my Roman Empire is how in Hamlet, we are presented with four characters who were each at one point the person/people Hamlet held most dear, and one of them watches as Hamlet's actions lead the other three to suffer, lose their minds, and/or die.

Horatio is Hamlet's closest friend over the course of the play, the one he comes to again and again, refers to as being in his 'heart of hearts', and who keeps him stable and alive for at least the most part. We follow these two the most explicitly throughout the text.

Ophelia is Hamlet's lover, and their relationship can be read many ways, ranging from never-really-loved-the-other to they-did-it-numerous-times-and-in-fact-she-was-pregnant-(possibly)-(also)-(aborted) but for the sake of this post I'm going to go the middle ground and say they had a wholesome and happy relationship before Hamlet's dad died and he got all sad. Doubt the stars are fire, but never doubt I love.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Hamlet's childhood friends, and Gertrude remembers them as being so loved by him that 'two men there are not living to whom he more adheres'. It's clear that these three were very close during some stage of his life, likely his childhood and potentially teens. The point is, they meant the most to him at some point in his life.

But again, by the time the acts of Hamlet come to pass, Hamlet has chosen Horatio to be his sole compatriot. Whether or not this is prior to his actual arrival in Elsinore is largely irrelevant- Hamlet makes sure he spends a lot of the first half of the play flustered in the face of a prince who won't stop finding nice things to say about him. Hamlet butters him up with honeyed words, and tells him the truth about everything, or what he thinks, anyway.

Horatio is touched but one specific line does stick out to him a bit- when Hamlet assured him it was not an attempt at flattery, and went on to clarify that he feels free to love Horatio as Horatio doesn't want anything from him, and doesn't have anything to hide. If what the ghost said about Claudius were true, it makes sense for Hamlet to be paranoid and hold others at a distance, but Horatio can't help but think about the underlying implication that if Hamlet had any reason to be suspicious of Horatio, he'd be just as cold to him as everyone else. Which, again, makes sense, but something about it rubs him a strange way.

Horatio tries to relate his experiences with the others he knows were close to Hamlet. He doesn't know much about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, but Hamlet has mentioned suspicion of them, but despite that, seems to have been cordial enough. As for Ophelia... She seems to have seen the worst of his feigned madness, so he doesn't really know about her. He also heard something about an argument, but he doesn't know to what extent.

After the play, and an odd interaction with R&G, Hamlet heads upstairs to speak to his mother and Horatio thinks about it some more.

He words the question properly to himself: would Hamlet still love me if I were in their position? And he doubts for a moment, but then he remembers what Hamlet told him, the look in his eyes as he proclaimed his sincerity, and even the rare laughter he'd indulged in after the play, in only his presence, and Hamlet has convinced him.

Up until he hears the news of Polonius's murder. And until he hears the recount of Claudius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern's intervention with the seemingly mad prince, and he begins to doubt him.

And when he's left to take care of Ophelia, driven mad by the death of her father and the wrath of her lover, and in her delirium she tells him things, tells him everything, and there's a strange sense of familiarity in her words. She shows him her letters, throwing them at him and laughing, tears running from her eyes, and Horatio recognises the poetic style, the sweet wording that always seems to know how to strike your heart closest, and he realises that she had once been where he had, received Hamlet's love in the same way. And it's strange, in a way he's not sure what to do with.

His fear is alleviated slightly when Hamlet sends him a letter, and he seems back to his usual sense of self, the one Horatio knows. Horatio is glad for the normalcy, and it does a part to clear his worry that he had been deceived in any nature, after his time with Ophelia.

Even further when he finally returns to Denmark, and while the two talk, they stumble upon Ophelia's funeral, and Hamlet takes no time to jump into her grave and proclaim his grief loudly. Horatio feels a bit sick at feeling any sort of relief at this, but the proof that Hamlet may have truly loved her and hadn't intended for this to happen does something to quell the fear again.

That is, until Hamlet recounts his journey.

And with a strange sort of expression that looks sort of like... pride, recounts how he sent Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to their deaths.

Horatio is a little shocked by this, as he can't recall the two having done anything particularly wrong, and this was clearly not accidental. Hamlet brushes him off by saying the two knew what they were getting into, showing strangely little remorse.

Horatio thinks, about how they were his childhood friends, and then again about Ophelia, and then again about his earlier question.

would Hamlet still love me if I were in their position?

And he realises, in a way that makes him nauseous, that the answer is no. And not only that, but for all Hamlet's laughter and flattering words, it wouldn't have saved him.

But still, he doesn't leave his side. Hamlet loves him now, and he's the lucky one. Nothing can be done anymore, and he feels they draw close to the end.

And he does still love him. And Hamlet loves him back.

Horatio reaches for the poisoned cup as Hamlet dies. It feels right that it should end this way, and he doesn't really want to go on.

But Hamlet wrestles the cup out of his hand with an intensity that catches him off guard, begging him to stay alive, to tell his story

and so he does, cradling the prince as he slips into a deeper dream.

Sometime after, Horatio will again think about it all. The four of them. Three dead by his hand, one alive by it.

He wonders.

Did Hamlet ever think about it too? About how his actions hurt the ones closest to him, and in his final moments, chose to break the pattern and save the only life he could?

Or did Hamlet only save him because he still loved him? Not out of guilt, or reflection on his previous actions necessarily, but because Horatio still hadn't done him wrong?

you shoulders ached from trying to budge this stubborn door open. the harsh cold blowing against your side , your brain barely registering what the blonde had just said. did jess just-? oh . . oh. a small grin danced against your lips , green eyes looking over at your companion - your side numb from the force of your efforts.

