Why Does Hamlet Tell Ophelia To Go To A Nunnery Meaning Explained

In Act 3, Scene 1 of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, one of the most emotionally charged moments occurs when Prince Hamlet confronts Ophelia with the abrupt command: “Get thee to a nunnery.” This line has puzzled audiences and scholars for centuries. On the surface, it appears to be a cruel dismissal, but beneath lies a complex web of betrayal, disillusionment, misogyny, and existential despair. To fully grasp why Hamlet says this, we must examine the linguistic nuances, historical context, psychological state of the character, and shifting dynamics between Hamlet and Ophelia.

The Dual Meaning of “Nunnery”

The word “nunnery” in early modern English carried two distinct meanings. The first is the literal religious institution—a convent where women live under vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience. The second, less known but widely used in Shakespeare’s time, was a slang term for a brothel. This double entendre is crucial to understanding Hamlet’s words. When he tells Ophelia to “get thee to a nunnery,” he may simultaneously be urging her to preserve her virtue *or* condemning her as irredeemably corrupt.

This ambiguity reflects Hamlet’s internal conflict. He idealized Ophelia as pure and virtuous, but now suspects her of complicity in the court’s schemes. His rage is not solely directed at her—it’s an outburst against the entire corrupt world around him, including his mother’s hasty remarriage and the political manipulation he feels trapped by.

Tip: When analyzing Shakespeare, always consider multiple meanings of words—especially those with sexual or religious connotations in Early Modern English.

Hamlet’s Psychological State

By the time of this scene, Hamlet is in profound psychological turmoil. He has recently encountered the ghost of his father, who revealed that King Claudius murdered him. Tasked with avenging his father’s death, Hamlet is paralyzed by doubt, philosophical questioning, and a deep sense of isolation. His feigned madness blurs into real emotional instability, making his interactions volatile and unpredictable.

His relationship with Ophelia, once tender, becomes collateral damage in his broader crisis. When Polonius and Claudius use Ophelia as bait to spy on him, Hamlet perceives her involvement as personal betrayal. Whether she willingly participated or was manipulated by her father is unclear—but to Hamlet, intent matters less than impact. Her presence reminds him of love, intimacy, and trust—all things he now views as fragile, deceptive, or corrupted.

“To be honest, as this world goes, is to be one man picked out of ten thousand.” — Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2

This quote underscores Hamlet’s growing cynicism. In his mind, true honesty is nearly extinct. If even those closest to him—Ophelia, his mother, his friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern—are compromised, then no one is beyond suspicion.

The Broader Critique of Women and Sexuality

Hamlet’s treatment of Ophelia cannot be separated from his scathing view of female sexuality, which reaches its peak in his attacks on Queen Gertrude. After confronting her in her chamber (Act 3, Scene 4), he rails against her lustful nature and moral weakness. These feelings spill over into how he sees Ophelia. He associates sex and reproduction with sin, decay, and moral collapse.

When he tells Ophelia, “If thou dost marry, I’ll give thee this plague for thy dowry: be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny,” he expresses both despair and bitterness. Marriage, in his eyes, leads only to corruption. Even if a woman remains physically pure, society will still slander her. Thus, the only escape is complete withdrawal from sexual life—either through celibacy in a convent or total isolation from men.

Yet this advice is deeply contradictory. By sending her to a nunnery, he denies her agency, love, and future. It is protection framed as punishment. He wants to save her from the world’s corruption, but he does so by stripping her of identity and autonomy.

Historical Context: Women, Convents, and Social Control

In Elizabethan England, women had limited options. Marriage was expected, and virginity before marriage was paramount. Convents had been dissolved under Henry VIII, so religious retreats were no longer viable institutions for English women. Thus, Hamlet’s suggestion is impractical—there were no functioning nunneries in Protestant England at the time.

This makes the line even more ironic. Telling Ophelia to go to a nunnery is not a genuine solution; it’s a symbolic rejection. He might as well have told her to vanish from the world. The impossibility of the command highlights his own helplessness. He cannot fix the corruption around him, so he pushes away the one person he might have loved.

Term	Literal Meaning	Slang/Contextual Meaning	Implication in Scene
Nunnery	Convent for nuns	Brothel (common slang)	Either protect her purity or accuse her of promiscuity
Marry	To wed	To enter corruption	Marriage = moral downfall
Chaste	Virtuous, sexually abstinent	Ideal yet unattainable	Purity offers no safety from judgment

A Mini Case Study: Ophelia’s Tragic Arc

Ophelia’s fate illustrates the devastating consequences of Hamlet’s words. Once obedient and hopeful, she is caught between her love for Hamlet, her loyalty to her father, and the expectations of the Danish court. After Hamlet rejects her publicly and kills her father shortly thereafter, she unravels psychologically.

Her descent into madness—marked by fragmented songs about lost love and premature death—and her eventual drowning suggest a complete breakdown under patriarchal pressure. Hamlet’s command to “get thee to a nunnery” initiates her erasure from social and emotional life. Denied love, voice, and agency, she becomes a symbol of innocence destroyed by a corrupt world.

In this light, Hamlet’s words are not just harsh—they are tragically self-fulfilling. By pushing Ophelia away in the name of protecting her purity, he contributes directly to her destruction.

Expert Insight: What Scholars Say

“Hamlet’s ‘nunnery’ speech is less about Ophelia than about his shattered worldview. He lashes out because he can no longer distinguish between personal betrayal and universal decay.” — Harold Bloom, literary critic and Shakespeare scholar

“The ambiguity of ‘nunnery’ allows Shakespeare to hold two truths at once: Hamlet both loves and resents Ophelia, wants to protect her and punish her.” — Marjorie Garber, author of Shakespeare After All

These insights reveal that the line is not merely misogynistic or impulsive. It is layered with grief, fear, and philosophical despair. Hamlet is not speaking only to Ophelia—he is performing his inner torment for Claudius and Polonius, who are eavesdropping. His cruelty may also be part of his act, designed to convince them of his madness and disinterest in love.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did Hamlet truly love Ophelia?

Evidence is conflicting. In Act 5, Scene 1, Hamlet declares, “I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers / Could not, with all their quantity of love, / Make up my sum.” This suggests deep affection. Yet his earlier cruelty contradicts this. Most interpretations conclude that he did love her, but his trauma and mission overwhelmed personal relationships.

Was Ophelia complicit in spying on Hamlet?

She likely had little choice. As a young woman in a patriarchal court, she was controlled by her father, Polonius, and the king. While she participates in the trap, there’s no indication she acts out of malice. Her obedience reflects her social position, not moral failing.

Is Hamlet sexist?

He exhibits sexist attitudes, particularly toward women’s sexuality, but these reflect the era’s norms as much as his personal pathology. His anger at Gertrude and Ophelia stems from betrayal and idealism shattered, not mere prejudice. Still, his language often reduces women to symbols of virtue or vice, denying their complexity.

Conclusion: A Cry of Despair, Not Just a Command

“Get thee to a nunnery” is not simply a rejection of Ophelia. It is a cry of anguish from a man drowning in grief, duty, and disillusionment. The phrase encapsulates Hamlet’s fractured psyche—his desire to preserve innocence warring with his conviction that purity is impossible in a fallen world.

Understanding this moment requires empathy not only for Ophelia, whose life is destroyed by forces beyond her control, but also for Hamlet, who sees no path forward that doesn’t involve pain. Shakespeare uses this exchange to explore themes of trust, corruption, gender, and the limits of human agency.

💬 What do you think Hamlet meant by “nunnery”? Was it protection, punishment, or performance? Share your interpretation in the comments.