death strikes fiercely against it; and the fair edifice altogether crumbles into fragments." And further on Wilhelm says: "Silently she lived within herself, yet she scarce concealed her wishes, her longing; the tones of desire were in secret ringing through her soul, and how often may she have attempted, like an unskilful nurse, to lull her senses to repose with songs which only kept them more awake. But at last, when her self-command is altogether gone, when the secrets of her heart are hovering on her tongue, that tongue betrays her; and in the innocence of insanity she solaces herself, unmindful of King or Queen, with the echo of her well- beloved songs, 'To-morrow is St. Valentine's Day' and 'By Gis and by St. Charity.''

To which Aurelia replies: "I must admit your position of Ophelia to be just. I cannot now misunderstand the object of the poet. I must pity, though, as you paint her, I should rather pity than sympathize with her."

This

Gervinus, while not disposed to go quite so far, says: "Hamlet's conversation with her is equivocal. has infested her imagination with sensuous images and inspired her in her quiet modesty with amorous passions; this is apparent in the songs she sings in her delirium, and in the significant flowers she distributes, as clearly as anything so hidden in its nature can and may be unveiled. . She lends

herself to the snare placed for her all-sensitive lover, who sees himself abandoned and betrayed by all; when she has seen him in his distraction, she gives him back his gifts, which affects the irritable man in this condition like a farewell act. Her real madness punished the feigned insanity of Hamlet, which gave the first shock to her mind."

An eminent modern authority says: "Ophelia is tender, sensitive, affectionate, but the reverse of heroic; she fails Hamlet in his need, and thus, in her turn, becoming the sufferer, gives way under the pressure of her afflictions. We do not honor, we commiserate her."

It needs hardly be said that widely different views have been entertained by many able judges, but these are cited as typical examples of the opinions that have been expressed by critics of the highest consideration. These characters have become so real to us, that we are in danger of regarding them as actual personalities, and filling up the outline of the text

from our own imagination, instead of going to the text to elucidate the poet's meaning. I will invite the reader to go through the part of Ophelia with this purpose in view.

At the opening of the play we find Ophelia, the daughter and, as we are led to infer, the only and motherless daughter of Polonius, the Lord Chamberlain, the object of attentions on the part of Hamlet, the heir to the throne of Denmark. Hamlet is represented as of engaging person and manners, and in every way qualified to win her affections, and notwithstanding the chronology of the first gravedigger, evidently not past early manhood. His addresses, notwithstanding their difference in station, have been perfectly respectful. Ophelia has every confidence in his honor and has received presents from him.

Laertes, Polonius' son, is about to sail for England, and Ophelia first appears upon the stage as Laertes is taking leave of her. There is something engaging in the first sentence she utters, in reply to Laertes' request to let him hear from her, "Do you doubt that?" Laertes then goes on to mention Hamlet, who has evidently been already the subject of conversation between them. He bids her not to regard his attentions, "the trifling of his favor," as anything more than a passing fancy. "No more but so?" more but so?" is the quiet response with which (as Lowell remarks) Shakespeare tells us that Ophelia's heart is bursting. Laertes proceeds to point out that Hamlet is not his own master in the matter of marriage, and, not unkindly, but without much delicacy, cautions her to be on her guard. She takes his counsel in good part, giving him a little hint in return as to the difference between preaching and practice. Presently he takes his leave, bidding her remember what he has said, to which she replies: "'Tis in my memory locked and you yourself shall keep the key of it." Polonius, who has entered shortly before, asks what it was Laertes had been saying to her. She answers with a slight reserve: "So please you, something touching the Lord Hamlet." He then proceeds, in a manner coarse and almost brutal under the circumstances, and only to be excused on account of his unworthy suspicions:

'Tis told me he hath very oft of late

Given private time to you; and you yourself

Have of your audience been most free and bounteous.

I must tell you,

You do not understand yourself so clearly

As it behooves my daughter and your honor.
What is between you? Give me up the truth.

He hath, my lord, made many tenders of his affection to

me.

Affection! pooh! you speak like a green girl.

Do

you believe his tenders, as you call them?
I do not know, my lord, what I should think.
Marry, I'll teach you: think yourself a baby;
Tender yourself more dearly;

Or

you'll tender me a fool.

