Which character in Shakespeare’s Hamlet mentions Saint Valentine’s Day? Ophelia mentions it.
Ophelia refers to Saint Valentine’s Day while singing during her madness in Act 4, Scene 5. Her song begins with the line “Tomorrow is Saint Valentine’s Day,” framing a bawdy story about a young woman and a lover. The reference is spoken by Ophelia, not by Hamlet or the members of the royal court who discuss her condition.
The song appears after Hamlet has killed Ophelia’s father, Polonius. Grief, shock, and the collapse of her position at court contribute to her disturbed behavior. Her songs and riddles communicate indirectly what she cannot safely say in ordinary conversation, including themes of sexuality, betrayal, death, and lost innocence.
Ophelia is Polonius’s daughter and Laertes’s sister. She later gives flowers with symbolic associations before drowning. Shakespeare’s use of Valentine’s Day connects the familiar romantic festival with the play’s darker treatment of love, power, and emotional breakdown.