In Hamlet, Ophelia exemplifies the classic embodiment of the battered woman. She makes no decisions for herself, takes orders from her father, her brother, as well as Hamlet. She knows no free will, and her death shows the toll that this lack of freedom takes on her mind. Ophelia is loyal to a fault, and because of this loyalty she has lost control of her body, her mind, and, ultimately, her life.
It is obvious that Ophelia is loyal to the men in her life – too loyal. Because of her blind loyalty to her father, brother, and lover, she has not only let her thoughts be clouded, but she also cannot fight back when she has been wronged. There are multiple examples of situations in which the men who surround her directly and obviously berate
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Her worth as a human being is defined by her sexuality, and, therefore, by her honor. Ophelia is, however, put on the fence: Polonius and Laertes both warn and scare her away from sex in general, and Hamlet is, or was, trying to seduce her. This causes a great rift in her mind that eventually causes her madness and death. Laertes is the main proponent against Ophelia’s sexuality, stating multiple times in Act I that sex is something that she needs to be downright afraid of. He refers to sex as a "canker" worm, harming a flower too early in its life (1.3.39). This saying, innately sexual, turns Ophelia into an erotic object, while also telling her that it is wrong to be erotic. He takes a paradoxical stance that was common for the time at which the play was written: a non-virgin would never marry, for she is spoiled. It is later shown how this affects Ophelia. After she goes mad, Ophelia is shown singing songs, all of which relate to spurned lovers and one-sided love. One of the songs transparently references a lover who rejected the other: "Before you tumbled me, you promised me to wed" (4.5.61-62). Though it is clear that Ophelia is hurt by Hamlet, it is left ambiguous whether or not she lost her virginity to him. Either way, it is clear that Ophelia’s honor is in question, and she goes mad and dies because of it. If …show more content…
Whether she has done anything with Hamlet or not, there is still a bunch of pressure put on her that really causes her to crack. Ophelia’s songs show the weight of this pressure on her mind, as she sings of a woman who is tricked into lust by a promise of marriage – again showing the degeneration of her life due to the patriarchal society she is forced to bend to. Ophelia’s life was awful, and her death is symbolic of what she endured. Gertrude explains Ophelia’s death to the
Loyal. Betrayed. Insane. Ophelia, a character from The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare, goes through emotional pain and suffering, that drives her into madness. Torn between her father’s word and her love for Hamlet, she chooses to listen to her father, which spells her own demise. Hamlet betrays Ophelia, telling her that he never loved her and that she meant nothing to him. Ophelia feels abandoned, but when her father dies she is pushed over the edge. She is no longer able to move on so she takes her own life.
Since everyone is unaware of Hamlet’s true feelings of his mother’s new marriage and knowledge of Claudius poisoning his father, Polonius convinces Claudius and Gertrude that Hamlet is driven mad by love for Ophelia. So once again, Ophelia follows the orders of her father and the king to meet with Hamlet in a place where they can test this theory and watch the two young lovers in secret. Maki then quotes a scholar, “ ‘Polonius [and Claudius] snoop behind the arras, and she becomes the bait to catch the conscience of the Prince’ (Hunt 15)”, this sets up the scene that Polonius and Claudius quickly learn that a lot of Hamlet’s nonsense does in fact have truth and meaning. An example of this is when he crushes any of Ophelia’s hope of Hamlet still loving her with this reply, “If thou dost marry, I’ll give thee this plague for thy dowry: be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery” (3.1.135-37). This is the second time that Ophelia is told she will have no value if she has any pre-marital sexual relations and during the time period of Hamlet, a woman who does not follow tradition could potentially be ostracised by her family and remain a maiden the rest of their life. So in the end, Maki draws the conclusion that, “Hamlet then rejects
Ophelia is portrayed as a sensitive, fragile woman. Easily overpowered and controlled by her brother and father, Ophelia is destined to be weak. Ophelia’s brother, Laertes, warns and pushes Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet and is further supported by their father Polonius. “Polonius enters and adds his warning to those of Laertes. He orders Ophelia not to spend time with Hamlet or even talk to him. Ophelia promises to obey” (“Hamlet” 95). Ophelia’s obedience to her father’s directions prove the side she
In The Tragedy of Hamlet, Shakespeare developed the story of prince Hamlet, and the murder of his father by the king's brother, Claudius. Hamlet reacted to this event with an internal battle that harmed everyone around him. Ophelia was the character most greatly impacted by Hamlet's feigned and real madness - she first lost her father, her sanity, and then her life. Ophelia, obedient, weak-willed, and no feminist role model, deserves the most pity of any character in the play.
