By this part of the play, Hamlet has a pretty dismal outlook on life, which he captures his his famous line: "To be, or not to be: that is the question." By now, the pressure is really getting to him, (with all the spies and the act of pretending to be mad.) Now he outright asks himself "Is it worth living like this?" He realizes that with suicide comes the uncertainty of passage into Heaven, but with things going the way they are, is it really worth it?
The loving relationship between Ophelia and Hamlet disintegrates in this scene as Hamlet says such things as "Get thee to a nunnery," and "I did love you once." He realizes Ophelia has become another tool to spy on him and says "I have heard of your paintings too, well enough. God hath give you one face, and you make yourself another." He now knows he can't trust her and behaves poorly to distance himself from those who use her to spy on him.
This scene opens up with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern giving the king their reports on Hamlet and his behavor. Leaving him without much of a lead as to Hamlets change of character, he descides to use Ophelia to test Polonius's theory to see whether he is mad with love. Hamlet meanwhile asks himself whether life is worth living, before confronting Ophelia, who trys to create a situation to see if he really is in love with her (gives him back letters.) Hamlet discovers she's being used and lashes out at her in an effort to keep away the spies surrounding them.
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Good discussion of the scene between Hamlet and Ophelia. Poor Ophelia! Poor Hamlet! To be both manipulated so. Truly, Hamlet is trapped between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Indeed, it seems that at this point, death (his own) or murder (Claudius') represents a moral failure. Even though his cause is just, he will have to shut down a part of his moral self in order to proceed. You raise some good points in your logs, Sarony. I am enjoying the casual and witty style you employ.
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