Does Hamlet Love Ophelia

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People throughout the world are constantly chasing love, falling in love, and yearning for love. In this process, a single question resounds: Does he or she love me? This question appears in numerous works of literature, including William Shakespeare’s tragic play Hamlet. Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark and primary character of the play, professes his love to Ophelia, the daughter of the king’s advisor Polonius, in the beginning of the play; however, in the midst of faking insanity in a plot to revenge his father, Hamlet denies his love for Ophelia, but later relays profuse exclamations of love after her death. This, then, brings into question the genuinity of Hamlet’s love for Ophelia. Shakespeare’s Hamlet indicates that Hamlet loved Ophelia at a time, but his overwhelming desire to revenge his father’s death and personal confusion trump this feeling, causing Hamlet to push his love into the background, revealing that affections can …show more content…

Hamlet addresses the letter to “my soul’s idol,” and then tells Ophelia “Doubt truth to be a liar;/But never doubt I love” (2. 2.116, 124, 125). Hamlet concludes the letter by professing, “I love thee best, O most best, believe it” (2.2.127). This provides a more accurate examination into the level of Hamlet’s interest in Ophelia, as he likely did not intend for it to be seen by anyone excluding her. Instead, Hamlet’s letter utilizes a persuasive style, employing phrases such as “never doubt” and “believe it.” Hamlet chooses to build trust in Ophelia that may foreshadow a future event that Hamlet foresees in which her love may falter. This preliminary piece of evidence regarding Hamlet’s love, then, points to the necessity of trust within their relationship. In turn, this implies Hamlet’s need for a long term, steadfast love, rather than the passionate, flighty association Laertes and Polonius perceive as the maximum of Hamlet’s

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