"Then, if he says he loves you,
It fits your wisdom so far to believe it
As he in his particular act and place
May give his saying deed, which is no further
Than the main voice in Denmark goes withal.
Then weigh what loss your honor may sustain
If with too credent ear you list his songs
Or lose your heart or your chaste treasure open
To his unmastered importunity.
Fear it, Ophelia; fear it, my dear sister,
And keep you in the rear of your affection.
Put of the shot and danger of desire.
The chariest maid is prodigal enough
If she unmask her beauty to the moon." (Act 1. Scene 3. 27-41)
Young Ophelia is madly in love with Hamlet, a young man that her brother, Laertes, and her father, Polonius, do not approve of. Ophelia seems to see only the good and beautiful in Hamlet while her father and brother see only the dangers and poor fortunes they believe her heart will succumb to. They fear that Ophelia will become a passing love affair for Hamlet while she becomes completely immersed in their relationship and his fading affection for her.
Laertes believes his sister to be oblivious to the dangers of a relationship with Hamlet, saying that "it fits [her] wisdom] to believe him if he told her that he loved her. He doesn't seem to have faith in Ophelia's judgment and inexperienced heart. As he continues, he alludes to Hamlet's lack of consistency in relationships by stating that his words and actions are "no further than the main voice in Denmark," insinuating that his words and actions do not have depth and cannot be followed or believed wholly. Laertes also tells his sister to "weigh what loss your honor may sustain," implying that her potential relationship with Hamlet will fail and harm her honor and reputation immensely. It seems as if he is more concerned with Ophelia's reputation being tarnished than her heart being broken. Laertes does not want his sister's name and their family name itself to suffer, and neither does his father.
Within the next couple of lines, Laertes touches upon the purity and innocence of his sister and the possibility of her losing this to Hamlet. His words, "lose your heart or your chaste treasure open," refer to Ophelia giving Hamlet her heart and virginity without even a second thought. Laertes does not want his sister to be taken advantage of and scrapped aside by Hamlet for a quick fling, he knows that his sister is better than this and deserves more from a man and his "mastered importunity," implying that he is an inexperienced and selfish lover. Laertes repeated to his sister to "fear" Hamlet's love for her and urges her to "keep [herself] in the rear of [her] affection," meaning to pay attention to her own needs and desires before Hamlet's. Laertes wants Ophelia to always protect herself. He also urges her to remember the "danger of desire" when she's with Hamlet so that she does not become involved with him and regret it afterwards once Hamlet breaks her heart.
Laertes closes this statement with a final, summarizing phrase: "The chariest maid is prodigal enough
If she unmask her beauty to the moon." With these words, he is trying to make one final attempt at convincing Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet. He informs her that only she is responsible for what happens between them because she has the ability to convey her beauty as she chooses to. Laertes is nearly begging at this point for Ophelia to refrain from her relationship with Hamlet but does not seem hopeful that she will listen.
This post is really well-organized, and you do a really good job of interpreting the text. One thing that I might think about is what connection this passage has to the text as a whole, the characters' lives, or a greater theme. You interpret the passage very well and give some more insight into what Laertes wants and means, but I felt like you could have gone further. Otherwise, this post is really well-written and is clear and concise, while being elaborate enough to educate the reader.
ReplyDeleteI really like the organization of this post and how in depth you are with your descriptions.You were very clear in outlining Laertes's motivations in this speech.
ReplyDeleteI really like the organization of this post and how in depth you are with your descriptions.You were very clear in outlining Laertes's motivations in this speech.
ReplyDelete