While Hamlet’s achelis was his inability to adapt to the new realities he had come back too, Ophelia’s weakness was adapting to the will of everyone around her. This consequently lead her to lose herself in the end. The clear pattern of her willingness to please those around her at the cost of her own peace of mind is obvious from the beginning of the book as we are introduced to her.Her scene with Laertes sets the pace of her relationships as he attempts to dispense some advice in the form of a long winded cautionary tale against love and consequent betrayal. Her ‘concerned’ brother barrages her in Act 1 scene 3 against the treachery of men and the importance of virtues.
Hamlet, Ophelia’s lover, accidentally kills her father and “confesses” he never loved her, Hamlet toys with Ophelia's emotions intentionally and unintentionally to solidify his madness. Even though she was the who initiated the “breakup”, her sorrows of the relationship are much more public than Hamlets. Hamlet’s madness scares Ophelia away which he used as a defense mechanism to not be hurt anymore. His madness looks as though he had been "loosed out of hell to speak of horrors" (2.1.83-84) and she "truly [did] fear it"(2.1. 86). His insanity and rudeness suffocated any love she had for him. She admits that their "their perfume [has been] lost" (3.1. 99). This helped Hamlet solidify his insanity by cutting ties with the ones he loves, and having them tell others he is mad. This comes with the cost of discontinuing his relationships: especially with Ophelia. Both have hinted around in the text of an intimate affair. This makes the emotions and breakup even more difficult for both of them. Their relationship was a love, not an innocent crush or courtship. Poor Ophelia initially thought she caused Hamlet's madness due to the abrupt ending of their affair. But because of her naivety, she lacks to see his other internal struggles. Ophelia’s trust in Hamlet left her heartbroken. Hamlet’s agenda of or getting justice for his father occupied his mind more than Ophelia did. Which left her feeling
Ophelia’s mental illness comes to fruition later in the play, but comes in a very strong form, Hysteria. Hysteria, as defined in Shakespearean times, by a sickness of the womb. This diagnosis was given to females and usually occurred after some form of psychological abuse. Ophelia’s symptoms point to a diagnosis of hysteria over the death of her father Polonius. Furthermore, according to “Mental illness in Shakespeare case study #2” Ophelia is incapable of individuation, or the separation of one's self from others. Her lack of individual self-causes her to become dependent on others, such as Hamlet and Polonius. With Hamlet's abandonment and the death of her father, Ophelia spirals into madness. Shakespeare uses Ophelia's gender to create her mental illness by shaping her mental illness around the diagnosis of a woman. The establishment of Ophelia's Mental illness allows Shakespeare to further develop it through the tone of which she speaks. Ophelia begins to sing songs after the death of her father that other characters interpret as her mourning. However, in delving into the songs Ophelia sings her madness becomes apparent. The first song Ophelia sings refers to her marital status. Ophelia “ by gis and by saint charity alack and fie for shame young men will do’t if they come to’t by cock they are to blame quoth she before you tumbled me you promised me to wed” (IV, v 57-62). Ophelia refers to Hamlet and her father in this song, she addresses her father's wishes that she keeps her virginity and keep it for the sanctity of marriage; furthermore, she refers to Hamlet who promised to wed her, however, Hamlet leaves her and claims he never loved her. Ophelia's obsession with the most important men in her life, even after they leave her reflects her dependency on man. This dependence further drives her mental illness after the loss of
Hamlet shows much anger and disrespect to the women in his life. Ophelia’s believing her father’s words breaks Hamlets heart, being the reason for his treatment towards not just her but his mother. Ophelia
It is widely believed that “Living life without honor is a tragedy bigger than death itself” and this holds true for Hamlet’s Ophelia. Ophelia’s death symbolizes a life spent passively tolerating Hamlet’s manipulations and the restrictions imposed by those around her, while struggling to maintain the last shred of her dignity. Ophelia’s apathetic reaction to her drowning suggests that she never had control of her own life, as she was expected to comply with the expectations of others. Allowing the water to consume her without a fight alludes to Hamlet’s treatment of Ophelia as merely a device in his personal agenda. Her apparent suicide denotes a desire to take control of her life for once. Ophelia’s death is, arguably, an honorable one, characterized by her willingness to let go of her submissive, earth-bound self and leave the world no longer a victim.
