Hamlet is only pretending to be in love with her to appear crazy, as when he is talking to Rosencrantz, and says, Man delights not me - no, nor woman neither (2.2.320). Since Rosencrantz is Hamlets good friend, and the prince opens up to him, it seems that Hamlet really does not love her as much as the reader presumes at first. Hamlets frequent mood swings and changes in feelings confuse the reader, especially that the author does not clearly say whether the tragic hero really loves Ophelia or not. For example, at the end of his soliloquy, Hamlet says, Nymph, in thy orisons/ Be all my sins remembred (3.1.88-89), referring to Ophelia as a God-like creature. Nymphs are mythological creatures, usually daughters of gods, who, though living many years, are nevertheless bound to die (Parada). This shows how much Hamlet loves Ophelia, thinking of her as divine and untouchable, but still being mortal and not having absolute power, as her father has power over her, ordering her to stay away from Hamlet. Right after this, he changes his mood and says, I did love you once (3.1.115), implying that he used to love her but doesnt love her anymore, and afterwards his emotion changes again and he says, You should not have believed me; I loved you not (3.1.117,119). This quick change in emotion could mean that Hamlet suspects that someone is spying on them or he could just be angry with Ophelia for rejecting him. Thus, when Hamlet says to Ophelia, Get thee to a nunnery! (3.1.121), this could also be inferred in several different ways. The word nunnery has three possible meanings to it. Hamlet might be referring to a monastery, because he is trying to protect her from lustful men who, are arrant knaves all; believe none of us (3.1.130), thus saying that men are deceitful and are not to be trusted. On the other side, he could just be casting her away so she does not marry and make a fool out of her husband by deceiving him. Another connotatio...
