See – there’s a big assumption here that almost all of us make – which is that she’s talking about Hamlet. It seems like she’s upset about (possibly) losing her virginity to Hamlet. Or rather, she was into the idea at first – since she showed up at the window (and not the other way around) and then she went crazy. Because sex will do that to you when you’re a young virginal girl.
Except. Except. She is saying You and Your. And I know this is crazy – but even if she DIDN’T have an affair with Claudius – she is still talking to him, saying “You” and “Your” which may implicate him in others’ eyes.
There’s something about this as well that makes Polonius’ behavior around Ophelia a lot more interesting. Like, what if Polonius sort of suspected that Claudius was involved with Ophelia? There’s a way that their behavior or this Hamlet/Ophelia issue could really read as a big honking denial, a huge cover up of what was really underneath.
I mean, the numbers of girls who have been sexually abused by men in their lives, family members, family friends, those numbers are staggering. And this kind of familial shuffle around the possible abuse would be pretty normal. As awful as it may be. It’s a stretch, I know. But an interesting layer to consider.
Tomorrow is Saint Valentine’s day, All in the morning betime, And I a maid at your window, To be your Valentine.
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