Polonius to Ophelia: no more Hamlet for you; Ophelia: OK? (1.3.130-135) #InkyCloak #SlowShakespeare

POLONIUS                              This is for all;

I would not in plain terms from this time forth

Have you so slander any moment leisure

As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet.

Look to’t, I charge you. Come your ways.

OPHELIA        I shall obey, my lord. (Exeunt.)         (1.3.130-135)

Ophelia’s given up trying to interrupt—or respond—and Polonius is winding up: this is for all, so, in summary, my final word on the matter, and I don’t want to have to tell you again. I would not in plain terms from this time forth have you so slander any moment leisure as to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet. To put it as simply and straightforwardly as possible (and there is a joke, sort of, that Polonius keeps talking, keeps being quite circumlocutory even, when he says he’s saying something in words of one syllable and for the last time). Don’t talk to Hamlet. Don’t listen to Hamlet. Don’t read any of his letters. Don’t spend any time with him. Don’t waste your time on him, or risk your reputation any further. Look to’t, I charge you. Is that clear? Is it? Make sure you do exactly as I say. (Mark me, he might say…) Come your ways. We’re done here. Come with me.

And what can she say but, I shall obey, my lord. She can be sulky, defiant, or cowed, all possible choices, but Polonius has flipped a bit. He’s concerned, even frightened for his daughter—and the impact that her actions might have on his status—but he’s being a bully. Is Ophelia already used to being talked at by men? Maybe.

And that’s the end of the scene.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *