Hamlet's Encounter With Ophelia

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Ophelia says the quote above to Polonius to describe her previous encounter with Hamlet, which is used to used to introduce the theme of madness into the play. Before their encounter, Hamlet was confronted by his father’s ghost telling him that he was killed by his brother and he wants Hamlet to get revenge. This revelation has deeply affected Hamlet as shown by what Ophelia says he looks like when he approached her. Hamlet had “his doublet all unbraced” and “his stockings fouled, Ungartered, and down-gyved to his ankle”. This physical imagery shows what Hamlet feels inside, distressed. Also, the word “gyved” gives the reader an imagery of shackles, which can lead the reader to believe that Hamlet is now a prisoner to his father’s ghost and

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