Art: A Bearer of truths and Truth

As we have established, Hamlet believes that the purpose of theatre is to imitate humanity in attempts to show truth. Within the context of Hamlet, Hamlet is literally trying to show truth in order to convict King Claudius, so that his emotions might be rended from him in order to confirm that Claudius indeed had a hand in King Hamlet's death. In general, I think it is inevitable to express a certain amount of truth through a work of art or a piece of music, etc. But is it art's sole purpose to display truth? Works of art are many times made with the intention to reveal truth. As an example, Of Mice and Men, shares Steinbeck's position on the working class during the great depression. It provides us with a portal in which we can look into the depths of Steinbeck's heart in order to define what he believes to be the truth of the matter. The same can go with modern music. Switchfoot, for example, uses their musical prowess as a vehicle to critique hypocrisies in society, and in doing so reveal truth about society. The same goes with movies and any other forms of art within this context. There are those forms of art that may be made for the purpose of entertainment, such as pop satirist's Weird Al Yankovic's parodies on some of the latest hit songs, (I personally like White and Nerdy). These still may present truth in their own fashion. All of that to bring me back to the point. I think that art is a means of communicating or showing truth. From a Christian standpoint though, we ought to be careful to judge truths that art may communicate and weigh them upon the Truth of God's Word.

To What Degree Does Claudius Think Hamlet A Threat?

It is clear that Claudius is highly concerned about the reason behind Hamlets madness. In Act Two, Scene Two, Claudius is so bent on discovering what ails Hamlet that it precedes his focus even when it comes to national affairs. Such behavior on the part of Claudius shows that he is quite suspicious about Hamlet's behavior. Even when Polonius suggests that his insanity is caused by Ophelia's witheld response to his love, Claudius still questions, leaning over to Ophelia and saying, "Do you think 'tis this?" (Line 152). I think King Claudius knows that something's up; that if Hamlet is not really being crazy, he could be a huge threat to him. I think that's why he wants Hamlet to talk to Guildenstern and Rosencrantz. Having old time friends confront him with the issue, might take Hamlet off guard and loosen him up a bit. If he were acting crazy, it would be hard to keep this facade for long in the prescence of such good friends. Because of Claudius's actions, I believe he thinks Hamlet to be a potentiously dangerous threat.

Did Hamlet Ever Love Ophelia?

I am under the impression that Hamlet, at least at one time, had loved Ophelia. In Act One, Scene three Ophelia dialogues with her father Polonius about her time spent with Hamlet. She says such things as, "He hath....of late made many tenders/Of his affection to me," or "He hath importuned me with love/In honorable fashion," (Lines 100-101, 111-112). It does not appear that Hamlet is insincere in his affection described in the lines above, but his generalization about woman being weak and frail in Act One, Scene two, line 146, gives evidence to the fact that maybe he is putting on a facade of love for Ophelia, being that she is weak and not worth his time. Yet, he does take the time to spend with Ophelia. The question is what would Hamlet's motivations be if he were faking his love for Ophelia? Polonius seems to think that Hamlet just wants to get some from his daughter, saying, "When the blood burns, how prodigal the soul/Lends the tongue vows," (Lines 117-118). Based upon Polonius's assumption, Hamlet's intentions might be sexual towards Ophelia. Polonius, though, is not the best source in regards to this situation. He may be so consumed with maintaining his own honor, that his perception of the situation might be tainted by that consumation. In other words, he automatically assumes that Hamlet's intentions are for sex instead of considering other options because it is the first thing that might be assumed to threaten his honor. Therefore, Hamlet's love for Ophelia, during this section of the play, in my opinion, is genuine. I have probably read into this waaaaaaay too much, but there you have it.