Question

Who sings the following song? What does it show about the speaker’s emotions and state of mind? What happens to this character at the end of the act? To-morrow is Saint Valentine’s day. All in the morning betime, And I a maid at your window, To be your Valentine. Then up he rose and donned his clo’es An dupped the chamber door, Let in the maid, that out a maid Never departed more (IV,v,48-55)

Answer 1

This song is sang by Ophelia in Act IV, scene V of Hamlet, by William Shakespeare.

In this song, Ophelia sings about a woman who was a "maid" (virgin) and was in love with a man. She tells us that the woman accepted to an invitation by the man on Valentine's Day, and when she left, she was not a maid anymore.

The song points to two important aspects of Ophelia's mind. First, it suggests how betrayed she feels about her relationship with Hamlet. We see that she is reflecting on how men are, and she finds them disgraceful and cunning. The second element is the fact that Ophelia is hallucinating and speaking about nonsensical things. This indicates that she has lost her mind, most likely due to the death of her father or the state of her relationship with Hamlet. By the end of the act, Ophelia will die by drowning.