#16: Hamlet Blog 4

As I wandered throughout the castle today I did come across something quite strange. An entry in a book, handwritten, about myself. I became immediately interested and went on to read it in it's entirety. I must say I am appalled that someone would pretend to completely understand my life at this crucial point. Although some of the things they said remain true interpretations, there were things they got wrong as well. To begin, as I read, "The fact of the case seems to be that Polonius is only too willing to sacrifice morals to political expediency; and it is his spying, sneaking, and eavesdropping that finally brings about his own death."(Seng 221), I scoffed for what a wrong interpretation of my father. While he did participate in those activities at points his motives were still good, he wanted nothing more than to protect his children. As he had said to me prior when asking about Hamlet, "and that in the way of caution, I must tell you, / You do not understand yourself so clearly / As it behooves my daughter and your honour."(1.3.95-97), he just wanted to look out for me, keep me safe from someone who could do me harm is all. He went on to say later after Hamlet had begun to go mad after I had cut him off like he had suggested, "I am sorry that with better heed and judgement / I had not quoted him: I fear'd he did but trifle, / And meant to wrack thee; but, beshrew my jealousy!"(2.1.109-111). Even as his plan for helping me had in some ways backfired, he felt remorse and was still only wanting to protect me from the evils of this world. The entry I had come across went on to say that "the surface irony detected by most of the commentators - that the ballad relates to the death of Polonius - is not wrong; it simply does not go far enough."(Seng 217) This is not true, while in singing this song I was solely thinking of my poor father's death. I had not really thought of, "Gertrude for her inadequate mourning for King Hamlet, and perhaps for worse offences as well."(Seng 218) Now that it is brought up I do surely believe the queen had not mourned to the appropriate amount at her husbands death, but at the time I was far too overwhelmed for my own fathers death to think of anything other, as I had said, "...but I cannot choose but weep, / to think they would lay him i' the cold ground."(4.5.66-67) I know what has been said of me as the queen was told, "She is importunate, indeed distract: / Her mood will needs be pitied."(4.5.2-3) but what do they expect of me? It is my own father who has been taken from me unfairly and was not even given the proper respect after his death, and for this I sang, "Larded all with flowers; / Which bewept to the grave did not go"(4.5.38-39). How could this outside person even think I had other things on my mind, other intentions behind these songs? My mourning for my poor father has over taken me.

Ophelia