HOW WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR OPHELIA & FORTINBRAS?
Of the many aspects of Branagh's Hamlet that critics noted, one involved images of Hamlet and Ophelia, naked in bed (plucking the heart from the mystery of the question of whether they had been lovers, or whether—as Ophelia tells her father—Hamlet had merely expressed his love in "honorable fashion").
Another involves the entry of an attacking Fortinbras at the end of the play, with an army.
An older tradition assumes Ophelia is a virtuous, virginal and obedient daughter who alludes to scripture in conversation with her brother, but as women were considered the "weaker vessel" (a-hem), she goes insane and perhaps (contrary to Gertrude's account?) commits suicide.
Others have noted the presence of abortifacient herbs among the flowers she names in her mad scene, and claim that she is pregnant with Hamlet's child, but that this could not be stated explicitly due to the censors.
Another old tradition likes to believe that the diplomatic overtures of Claudius to Norway were successful, and that Norway should be taken at its word when it claims that the uncle gave Young Fortinbras money and an army for attacking Poland.
But Norway may have lied. Why not?
How do prefer to imagine Shakespeare's Ophelia and Fortinbras?
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Links to a description of my book project:
On LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eJGBtqV
On this blog: https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2017/05/hamlets-bible-my-book-project-im.html
[Originally posted around the week of 9/17/17 on LinkedIn]
Another involves the entry of an attacking Fortinbras at the end of the play, with an army.
An older tradition assumes Ophelia is a virtuous, virginal and obedient daughter who alludes to scripture in conversation with her brother, but as women were considered the "weaker vessel" (a-hem), she goes insane and perhaps (contrary to Gertrude's account?) commits suicide.
Others have noted the presence of abortifacient herbs among the flowers she names in her mad scene, and claim that she is pregnant with Hamlet's child, but that this could not be stated explicitly due to the censors.
Another old tradition likes to believe that the diplomatic overtures of Claudius to Norway were successful, and that Norway should be taken at its word when it claims that the uncle gave Young Fortinbras money and an army for attacking Poland.
But Norway may have lied. Why not?
How do prefer to imagine Shakespeare's Ophelia and Fortinbras?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Links to a description of my book project:
On LinkedIn: https://lnkd.in/eJGBtqV
On this blog: https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2017/05/hamlets-bible-my-book-project-im.html
[Originally posted around the week of 9/17/17 on LinkedIn]
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