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Article: Shakespeare's HAMLET.(William Shakespeare)(Critical Essay)
- Article from:
- The Explicator
- Article date:
- June 22, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Heldref Publications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Hamlet's cruelty to Ophelia is one of the most powerful and moving dramatic gestures anywhere in Shakespeare. That cruelty, however, discomforting as it is, evades easy interpretation. In act 3.1 of Hamlet, for example, Ophelia attempts to return love tokens that she maintains were given to her by the prince. Hamlet rebukes her with the response, "No, not I, / I never gave you aught" (94), a gesture convincing enough as domestic abuse that a powerful subtext is often overlooked. I believe that Shakespeare had a specific intent in Hamlet's willful denial of what is generally staged as a verifiable reality: the letters and trinkets Ophelia holds in her hands. Hamlet's ...
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Article: Flawless Ophelia perfects 'Hamlet'.(Entertainment)
Cape Times (South Africa);
April 26, 2007 ;
700+ words
... ... lighting that convey Hamlet's mental state to the audience. Although Hamlet is regarded as one of ... seeing quite a number of Hamlets over the last few years ... possible to deliver a Hamlet that everyone will agree ... deeply touching turn as Ophelia. The actress mightily ...
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