page_title: Hamlet (Thomas)
section_title: Act 2
hierarchical_section_title: Hamlet (Thomas) / Detailed description with commentary / Act 2
caption_attribution_description: English: Act 2 scene 2 of Hamlet by Ambroise Thomas.
context_page_description: Hamlet is a grand opera in five acts of 1868 by the French composer Ambroise Thomas, with a libretto by Michel Carré and Jules Barbier based on a French adaptation by Alexandre Dumas, père, and Paul Meurice of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet.
context_section_description: Entr'acte. The second act begins with a musical interlude of about two minutes, which sets the scene in the garden. After some emphatic introductory orchestral chords and horn calls, harp arpeggios lead into the main section which employs the Theme of Hamlet's Love, initially played by horn and strings, followed by solo horn accompanied with clarinet and flute figures reminiscent of bird calls.
  Scene 1
  The castle gardens (set designed by Charles-Antoine Cambon).
  6. Aria of Ophélie. Ophélie is in the garden with a book in her hand. She laments Hamlet's distance, feeling his look is something like reproach (Ophélie: Sa main depuis hier n'a pas touché ma main! – "His hand has not touched mine since yesterday"). She reads from her book, at first silently, then aloud (Ophélie: "Adieu, dit-il, ayez-foi!" – "'Adieu, he said, trust me!'"). Hamlet appears on the other side of the garden. (An English horn plays the Theme of Hamlet's Love.) Hamlet sees Ophélie and tarries. Again she reads aloud from her book (Ophélie: "En vous, cruel, j'avais foi! Je vous aimais, aimez moi!" – "'In you, O cruel one, I believed. I loved you! Love me too!'"), then looks at Hamlet. However, he remains silent, then rushes away. Ophélie says ruefully: Ah! ce livre a dit vrai! – "Ah! This book spoke the truth!" and continues her aria (Ophélie: Les serments on des ailes! – "Promises have wings!").
  7. Recitative and arioso. The Queen comes into the garden hoping to find Hamlet. She sees Ophélie's distress and presses her for information as to its cause (The Queen: Je croyais près de vous trouver mon fils – "I thought to find my son with you"). Ophélie says Hamlet no longer loves her and begs permission to leave the court. In the Queen's arioso, one of the finest numbers in the score, she rejects Ophélie's request, saying that the barrier between Ophélie and Hamlet comes from another source (The Queen: Dans sons regards plus sombre – "In his sombre expression"). She argues that Ophélie's presence may help cure Hamlet of his madness. Ophélie says she shall obey and leaves.
  8. Duet. The King now comes into the garden (The King: L'âme de votre fils est à jamais troublée, Madame – "Your son's soul is ever troubled, Madame"). The Queen suggests Hamlet may have discovered the truth, but Claudius believes he suspects nothing.
  An extended version of this very short duet appears in the piano-vocal score. Only the initial phrases of this passage are found in the original full score, and the section which begins with the Queen's phrase Hélas! Dieu m'épargne la honte – "Alas! may God spare me the shame" is marked as a possible cut. The scoring of the remainder of the duet was thought lost. The original manuscript with the full score of the duet was recently found at the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris. The uncut duet is performed in the video recording with Simon Keenlyside as Hamlet. It is included as an appendix in the recording with Thomas Hampson as Hamlet (see Recordings).
  Recitative. At the conclusion of the duet Hamlet enters, and the orchestra plays Hamlet's Theme. When the 8-bar theme has concluded, the King calls to Hamlet (The King: Cher Hamlet – "Dear Hamlet"), and Hamlet responds "Sire!". Claudius asks Hamlet to refer to him as Father, but Hamlet responds that his father is dead. Claudius offers his hand, in Hamlet's father's name. There is a pause as the orchestra begins again to play Hamlet's Theme, and Hamlet responds: "His is cold and lifeless." When the theme has finished, Claudius calls Hamlet "My son...", but Hamlet angrily responds: "My name is Hamlet!", and starts to walk away. The orchestra begins Hamlet's Theme again, and Gertrude asks whether Hamlet seeks the young and beautiful Ophélie, but Hamlet responds that youth and beauty will vanish in a single day. When the orchestra has finished playing Hamlet's Theme, Claudius suggests that Hamlet may wish to travel abroad, to France and Italy, but Hamlet responds he'd rather travel, like the clouds, among the stars, amid bolts of lightning.
  There is a distant sound of festive music. The th
caption: Act 2, scene 2: setting by Charles-Antoine Cambon for the original production at the Paris Opéra (Salle Le Peletier)
exif: {"Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "400", "Image YResolution": "400", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop Elements 4.0 Macintosh", "Image DateTime": "2010:03:19 16:41:47", "Image ExifOffset": "176", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "314", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "8969", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2382", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1722"}