the individualization of shakespeare's characters through imagery

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SHAKESPEARE SURVEY Gertrude compares Ophelia to a flower: " Sweets to the sweet", she says when throwing flowers into Ophelia's grave (v, i, 265). Flowers hold an important place among Ophelia's metaphors. The "ungracious pastor.. .the primrose path of dalliance treads" (1, iii, 50). She calls Hamlet the" rose ofthe fair state" (ni,i, 161). She "suck't the honey "of his confessions of love (m,i, 165), comparing herself to a bee sucking honey from flowers. Hamlet's vows of love have now, she says, "their perfume lost" (m, i, 99). When she goes mad (iv, vii) she appears either with real or, more probably, imaginary flowers, since no mention of flowers is made in the remarks to the Quarto and Folio editions. Each of these flowers represents an image: rosemary stands for remembrance, pansies for thoughts. The phrase "sweet flowers" occurs in one of the ballads Ophelia sings (iv, v, 38). She compares Hamlet's vows of love to music (m, i, 155). When Hamlet came to her, she says, he studied her face so intently "as he would draw it" (n, i, 91). In the scene of her madness Ophelia sings ballads and folk songs full of the imagery typical of them (e.g. "His beard was as white as snow, all flaxen was his poll"—iv, v, 194). Among the images borrowed from popular legend we should include that of the baker's daughter who was turned into an owl (iv, v, 42). Ophelia tells Laertes that his advice will be "as watchman to my heart" (1, iii, 46). She begs Laertes not to be "like a puft [from excess of food and wine] and reckless libertine" (1, iii, 49). Thus, every word of our description has found confirmation in Ophelia's imagery. On the other hand, her world of images was wholly exhausted in our brief description. As was to be expected, Ophelia uses no classical metaphors. The images used by each of Shakespeare's characters are logically suited to each one, individually. LAERTES Laertes' world of images is likewise small, but also characteristic in its own way. In the first place, he mentions flowers several times. True, these images always relate to Ophelia or are connected with her. Remember that flowers are one of Ophelia's leading motifs and that Gertrude compares Ophelia herself to a flower. Laertes calls Hamlet's love for Ophelia "a violet in the youth of primy nature" (1, iii, 7), "the perfume of a minute" (1, iii, 9). "And from her fair and unpolluted flesh may violets spring !" says Laertes over Ophelia's grave (v, i, 261). He calls Ophelia a "rose of May " (iv, v, 156). "The canker galls the infants of the spring too oft before their buttons be disclosed", he warns Ophelia (1, iii, 39). To these images we may also add the comparison of youth to morning dew (1, iii, 41). These images, as we can see, relate to Ophelia. Nevertheless, they harmonize well with Laertes' other images in which beauty, or rather prettiness, predominates. This may be said to be Ophelia's world of images turned towards us with its artificial side. To say "infants of the spring" instead of simply 'flowers'—is that not stilted? Laertes calls the skilful horseman Lamond "the brooch, indeed, and gem of all the nation" (iv, vii, 93). No wonder that, falling in with Laertes' tone, Claudius compares the art of fencing with a "riband in the cap of youth" (iv, vii, 77). This young gallant expresses himself in very refined language, as was the fashion of the time. He does not say 'chastity', but "chaste treasure" (1, iii, 31). "The chariest maid", he teaches Ophelia, "is prodigal enough, if she unmask her beauty to the moon" (1, iii, 36). He compares man's body to a temple in which mind and soul do service (1, iii, 12). When he resorts to military 102 Shakespeare Survey Online © Cambridge University Press, 2007
INDIVIDUALIZATION OF SHAKESPEARE'S CHARACTERS images he still remains true to his flowery style: "And keep you in the rear of your affection, out of the shot and danger of desire", he teaches Ophelia (i, iii, 35). Even at moments of extreme agitation his images remain over-refined, as, "That drop of blood that's calm proclaims me bastard", etc. (iv, v, 117). Or take the following heavy, euphuistic image: "Too much of water hast thou, poor Ophelia, and therefore I forbid my tears" (iv, vii, 186). This young noble has evidently read widely of the fashionable euphuistic literature and is probably well acquainted with Sidney's Arcadia (and, of course, he writes love letters and verses much more skilfully than Hamlet). He speaks in metaphors patterned after these books. Thanks to their perfection, Ophelia's virtues stood "on mount of all the age" (iv, vii, 28). He says that he has "a speech of fire, that fain would blaze" (iv, vii, 191). He compares himself to a pelican because he is ready to repast Polonius' friends with his own blood (iv, v, 145). And, of course, he uses classical metaphors. He makes mention of "old Pelion or the skyish head of blue Olympus" (v, i, 275). "Blue Olympus" is a typically refined epithet. Only at the very end of the tragedy, when he is mortally wounded, does Laertes cast aside this glittering tinsel and, addressing himself to Osric, express his thought in a simple, realistic comparison: "As a woodcock to mine own springe, Osric; I am justly killed with mine own treachery" (v, ii, 320). Such is artificial Laertes, whom Shakespeare contrasts to natural Hamlet. HORATIO In Horatio's speeches we find a number of concretely substantial images reminiscent of the dominant motif in Hamlet's imagery. Remembering the Ghost troubles him like a mote in his "mind's eye" (1, i, 112). We may note, in passing, that this same image of "the mind's eye" is to be found in Hamlet's speeches. Young Fortinbras, Horatio says, is " of unimproved mettle hot and full" (1, i, 96). In Horatio's words, if Claudius succeeds in concealing his crime it will be tantamount to theft (in, ii, 94). Osric's store of euphuisms gives out and Horatio says that "His purse is empty already: all's golden words are spent" (v, ii, 127). We also find, in Horatio's speeches, several of the most 'banal', if we may call them so, idiomatic turns of speech which verge upon 'slang'. Fortinbras, Horatio says, "hath in the skirts of Norway, here and there, sharkt up a list of lawless resolutes" (1, i, 98). Horatio relates how Marcellus and Bernardo were "distilTd almost to jelly" with fear when they saw the Ghost (1, ii, 205). To Bernardo's astonished query (at the beginning of the tragedy): "What, is Horatio there?" he jestingly replies: "A piece of him" (1, i, 19), a phrase which is variously interpreted by commentators and which has nonplussed many translators, but which I beheve to be merely a jesting idiomatic turn of speech denoting "he himself", or "I answer for him". Horatio compares the courtier Osric, who wears a big hat, to a lapwing, just hatched, running away with his shell still on his head (v, ii, 193). Folk legend in that day had it that the lapwing was already able to run as soon as it was hatched from the shell. All this brings Hamlet to mind. Horatio's images, like Hamlet's, show scholarship. It goes without saying that Horatio uses many classical metaphors: he recalls' * the most high and palmy state of Rome'' and'' the mightiest Julius" (1, i, 113). His description of the events which took place at the time of the assassination of Caesar is full of images steeped in the spirit of the classical world: there is "the moist star, upon whose influence Neptune's empire stands" (1, i, 118), and dread portents which he calls 103 Shakespeare Survey Online © Cambridge University Press, 2007
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the individualization of shakespeare's characters through imagery

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