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Page 168

Hamlet’s ambivalent identification with the Ghost, who haunts his psyche and causes him to lash out at himself and others, is evidenced as well in his treatment of both Ophelia and Gertrude. Although in Oedipal readings of the play Ophelia and Gertrude are united as objects of Hamlet’s desire, in Olivier’s film Simmons’s Ophelia mirrors Hamlet, not Gertrude, which suggests Hamlet’s connection with femininity, and therefore a melancholic reading of his character. Throughout the film, Hamlet and Ophelia are associated exclusively with each other through various ocular effects. On an obvious level, the two are physically strikingly similar with their white-blond hair, chiseled facial features, graceful movements, and white, billowy shirts and gowns. Both are followed by the tracking camera as they wander through the narrow passageways of the castle. Ophelia, in her mad scenes, and Hamlet, in numerous scenes, are shown in identical body positions; for instance, the two appear with book in hand in the opening shots of back-to-back scenes, Hamlet’s encounter with Polonius (2.2) and Ophelia’s entrance at the beginning of the nunnery scene (3.1).

Other parallels further establish the film’s preoccupation with mourning and melancholy. Significantly, the two are paired as victims of abuse: as the Ghost dominates Hamlet, Hamlet dominates Ophelia, a correlation that is made through shots of both in analogous, submissive positions on the floor. Hamlet, following the Ghost’s appearance (1.5), is stricken down by the commanding force of his father’s spirit; Ophelia, at the close of the nunnery scene, is thrown to the floor by an angry Hamlet (3.1) (see Donaldson 1990:41–47). Both characters remain in this position of degradation, clearly traumatized by the violence inflicted upon them. These positions signify their abnegation and tormented self-loathing. Like Hamlet, Ophelia suffers from melancholy upon the death of her father, and in her mad scenes, she links her melancholy with that of Hamlet. In a symbolic gesture, Ophelia places rosemary ‘‘for remembrance” on the empty chair of Hamlet, securing it as the film’s emblem of loss and mourning.

Hamlet’s behavior toward Gertrude is even more complex and ambiguous. He switches from aggressive to loving treatment of her, at once attempting to identify with his father and then with his mother in response to the paternal threat. Beyond the sensual kisses and caresses, the two seem united in a “mystical bond” (Donaldson 1990:63), one that perhaps is sealed by Gertrude’s suicide, when in this interpretation she intentionally drinks the poison meant for her

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