Commentary on the Queen from Act 4 Scene 7 of Hamlet Essay

Commentary on Queen Extract - Act 4 Scene 7

This short extract from Act 4 Scene 7 of the play gives a deep visual description of the death of Ophelia as described by the Queen. The description is vital to the closure of the scene because it sets a melancholic tone inciting deep sadness into Laertes and bringing the audience to sympathize with him on two levels: that of a brother who has tragically lost his sister and that of a son who has lost his father to a gruesome murder. For this reason the audience is able to discern Laertes role as a parallel avenger to Fortinbras as well as being able to see the marked difference between Laertes approach to revenge and that of Hamlets approach. The way by which the Queen delivers the tragic news is also important to note, it seems that the description has been embellished and romanticized in order for the Queen to acquit herself from any blame which could possibly be placed on her for Ophelias death. As with many of the plays characters the Queen uses her embellished and romanticized language to achieve a level of ambiguity surrounding Ophelias death leading the audience to ask many questions which go unanswered.

To further analyze this extract it is necessary for us to understand why Shakespeare chose the Queen as the character to deliver the news of Ophelias death. The first notable parallel between both characters is that they are the two women of the novel, so their sexuality creates a bond between them. The Queen may be one of the only characters able to understand and empathize with the circumstances Ophelia was subject to solely because they are both women. However, the audience is fully aware of the fact that the Queen has largely ignored the problems Ophelia has been faced with and has failed to provide any solutions or form of emotional outlet for Ophelia. Following the death of Ophelia the Queen may feel a degree of responsibility because, although described as a drowning, the death is clearly a suicide as proven in the later scenes by the grave diggers and the priest over seeing Ophelias funeral. Since the Queen has neglected Ophelia she may feel that if she had not done so then Ophelia would have not resorted to suicide to solve her problems. This leads me to the next point I would like to address, the reason and the way in which the Queen embellishes and romanticizes Ophelias death.

The Queen achieves in romanticizing Ophelias death primarily by way of her diction which uses aestheticism to make the death sensuous and on the verge of appealing. In addition to that there is a sense of ambiguity in the words she uses which point towards a double-meaning it what she says. Diction such as glassy stream, fantastic garlands, envious sliver, and weeping brook connote a sense of fantasy to the manner in which Ophelia died. This is statement is further supported by the use of the term mermaid like which again gives the audience an unrealistic and almost beautiful image of Ophelias death which may cause them to believe it was not painful, but practically willed by nature itself. This diction associated with nature is frequently used by the Queen together with words like melodious again giving the audience the idea that her death was literally in tune with nature.

The musical nature of the death is further reinforced by what the Queen says, that Ophelia chanted snatches of old lauds. Knowing that lauds are songs of praise we can assume that the message meant to be sent is that Ophelia did not suffer, but was in a state of holiness and in connection with higher powers. This musical tone is reinforced by the regular and harmonious rhythm of the speech and the hushed tone created by sibilance and soft consonant sounds such as shepherds, sliver, snatches and distress. The recurrence of the s sound gives the entire description a soothing and effect. Therefore, in combining music with religious ideas Shakespeare succeeds in creating a surreal atmosphere under which Ophelia died, leaving the audience unsure about how to react to the news of the death.

This uncertain reaction is spurred on by the double meaning of everything the Queen says. At first glance it would appear that the Queen is solely characterizing Ophelias death as a natural event which occurred under fantastical conditions. However, when we look deeper beneath the diction and its ambiguous nature we are able to pick up on certain aspects which point towards the true nature and cause of Ophelias death. The first word which helps us come to this conclusion would be hoary. Usually used to describe the grey underside of the leaves of a green willow, the word hoary when spoken out loud can sound similar to the word whore. This similarity between the two suggests that the Queen is insulting Ophelia for her promiscuousness, which has been a trend throughout the entire play and an insult previously used by Hamlet in the Nunnery Scene.

We are also able to pick up on certain messages of the ambiguity and sly remarks in words such as mermaid-like. Mermaids, renowned for their beauty are also known because the bottom halves of their bodies are scaly and fish like. The visual image of this physical division is representative of what the Queen may think of Ophelia: beautiful on top, but slick and sly underneath. This insult is not the first of the extract, but is followed by much more direct insults which seem to slip away from the Queen towards the end of her part in the scene. She continues by describing the death as muddy and even calls Ophelia a poor wretch. The term poor wretch sends a message of pity but with underlying hatred as if to suggest that, although an unfortunate event, Ophelia may have deserved what happened to her. This statement is supported by the use of the word muddy because it alludes to the impurity of the way in which Ophelia died by way of suicide.

This suicide is repeatedly addressed throughout the extract and the Queen uses various themes of the play to suggest the reasons for why Ophelia died. First, as an audience and as readers, we notice the repetition of flower imagery and its association to what Ophelia was doing. The flowers not only again relate to the natural aspect of Ophelias death, but also represent the role her sexuality had in her death. Flowers are a common symbol of feminine delicacy which, in Ophelia, has been used and abused on various occasions. Her feminine delicacy has been a vessel for the desires of her father and the King to be achieved. It is almost as if Ophelias sexuality has been corrupted by its use as sexual bait throughout the play and has ultimately been the cause of her death. This idea is supported by the symbolic description Ophelias clothing hold in her death. On two occasions the Queen makes reference to Ophelias clothing or garments which, in the end, pulld the poor wretch from her melodious lay to muddy death. From this account it would appear that the clothing takes an active part in causing her death, pulling her against her will. The clothing is representative of the restrictions imposed on the female gender the same restrictions which disallowed her from being with Hamlet and which caused her to be used as a tool. Her dress acted as a cage or jacket which packaged and stereotyped her as an insignificant female with solely physical traits, failing to notice her emotional side.

To conclude, this extract further highlights the important role sexuality has in the play and how it contributes to the way events occur. The extract also emphasizes the ambiguity of the play and the role the Queen has as one of the central female characters. If the Queen had not been the character to deliver the news of Ophelias death than many of the messages and themes concerning female sexuality in society and how it is used would not have been properly conveyed. By way of the diction the Queen also underscores the sensual aspect of Ophelias death and leads the audience to believe it was a natural occurrence. However, this is spurred on only because of the Queens sense of guilt, the same sense of guilt which is seen later on in Hamlet and Laertes which drives the two of them to further conflict, and arguably, both of their deaths.