" oh yeah? " you had teased , studying jess for just a moment. your movements halting before you spoke back up. " well , i certainly wouldn't mind going to the bone zone with you. " another push , the frost cold against your numbed shoulder. " ya' know . . maybe if we get out of here- " you fell over abruptly , the door bursting open with a loud crack.

dusting yourself off as you regained your balance , that same goofy grin never leaving your face as you cleared your throat. " ahem. after you , m'lady. "

@opheliete asked : ‘ when i imagined us grunting together ,  this is not what i pictured . ’

@opheliete sent : 〝   it’s okay. i don’t need you to help me…but if you wanna stick around while i fix it myself i wouldn’t mind the company. 〞 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗙𝗘𝗬𝗥𝗘

⠀⠀⠀. . .⠀⠀⠀⠀

he was like a child being scolded by its mother. eyes cast downwards as he sat hunched upon the little wooden stool in her studio. the black leather of his jacket shone slightly in the setting sun , head tipped downwards. it was surely a sight to behold , the high lord of the night in what appeared to be a time out. oh if cassian found out he would have a field day. it hadn’t started off like this , rhysand begging mor to come steal feyre from her painting studio so he could gift her a present. everything was going great ( if you counted the high lords painting looking like a child did it ) and yet he lost his footing when cassian appeared , smearing a line of black paint ALL OVER feyre’s colorful unfinished project. the general laughed , telling his brother that feyre was going to have a field day with him before disappearing , leaving rhys alone with the damaged painting. and yet, she completely was calm. almost too calm. rhysand was aware of this tactic females used ( specifically his mother ) , the calm before the storm but her words cause the high lord to look up eyebrows furrowed as he situates himself on the stool hands in his lap. 〝 you’re not mad? feyre darling , i certainly didn’t mean to.. it was never my intention to ruin something of yours. please , allow me to help you. 〞

❛ i can’t lose you again! ❜

ㅤㅤㅤhe knows the feeling , knows it so desperately . the fear , anger and desperation in his daughter's voice mimic the tenor his own thoughts had taken countless times over the last few years . ❛ you won't . ❜ it's a promise he can't truly make , and they likely both know that . but when faced with his daughter , he can do no other than attempt to comfort her . an instinct he's still rather unfamiliar with , as it had been born in tandem with @opheliete . he takes her hands in his , grounding himself in the process . ❛ i'll always be with you , even if we cannot actually be together . you have my word . ❜

shakespeare is bad opheliet is good

TEXT 🔪 OPHELIET

Harriet: Sometimes I hate this stupid place but then I remember how awful that place was and I hate it less but... I still hate it.

New Tumblr Name

I finally changed my Tumblr name. I knew eventually, for writing/publishing purposes, it would have to be done but gah the memories attached to the old one are strong. Anyway, I am opheliet, not a weird person who suddenly popped up on your dashboard. I am now going to spend too much time grieving over the username I've maintained since college.

fake shakespearean sitcom: the course

the premise: one college drop-out, one indie musician, one lifeguard with a chance to join the olympic swim team, and one modern dancer. they're all sharing a modest two-bedroom apartment in seattle, and getting by on the salaries of measly uncreative part-time jobs. what keeps these women motivated to live on is not their overbearing fathers, their concerned mothers, their gossipy sisters, or their angry gay cousins. it's their friendships with one another that keep them alive and happy- and that's what the show is about. just four girls supporting each other through the thick and thin, there to lend a shoulder or some concealer when the going gets rough. oh, and eventually, falling in love with each other. did we mention that yet?

the characters: ♡ juliet capulet (lucy hale) has been involved in dance since preschool. it's always been a method of escape from all the drama in her life: the literal family feud, her whiny ex-boyfriend who still sends her linkin park mixtapes and wears too much eyeliner, and the fact that she thinks she might be falling in love with her best friend. ♡ ophelia (taissa farmiga) has always felt attached to the water. she's been a lifeguard since graduating high school, but it's only recently that her talents in the water have been noticed-- by someone big. will her overprotective brother and possessive father hold her back from great opportunities, or will she decide to stay for another reason-- another person altogether? ☆ cordelia lear (ellen page) has lived in her sisters' shadows her entire life. when her elderly father made a split-second decision that was heavily influenced by his dementia to only fund the tuition of the daughter that loved him best, and regan and goneril had tricked him into believing cordi didn't love him, she figured she'd drop out early while she still had her dignity. things aren't so bad now-- she has more time to decide what she really wants to do. ☆ hero (arden cho) is an indie musician working to produce her own songs, promoting herself through social media and covers of well-known other songs. so far it's going fairly well, but it's still tough to get your name out there in the big bad world of music-- and it's even tougher when you have other problems on your mind, like trying to hook up your feminist vlogger cousin with the man she personally despises most in the world.

to be continued in more fic/graphics/gifsets!

Got to the post office today! Things are in the mail, and I can provide tracking numbers if wanted!

❛ i hate the way that i don’t hate you. ❜ from hayley / @opheliete .

ㅤㅤㅤtruly  ,  the  feeling  is  rather  mutual  .  their  relationship  is  anything  but  typical  ,  but  as  a  mikaelson,  he  would  be  foolish  to  expect  anything  else  .  they  rarely  see  eye  to  eye  ,  but  despite  all  the  odds  ,  hayley  is  just  a  part of  his  life  .  for  their  daughter  ,  of  course  ,  but  also  simply  because  they  had  formed  an  atypical  bond  along  the  way  .  friends  ?  frenemies  ,  perhaps  ?  regardless  ,  their  fates  are  irrevocably  entwined  .  '  it  would  make  things  a  lot  easier  if  you  did  ,  wouldn't  it  ,  love  ?  ' the teasing note lightens the mood , though the matching sentiment is reflected in his own gaze .