Ophelia by Lisa Klein

This will be the first of two posts I am going to publish on Ophelia by Lisa Klein. In this post, I will discuss some of the motifs and themes of Ophelia that link the text to the other YA novels I have read.

First a brief summary (and I'm about to ruin the ending so if you have any problems with this run away now). Ophelia tells the story of Ophelia, the poor, mad lover of the Prince of Denmark in Shakespeare's Hamlet. Lisa Klein reinvents the story, creating an Ophelia who can read and write, loves - and marries - a man she knows is above her station, and who is smart enough to realize that her life is in danger and she must leave. In the novel, Ophelia is wooed by Hamlet. They court wearing the costuming of the peasantry, and are secretly married and consummate the marriage. Then, all hell breaks loose. King Hamlet is killed, Claudius takes the throne and marries Gertrude, and Hamlet sees the ghost of his father. With Hamlet gone (apparently) mad, her father dead at the hands of her husband, Claudius intent on removing any threat to his power, and the possibility of pregnancy, Ophelia fakes her own death - with the help of Horatio - and escapes to a convent in France where she serves as a healer for the sisters. She gives birth to Hamlet's heir, and the novels ends with her reunited with Horatio.

One of the major themes encountered so far in this course is the power of words. In My Name is Will, both Will's courted, and seduced, their lovers through words. In The Shakespeare Stealer, Widge's power comes from his mastery of words, his ability to read and write in shorthand. Ophelia does court the power of words; Ophelia can read and write, as can Hamlet and Horatio. Her ability to read gives her the power to participate in Hamlet's wit and to become a favorite of Queen Gertrude by reading to her; however her main power and skill comes not from words but from her ability to learn about herbs and healing (which I will discuss more in depth in the next posting). In fact, words are often false in the novel; not a surprise considering its source material. Indeed, for a novel adapting a play in which no one is telling the truth, to expect an adoration of the power of words would be unexpected.

The problem with words is complex in Ophelia, for it is not simply that words can be false. Ophelia notes when Hamlet declares his love: "Because they did not roll from his tongue like they had been practiced, I believed Hamlet's words" (62). This is repeated throughout the novel; Ophelia can only believe those around her when they stammer and stutter, otherwise she can not be assured that the sentiments expressed are true. It is, perhaps, one of the reasons for her eventual love of Horatio. He does not lie or compose sonnets or speak in metaphors. In this case, simple language is desired because it is not practiced. Beautiful flowery language, like that practiced in My Name is Will and The Shakespeare Stealer is not what the language of courtship should be for Ophelia.

Costuming and becoming someone else is also common in Ophelia as in the previous novels. Ophelia and Hamlet conduct their love affair in disguise, as peasants. The act of putting on another's clothes transforms Ophelia and Hamlet. He acts very different when not in costume, she always separates their interactions into Hamlet & Ophelia and Jack & Jill. One of their flaws lies in the fact that they cannot reconcile the two; the prince and lady with the married shepards. While costuming leads to their freedom to love and marry outside of their constrictive societal bonds, their inability to bridge the gap between their real and fantasy lives leads to the downfall of their romance. The only part that transfers between the two lives is Ophelia's pregnancy.

Clothing is very important. Ophelia wanders the castle freely by dressing as a madwoman and it is her clothing, not her actions, that first convince those around her she is mad. When she finally escapes, she waxes about the freedom of britches and tunics compared to the oppressive formality of gowns and bodices. She finds comfort in dressing as a nun, seeking forgivness from her sins. And when Horatio appears, she greets dressed in the manner which is most fitting to her current position. In a nun's dress, but no habit, folded between her legs to make pants and covered in dirt from attending her herbs. She rights her dress afterward, and transforms from human to an "angel in white" (323). She makes her final transformation into mother as the baby Hamlet - son of Hamlet and Ophelia - comes running out.

There will be a follow-up post to this discussing the place of women in the novel and the abduction by Lisa Klein of Shakespeare's texts to create a novel honoring the female.