What is Ophelia mainly upset about in her brief soliloquy when Hamlet leaves? What feelings are conspicuous by their absence, but are usually present in a beloved who is cruelly rejected?
Act Three, Scene 1
Hamlet enters and delivers the most famous speech in literature, beginning, “To be or not to be.” After this long meditation on the nature of being and death, Hamlet catches sight of Ophelia. After a short conversation she attempts to return some of the remembrances that Hamlet gave when courting her. Hamlet replies caustically, questioning Ophelia’s honesty. He then berates Ophelia, telling her off sarcastically and venomously, with the refrain, “Get thee to a nunnery,” or in other words, “Go become a nun to control your lust.” After this tirade, Hamlet exists, leaving Ophelia in shambles. Ophelia, however, does not seem to condemn Hamlet for his cruelty rather she implores Heaven to restore Hamlet to his senses.
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