With the men’s constant abuse, they each start telling her different things. Unsure of whom to listen to, she starts to get confused and starts losing herself. When finally there was no one there to tell her anymore she goes mad, and on the brink of her madness she ends up killing herself. Throughout all these events, no one stops to think of her as an actual person, but instead like a rag doll they could just toss around. The play Hamlet itself was discussed without any bother of Ophelia for nearly four hundred years before scholars started to think of her and read the play with a Feminist viewpoint.
It is evident that Hamlet defines Ophelia by her sexuality. Hamlet does not value her as the woman she is. Instead, Hamlet views her as a mere object. Hamlet makes various sexual innuendos towards Ophelia. For example, this is apparent in 2.3, when Hamlet is speaking to Ophelia. Hamlet says, “It would cost you a groaning to take off mine edge” (3.2.250). Hamlet is making this regard to her in public and Ophelia lets him continue. Ophelia because of her gender continues to let Hamlet exploit and oppress her. Ophelia embodies a mutual assessment of femininity. Author Pragati Das writes, “Ophelia, it would seem, wholly at the mercy of the male figures throughout her life, is certainly a victim character” (Das 38). Ophelia does not have any alternative thoughts; she only responds with a simple sentence, “Still better and worse” (3.2.251). Ophelia is not standing up for herself, instead of she “…expresses acquiescence, uncertainty, and obeisance; she utters half lines” (Fischer 2). The power of Hamlet is manipulating Ophelia and it this shown through from her dull reaction of such crudities. Hamlet sums his vulgar and suggestive speech with, “For, oh, for, oh, the hobby-horse is forgot” (3.2.23–24). After Hamlet’s pressures of sexual suggestions, Ophelia is found to be under the absolute dominance of Hamlet’s demands, and as a result, her sanity diminishes. Ophelia’s song reflects on Hamlet, her father, and life
Ophelia loves Hamlet; her emotions drive her to perform her actions. Some would say that Ophelia’s emotions could have actually been what ended her young
Two of Ophelia’s difficulties arise from her father and brother. They believe that Hamlet is using her to take her virginity and throw it away because Ophelia will never be his wife. Her heart believes that Hamlet loves her although he promises he never has (“Hamlet” 1). Hamlet: “Ay, truly, for the power of beauty will sooner transform honesty from what it is to a bawd than the force of honesty can translate beauty into his likeness. This was sometime a paradox, but not the time gives it proof. I did love you once.” Ophelia: “Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so.” Hamlet: “You should not have believed me, for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock ...
Despite Ophelia’s weak will, the male characters respond dramatically to her actions, proving that women indeed have a large impact in Hamlet. Her obedience is actually her downfall, because it allows the male characters to control and use her in their schemes. Ophelia’s betrayal ends up putting Hamlet over the edge, motivating him in his quest for revenge. Ophelia is one of the two women in the play. As the daughter of Polonius, she only speaks in the company of several men, or directly to her brother or father. Since we never see her interactions with women, she suppresses her own thoughts in order to please her superiors. Yet however weak and dependent her character is on the surface, Ophelia is a cornerstone to the play’s progression. One way that her manipulation is key to Hamlet’s plot is when Polonius orders her “in plain terms, from this time forth/ Have you so slander any moment leisure/As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet,” (1.3.131-133). She complies with his wishes, agreeing to return any tokens of Hamlet’s love to him, verify t...
Another significant female character is Ophelia, Hamlet's love. Hamlet's quest for revenge interferes with his relationship with Ophelia. There is much evidence to show that Hamlet loved her a great deal, but his pretense of madness drove her to her death. Ophelia drowned not knowing what was happening to her. This can be deduced by the fact that she flowed down the river singing and happy when in truth she was heartbroken. Ophelia was very much afraid when she saw Hamlet "with his doublet all unbraced; No hat upon his head; his stockings foul'd, Ungarter'd, and down-gyved to his ancle" (Act #. Scene #. Line #). She described him as being "loosed out of hell" (Act #. Scene #. Line #). In addition to that he scared her when he left the room with his eyes still fixed on her. She is especially hurt when Hamlet tells her that he no longer loves her and that he is opposed to marriage. He advises her to go to a nunnery and avoid marriage if she can.