true nature of the rootstock. We know that Hamlet's view as it plays out through this scene is cynical, simplistic even juvenile.
16 years ago
·
#1826

You don't apply this same standard to to the word "inoculate".


In point of fact, I do. You're mistaken. I apply the same standards to all words that might be at issue in both Q2 and the Folio.

The measures I use to judge between Q2 and the Folio are as follows.

"plain sense in context,
thematic significance,
root meanings,
wordplay,
relevant ambiguity,
allusion,
undertone,
style,
characterization,
irony,
immediacy to the passage,
the flow of the dialogue,
the flow of events, and
overall word usage in the play.
If all that fails, I look to the author's general usage of words, throughout his writings, and to the fact that he was a great poet."

My application of those measures to numerous differences that exist between Q2 and the Folio can be seen at the following link.

http://www.hamletregained.com/folio_differences.html


"inoculate" is the correct term, "euocutat" is a misprint.


There is no legitimate reason to imagine either word is a misprint. When people don't understand something in Hamlet they always try to claim misprint, as if they can somehow now read a nonexistent manuscript, today, better than the compositor who actually saw it could.


The dichotomy of the human condition is what Hamlet faces as he attempts to understand the world in broad universals. ...


Keeping in mind, of course, that Hamlet is a play character, and not a person who can have understanding. Hamlet understands what the Bard intentionally gave him to understand. Not that you don't know that, but just to keep things clear.


... So, while grafting of plants is a useful, worthy and purposeful endeavor as you point out, Hamlet's metaphor sees it as a negative. ...


Hamlet isn't calling grafting a negative, he's trying to persuade Ophelia that the "graft" of virtue onto the old rootstock of men doesn't work (using the "inoculate" idea for simplicity here.) Of course it would be a positive if it did work.


... We know that Hamlet's view as it plays out through this scene is cynical, simplistic even juvenile.


Nobody knows any such thing, because that isn't a correct description of Hamlet in the Nunnery Scene. He isn't simplistic or juvenile, quite the contrary. Cynical, yes.[/i]
11 years ago
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#1827
Willedever, that's a very interesting interpretation (and one that had never occured to me before, for that matter), but I have to say, ultimately, it doesn't really work for me. It seems to me that your whole theory (if one might call it so) is based on the assumption that Hamlet misunderstands Ophelia's statement that "to the noble mind rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind" as a statement of preference, on her part, for "rich gifts" instead of "poor ones", hence the notion that he thinks she's been "seducted" by Claudius or something like that.

The problem with this interpretation, the way I see it, is that if that little bit logically collapses, then so will the whole scene the way you have interpreted it - and I think it kinda does. To my mind, that particular remark by Ophelia is pretty straight-forward. She simply says to him "those things you had given to me once meant the world to me, but now that I see how cruel you really are, they don't anymore, so I don't want them. Take them back". You did argue, of course, that Hamlet's character doesn't have the luxury of carefully interpreting said words that we do, and that's fair enough as a general observation, but in this case - come on, it is pretty blunt, isn't it? "Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind". Who doesn't get it in an instant? When I first watched the scene years ago that was one of the few things I realized immediately. "I treasured these gifts, but now I'm hurt by you".

Why would she say that? That's simple, you said so yourself. This whole little show directed by Polonius has the sole purpose of manipulating Hamlet into declaring his love for Ophelia, which in turn will provide Ophelia with the perfect opportunity to return her own love for Hamlet and hopefully this would culminate into them being reunited after the brief separation imposed by Polonius. Simple plan with a double purpose: Hamlet's "lunacy" gets cured, and they get to be together again, which now is also Polonius' wish, as he no longer fears Hamlet merely wishes to have "a good time" with his daughter at the expense of her chastity and his own honour and reputation. Win - win. Queen Gertrude sums it up perfectly before the "show begins": "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".

That's the reason why I also think Ophelia is not as unhappy about her "mission" as you're suggesting: when she replies to the former remark by Gertrude with "Madam, I wish it may", I believe she means every word. In fact, she can't wait to carry her part through and see her father's plan succeed, for the obvious reason she wants to be with Hamlet again. I can imagine her returning Hamlet his gifts to her and then turning her back on him, in a gesture of pretended frustration and "heartbreak", sort of like "I don't even wanna look at your face right now, that's how much you've hurt my feelings". It is quite common a scene with couples into "problems", isn't it? But once Hamlet cannot see her face, Ophelia, I can imagine, is in a state of anticipation and blissful eagerness, possibly half-whispering, with eyes closed, something like "Oh God, please, let me hear his words now - let him say he loves me and that we're going to be fine".

But what about Hamlet in this whole situation? In my opinion, not only is he not "tragically wrong" about it, as you suggest, but he actually figures the whole plan of Polonius out. And if we assume there's a certain pause along with silence when Ophelia raps up her speech, we can assume he also gets the time he needs to figure the whole thing out. After all, Ophelia's words do imply a fairly obvious (once you think of it) challenge: it would eventually occur to him that she has sort of "tossed him the ball" and now awaits for some gesture from him. He nust have known: Ophelia wants him back and simply waits for him to make a move for it. Whether or not he has realized that they're not alone in the room is, in my opinion, not revelant yet. All he knows, for now, is that Ophelia loves him, just as he loves her, and she's aching for sweet words, a hug, something. But of course he doesn't grant her wish. Why?

Also simple, and also something you said yourself: Hamlet intends to end the whole thing with Ophelia, not because he wants to (he loves her and wants her like he always has) but because he feels he must. He's on a path that might claim his soul and tragically, there's no room for romance in it. All he can do is to protect the girl he loves. Save her soul. And if he is to break her heart for that purpose, so be it. Better that she gets her heart broken than she gets damned along with him. Therefore, everything that follows is Hamlet trying to tell Ophelia to just.stay.away.from.him. And he tries that in many ways:

First, he tries to insult her by telling her that she is to be doomed by her beauty, that even though she's pure, the fact that she's beautiful means that fatefully, she will become a whore. Not convincing? Fine, let's try something else. "I did love you once". No. I didn't. I lied to you. She still looks uncertain. Let's bring out the big guns. "Listen, girl, I'm not as good as you think I am. I'm capable of horrible things. In fact, there's no point in me living at all. You know what that means? My children would be exactly like me as well. So, you don't want this. You don't want to be my wife and have my kids". Still not hated by her? Alright, let's go completely brutal. "Whatever you do in your life, you'll be despised, because you're a woman. Simple as that. All women are evil. You're no good. I hate you and I hate all women. Just get over it. Go. Get thee to a nunnery".

There are obvious holes in this, because apparently we have to assume that at some point Hamlet realizes the presence of (at least) Polonius somewhere in the room, which would eventually further motivate him into appearing like a bastard and even trigger him to put his good old "antic disposition" on, and I admit I haven't figured the whole thing out. But of one thing I am certain: Hamlet doesn't mean a word he says to Ophelia. Despite his disgust towards his mother, he loves Ophelia and only dismisses her for her own good. Anyway, there's a lot more to think on regarding this scene, which after many years I still haven't got to fully figure out. Probably the most difficult scene in Hamlet and in all theater. But this interpretation is, I think, a good basis. After all, this is probably what defines Hamlet more than anything else: "I must be cruel only to be kind".
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