Facade

Art is a form of expression. It comes from your response to the things around you, whether it from be ideas, nature, people, etc. So what better way to describe art as a mirror you hold up to society? When you look in a mirror, you see things the way you want to see them - you see yourself based off of your preconceived ideas about who you are, not as others view you. It's the same with art. When a person creates art, he/she are expressing the way they see the world. Holding a mirror to society is the perfect analogy for it. If a person sees something wrong with society, he/she will focus on it, either to simply expose it for what it is, or perhaps to show how the world would be a "better place" without the problem. It goes hand in hand with the artist's worldview. No person can be completely subjective: bias always weasels its in way and manifests itself in any art form, be it paintings, plays, movies, newspaper articles, writing in general, everything.

So yes, I agree with Hamlet.

~Scribbles

Conspiracy Theory?

As far as Claudius is concerned, Hamlet is catching onto something. He's a little too antsy about Hamlet's madness and doesn't accept an answer so simple a Gertrude's "It's just his father's death and our over hasty marriage." If I was a usurper hiding a murder I committed, I would be very very paranoid about anyone catching any sort of remote idea that I killed someone. Therefore, If I saw the son of that person going mad I would naturally be just a little concerned. Claudius is acting just like a kid who knows he's done something wrong and tries to hide it, but is so bouncy and obvious about it's easy to see they are hiding something. The fact that he's so occupied with Hamlet's madness shows he's worried about it, and I don't think it's because he's genuinely concerned for his nephew. So yes, Claudius is starting to think Hamlet is figuring it out.

~Scribbles

Is It All Just an Act?

I believe that if Hamlet did love Ophelia, he doesn't anymore. He's manipulating Polonius (possibly just for fun out of his madness) by taunting him with showing affection for Ophelia, but doesn't really care for her. He thinks she is frail, as all women are, and basically calls her a whore ("Get thee to a nunnery."). He calls Polonius a "fishmonger", alluding to him as a "pimp" selling away his daughter. He then tells Polonius that if he lets his daughter out of his sight she will conceive. At first I saw this as Hamlet hinting that would be the one to make her conceive (whether or not that is what we intended, I don't really know). I don't believe this would be out of love, but just as a taunt to Polonius. I think Hamlet knows that Polonius believes Hamlet is mad out of love for Ophelia, and so Hamlet is toying with Polonius. Again, this could be just for fun, not actually part of his revenge plan. So at this point, I do not think Hamlet loves Ophelia.

~Scribbles