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Hamlet tells Ophelia to get to a nunnery. However, "nunnery" not only meant convent but was also slang for whorehouse. It's a matter of interpretation every time he says it which one he means, or whether he might mean both.
Hamlet tells Ophelia to get to a nunnery. However, "nunnery" not only meant convent but was also slang for whorehouse. It's a matter of interpretation every time he says it which one he means, or whether he might mean both.
I believe you are referring to the "Get thee to a nunnery!" Scene in Hamlet where he tells Ophelia to go to a nunnery rather than, "be a breeder of sinners," but it is also a play on words because a nunnery was a nickname for a brothel; so he was calling her a prostitute.
In Act 3 scene 1 of Hamlet (the "nunnery" scene), Claudius and Polonius eavesdrop on the conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia. Well, it's sort of eavesdropping since Ophelia knows they are there and if Hamlet does not know at the beginning of the conversation, he figures it out pretty quickly.
Nuns cannot marry so Hamlet wanted Ophelia to stay away from him and he did'nt want to be married to her. Another possibility was Ophelia could have been pregnant. During this time women who became pregnant went to nunneries when they started to show. They didnt want anyone to know they were pregnant.
Hamlet tells Ophelia to get to a nunnery. However, "nunnery" not only meant convent but was also slang for whorehouse. It's a matter of interpretation every time he says it which one he means, or whether he might mean both.
Hamlet himself, while angry with Ophelia. This is probably actually refering to a brothel, as Hamlet no longer trusts Ophelia's honour
Hamlet tells Ophelia to get to a nunnery. However, "nunnery" not only meant convent but was also slang for whorehouse. It's a matter of interpretation every time he says it which one he means, or whether he might mean both.
I believe you are referring to the "Get thee to a nunnery!" Scene in Hamlet where he tells Ophelia to go to a nunnery rather than, "be a breeder of sinners," but it is also a play on words because a nunnery was a nickname for a brothel; so he was calling her a prostitute.
In Act 3 scene 1 of Hamlet (the "nunnery" scene), Claudius and Polonius eavesdrop on the conversation between Hamlet and Ophelia. Well, it's sort of eavesdropping since Ophelia knows they are there and if Hamlet does not know at the beginning of the conversation, he figures it out pretty quickly.
Hamlet says this to Ophelia. A nunnery was seen as a place where a woman would stay out of trouble and/or have the best chance of remaining faithful.
Nuns cannot marry so Hamlet wanted Ophelia to stay away from him and he did'nt want to be married to her. Another possibility was Ophelia could have been pregnant. During this time women who became pregnant went to nunneries when they started to show. They didnt want anyone to know they were pregnant.
Ophelia is definitely very hurt by what Hamlet has said. Hamlet saying such a phrase only further pushes Ophelia's feeling that she was cheated by Hamlet, that the love they had together earlier was not real.
"Nunnery" had two very different meanings in Tudor England. Modern dictionaries only list one definition of the word, which is, of course, a convent. However, if you look up "nunnery" in a dictionary of archaic words and uses, you will see that "nunnery" did mean both a convent and a brothel in Shakespeare's day. Its meaning as a "brothel" was colloquial, though, even in Tudor England. Despite the use of "nunnery" as "house of ill repute" in Shakespearean England, there can be no question that Hamlet is referring to the standard definition of the word - a house of meditation for women who have devoted themselves to God. Only by entering a nunnery can Ophelia ensure that she will not procreate and become a breeder of sinners.
Well, Claudius does, in Act 3 scene 1, in what's called the Nunnery Scene. However, it's actually a setup for Hamlet to talk to Ophelia while Claudius eavesdrops.
Because Hamlet says to Ophelia "Get thee to a nunnery: why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?" It's just a convenient term to identify the scene because it's such a memorable and striking line. It could just as easily be called the "To be or not to be" scene but that's more of a mouthful.
Hamlet gives his "To be, or not to be" soliloquy. Hamlet tells Ophelia, "Get thee to a nunnery!" Hamlet decides not to kill Claudius while he prays. Hamlet kills Polonius.