] And yet both Hamlet and Willoughby did claim to feel more for them then their callous treatment of these young girls made it appear. It is also interesting that for Hamlet this was expessed only after Ophelia was dead and for Willoughby (although he cannot use the word love) when he believes Marianne to be dying.

] It also makes me wonder how much of these graveyard/deathbed declarations of 'love' or fondness on Willoughby's or Hamlet's parts were real and how much for show?

To make another JA comparison, there was a big discussion on the "Emma" board recently about Frank Churchill's character. I wonder whether Hamlet's love for Ophelia wasn't rather like Frank's for Jane Fairfax: intense and definitely real, but strangely insensitive towards the beloved's feelings and welfare, maybe because of Hamlet's own immaturity in this area. Perhaps if he had been more careful of Ophelia's reputation, her father would not have to have his little talk with her! And of course, death always makes us appreciate what we've lost once there's no getting it back!