The Complex Nature of Hamlet’s Love for Orphelia (Essay Sample)

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The Complex Nature of Hamlet’s Love for Orphelia
Hamlet and Ophelia have a complex relationship, and questions have arisen on whether he truly loved her. His love for Ophelia is not constant, and its nature keeps changing. Initially, he loves her but stops loving her due to newly developed misogyny, only to express his love for her after her death.
Hamlet genuinely loves Ophelia at the beginning of the play. The letters between them confirm his genuine love for her. She calls them “words of so sweet breath composed” (3:1: 106-107), hinting at their romantic nature. The romanticness of the letter hints at the existence of genuine love in the relationship.
However, Hamlet’s love for Ophelia takes a nosedive after his father’s death. He develops trust issues and resentment towards women after his mother's hasty remarriage to Claudius. Misogyny affects his love for Orphelia, evidenced by the nunnery scene where he uses her in his revenge plot. Therefore, the misogyny caused by his mother's hasty remarriage severely erodes his love for her.
Later, Hamlet expresses his love for Orphelia after his death. After finding out she is dead, he says, "Forty thousand brothers, could not, with all their quantity of love, make up my sum” (5.1. 285-287). That statement confirms his genuine love for her. Despite its