Poetry Friday: Never Doubt I Love from Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Doubt thou the stars are fire; Doubt that the sun doth move; Doubt truth to be a liar; But never doubt I love. - Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Act II, Scene 2
This is an excerpt of the letter Hamlet wrote to Ophelia, which was then read aloud on stage by Polonius.
Hamlet is my favorite Shakespearean tragedy, mostly due to the character of Hamlet himself. David Tennant is currently portraying Hamlet in the Royal Shakespeare Company production in London, thousands of miles away. Meanwhile, though I had planned on doing so, I was unable to see any Shakespeare in the Park type of performances this summer. Thus, I am mourning those lost opportunities, and honoring them with the above passage.
Melanie Doane's song Never Doubt I Love was inspired by Hamlet's letter to Ophelia. I think it's really pretty, and that it accurately captures the feeling of the passage, though the letter's purpose was two-fold (feigned madness and true affection) while the song is a love ballad. It's interesting to hear it sung by a woman instead of spoken by a man. The song is available on her album Shakespearean Fish. Read the lyrics.
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