HamNun+Clair+Kang

= The scene between Ophelia and Hamlet is very mysterious and even confusing because we, the audience, do not know whether Hamlet knows or does not know that he is being watched. There are three possible scenarios: 1. Hamlet knows from the beginning, 2. Hamlet does not know until later in the scene, and 3. Hamlet never knows. Depending on the version we choose to go with, some of the things Hamlet says have different meanings and intent. The version I chose is the first one. = = From the very beginning, we can find a clue. When Ophelia tries to return the letters Hamlet gave her, Hamlet says “No, not I. I never gave you aught.” After that Ophelia replies by saying “You know right well you did.” Judging from this, we are more inclined to believe Ophelia’s words, since Ophelia would definitely dare not accuse someone of such prominence of doing something that he did not do. This means that Hamlet had falsely denied that Ophelia gave him the letters. It seems weird that Hamlet would deny the fact unless he suspected that there were others listening. = = The next clue can be found when Hamlet is telling Ophelia whether he ever loved or not. Hamlet first claims “I did love you once” but then almost right after he says “I loved you not.” There might be two reasons why he contradicted himself. One is that he just found out (right after he said “I did love you once”) that he was being watched or he knew from the beginning so he was trying to confuse whoever was watching him and Ophelia. I do not think that he just found out he was being watched though because when he is telling Ophelia that he never loved her, he also says “You shouldn’t have believed me, since we’re all rotten at the core, no matter how hard we try to be virtuous.” It seems like he is saying the latter for someone else to hear, say his uncle or even Polonius. This proves that Hamlet probably knew he was being watched and by whom he was being watched. = = Later, he checks his suspicion by asking Ophelia directly where his father is. =