Lord, am I the only sane one left in this country? King Claudius and Queen Gertrude have sent Hamlet away to England because he killed Polonius, the father of his "lover", Orphelia, and now Claudius believes Hamlet poses a threat not only to him, but to the entire country. Orphelia, as a response to losing her father, has become mentally deranged. I think it's not just the fact that her father is dead but also the fact that Hamlet was the one to kill him. How torn she must be... the man to whom she "shouldst have been" a "wife" has both murdered her father and abandoned her without even the slightest of goodbyes (5.1.220). Not to mention, her brother is no where to be found as Polonius had previously sent him away.
I'm sure it also doesn't help that her mental illness is all anyone can seem to talk about. The whole town is buzzing with news of how insane she has become. The latest thing going around is the recent episode she had at the castle. Queen Gertrude had sent for Orphelia so that she could attempt to talk to her but when Orphelia entered, not only was she entirely mad, but she would not stop rehearsing these odd songs. Queen Gertrude was astounded by these songs, not quite sure what to make of them. In fact, the first thing Queen Gertrude said to Orphelia was "how now" and "what imports this song" (4.5.21/26).
Now, I'm no expert or anything but after talking with this one fellow named Peter Seng, I feel as though I might have some idea of what her songs meant. The first thing Seng told me about was Orphelia's appearance. He said that when she first entered the room, "her appearance confirm[ed]...that she [was] mentally deranged". Her eyes crazed, face pale, body thrashing- there was no question that she was not in her right mind. But then again, who would be in her circumstances? As I said, she's without her father, her brother, and her lover. I think I, too, would lose my mind.
Poor, poor Orphelia. All alone in Denmark, trapped in what "has become a prison" (Seng). You know, it's somewhat ironic that Denmark has become a prison for her. If I do recall correctly, Hamlet once said, "to me, [Denmark] is a prison" (2.2.35-36). I suppose it must be if both Orphelia and Hamlet are calling it one.
Never mind, I'm getting carried away. Back to her songs. So in talking to this Seng character and hearing about the lyrics Orphelia sang, there's no question in my mind that the lad she was referring to was none other than Prince Hamlet when she sang of "Saint Valentine’s day" and "the maid" who "never departed more" (4.531/37-38). It appears as though here she was singing of her innocence and how it was corrupted by Hamlet who reeled her in with his words of love and marriage. But Hamlet alone is not to blame for the loss of Orphelia's innocence. According to Seng, "Orphelia's father and brother had their share in the spoliation of her mind's purity and her childlike trust" too. When she sings "young men will do 't, if they come to 't./ By Cock, they are to blame", she is not only speaking of Hamlet but of all the men in her life who have destroyed her purity through false accusations and careless lectures, specifically her father (4.5.44-45). A while ago, just as Laertes was sent away, I remember hearing of how Polonius had accused Orphelia of being "most free and bounteous" with Prince Hamlet (1.3.93-94). Following these accusations, he threated her to "tender" herself "more carefully" simply so that he would not be "tender[ed] a fool" (1.3.107-110). Not only are his comments rude and self centered, but by accusing his daughter of these acts he is doing nothing but instilling the idea of them in her mind. As Seng said, "the very abruptness and impatience with which her father catechizes her is an accusation of guilt where no guilt has been".
Anyhow, Orphelia's songs went on for a while and at some point, Laertes returned home to seek revenge for his father's death. In coming home, however, he discovered Orphelia in her mad state. I think seeing her in this state, though, only made his craze for revenge stronger because the first thing he said when he saw Orphelia was "by heaven, thy madness shall be paid by weight,/ till our scale turn the beam" (4.5.132-133). But don't let this fool you, his desire for revenge is in no one's interest but his own. He does not even recognize that Orphelia is speaking of him when she sings of a "false steward that stole his master's daughter" because as Seng said, "he is heedless of every thought except revenge" (4.5.149). Perhaps it is this lack of attention that ultimately leads to Orphelia's death. Shortly after Laertes' arrival, Queen Gertrude announced that "[his] sister's drowned" (4.7.161). Oh it's so sad. It pains me to see such a young soul lost to the carelessness of those around her. In my opinion, it is none other than Polonius and Laertes who are at fault for Orphelia's death. They may say that she drowned but if I had my guess, her death was far from accidental.
Needless to say, it's been rather sad here in Denmark. All I can do is simply hope that things will turn themselves around quickly. I don't know how much more bad news I can take.
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