My lord, he hath importuned me with love
In honorable fashion.

Ay, fashion you may call it; go to, go to.

And hast given countenance to his speech, my lord,
With almost all the holy vows of heaven.

Ay, springes to catch woodcocks.

Then he proceeds to lay his commands upon her:

From this time, daughter,

Be somewhat scanter of your maiden presence;
Set your entreatments at a higher rate

Than a command to parley.

And then more strictly:

This for all :

I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth,
Have you so slander any moment leisure,

As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet.

Look to't, I charge you.

I shall obey, my lord.

After her brother's caution and her father's suspicions, what could she in modesty do but obey?

The next view we have of Ophelia is after the interview with Hamlet in her closet; before considering this it is necessary to take note of Hamlet's position.

Hamlet on his first introduction to the spectator is represented as moodily brooding over his father's death and his mother's o'er-hasty marriage, and dreamily meditating upon, though not actually contemplating, suicide. It is while in this condition that he encounters the alteration in Ophelia's behavior to him in pursuance of her father's injunction.

As you did command

I did repel his letters and denied.

His access to me.

He is piqued and irritated by her behavior; he would naturally consider that a young lady in Ophelia's position would be honored by his attentions, and he knew that she had previously regarded him with favor. He would easily guess, even if he did not gather it from Ophelia herself, that this was in consequence of her father's injunction, and would suspect a motive, which would arouse his indignation, not only against Polonius, but against the poor girl hersel', for yielding to them. Close upon this follows the shock of the preternatural visitation, with the terrible burden of revenge laid upon him. At the first shock of the communication made to him, he is conscious that his mind is so disturbed that he may at any moment be betrayed into eccentricity of conduct, and, as Charles Lamb expresses it, he thinks his real perturbation of mind would be best covered and pass concealed under a disguise of pretended lunacy.

It is a remarkable instance of the irony of things that this false scent, which effected so little for Hamlet's purpose in the play, should have been so potent a cause of misconception. ever since. Because Hamlet had said that he might see fit to put on an antic diposition, and he was manifestly feigning in his scene with Polonius, therefore it has been supposed that in his most dreadful paroxysms, and in the face of his express affirmation to the contrary, he must be feigning.

Dr. Conolly, who has made an interesting study of Hamlet from a professional point of view, treats this as a common symptom in mental disorder. It is by no means infrequent, he says, when disease is only incipient that the patient has an uneasy consciousness; he suspects that he is suspected and anxiously accounts for his oddities, sometimes challenging inquiry, sometimes declaring that, in doing extravagant things,

he has only been pretending to be eccentric. However, the question of Hamlet's condition, except so far as it affects Ophelia, is apart from the present question. His state of mind, after the ghost leaves him, is clearly enough described in his pathetic soliloquy:

Remember thee!

Ay, thou poor ghost, while memory holds a seat
In this distracted globe. Remember thee!
Yea, from the table of my memory

I'll wipe away all trivial fond records,

That youth and observation copied there.

He had been separated by her repulse from the only being he loved; now he feels that love, marriage, happiness in this world are not for him; his terrible task has absorbed all his energies and left no room for any softer emotions. He will pay her, who was his love, a last farewell.

It is difficult to understand how in the affecting scene, described by Ophelia, any one can ever have supposed Hamlet to be feigning; for Ophelia the scene is real enough; she is alarmed, and on Polonius suggesting that Hamlet is mad for love of her, doubtfully acquiesces. Ultimately Polonius decides to bring the matter before the King, to whom, and to the Queen, Hamlet's recently changed manner had occasioned great concern. He accordingly goes to the castle and lays the case before the King and Queen, and the issue of this conference is that a meeting shall be brought about, as if by accident, between Hamlet and Ophelia, of which the King and Polonius shall be unseen spectators, and hereupon ensues the difficult scene of Act III.

Casuists have amused themselves with speculating as to what circumstances render deception justifiable. I believe all are agreed that such a course is not only justifiable but right and proper, when practised upon a sick man, with the object of relieving him. It was obviously necessary that Ophelia should join in the scheme, and, whatever the motive of the others, her motive was sincere and honorable. She now knows that no objection will be made to her marriage with Hamlet, on account of their difference in rank, and she avows, with modest simplicity, her affection for him and hopes for his recovery.