From this discussion it is clear that Hamlet was a prince and he might have thought that it was below his dignity as a royalty to get seriously involve with a woman like Ophelia. It could be also the reason that Ophelia, makes herself available to other men (like Hamlet’s father) sexually and just like most men, made Hamlet think less of Ophelia which explains his disrespect and abusive behavior towards her. And perhaps the most plausible reason why he hated her is because of her complicity with his mortal enemy Claudius.
This study highlights that there was a line where Hamlet utterred “I love you once”an utterance as if he broke up with Ophelia but lost the feelings because she did something that Hamlet did not like. We can only speculate that perhaps it is her promiscuity or her unwitting connivance with his mortal enemy Claudius that made Hamlet forget the feeling. But most likely, this could be the reason because Hamlet’s expression of affection for Ophelia during her death was profound – that she loved Ophelia that even forty thousand brothers could not match his love for her.
But did not express it because of his hatred towards Claudius, pride of being a Prince, distrustful of Ophelia’s promiscuity (of which Hamlet cannot be faulted in this issue) or just utter insensitivity or incapable to reciprocate love just like many men. This is probable because one has to remember that Hamlet was a royalty where everything was spoonfed to him. . But did not express it because of his hatred towards Claudius, pride of being a Prince, distrustful of Ophelia’s promiscuity (of which Hamlet cannot be faulted in this issue) or just utter insensitivity or incapable to reciprocate love just like many men.
This is probable because one has to remember that Hamlet was a royalty where everything was spoonfed to him. Nevertheless, there were too many passages in the story that manifests Hamlet’s love for Ophelia that even Ophelia’s dialogue confirms this. In one instance, Ophelia quipped to his father about Hamlet that "He hath… made many tenders of his affection to me." And that "he hath importuned me with love in honorable fashion". That line meant a tenacious courtship from a man which is customary during Shakepeare’s time and meant that Hamlet did love her.
There was also a line from Hamlet that suggests feelings but he is holding it back such as in the dialogue “that if you be honest and fair, your honesty should admist no discourse to your beauty"/"the power of beauty will sooner transform honesty from what it is to a bawd"/"you should not have believed me, for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it". Hamlet’s actions also tells of a young man who is bitterly in love. Even without the obvious dialogue, Hamlet deep feelings for Ophelia became obvious when he became angry when Ophelia rejected his advances in Act IIII, Scene I.
There, Hamlet was writing love letters to Ophelia and when she returned them and rejected his advances, he was bitter, which is a common characteristic of men’s unrequited love royalty or not. There was also an instance where he was like to elevate
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