According to Ophelia’s lament,
When Hamlet’s words have made her so distressed,
Integrity he used to represent
Before by warped insanity possessed.
In everything he did he brightly shone:
As courtier, soldier, scholar, Renaissance prince
(And, though not said, she knows he doted on
His mother – like herself lambasted since).
To us, however, he at times reveals
His true holistic mind and fervent heart;
Conveying why, when faced with life’s ordeals,
One’s passion and temperance must play their part.
Ophelia drowns before she can discover
That Hamlet’s “madness” is a crucial cover.
Ramat Gan
9 February 2024