How Does Hamlet Present Ophelia

In Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, supporting characters assemble the elements of Hamlet’s fascinating character. After his father’s death and his mother’s marriage to his uncle, Claudius, Hamlet feigns madness in his discourse as a distraction from contemptuous feelings and his ambitions for revenge. A naive, innocent girl named Ophelia engages in a romantic relationship with Hamlet, which spurs her into a state of madness, peaking after the death of her father, Polonius. Hamlet and Ophelia’s reactions to the loss of their fathers reveal Ophelia’s weakness because she is constantly dominated by men and eventually commits suicide, all while being obedient. Her inclination to act upon her emotions contrasts Hamlet’s, as he follows his conscience

His intelligence guides him to discover the root of his problems: his mother’s actions. In Act III, he moves on quickly from an existential crisis to his act of antic disposition while conversing with Ophelia, and his strength is apparent in his sanity. By keeping his true intentions to himself, Hamlet cleverly manipulates those watching him. On the other hand, Ophelia loses her mind after her father’s death since she is overwhelmed with her new sense of freedom of choice and there is no one to offer her guidance anymore. Her mental weakness is exposed when she breaks down in front of Gertrude and the King and cannot even contain her irrational thoughts. Unlike Ophelia, Hamlet can restrain himself from willingly committing dangerous actions, while she helplessly drowns in a river. In Gertrude’s explanation of Ophelia’s death, it seems that her suicide was a passive action, something she could not control. Ophelia is described as a “poor wretch” (4.7.207) who is consumed by her garments as she drowns “mermaid-like” (4.7.201). Gertrude pities Ophelia for being “incapable of her own distress” (4.7.203), revealing her fragility of character when she is alone. Ophelia takes action, but since she does so without much thought, she is ultimately deemed weak for being too dependent on receiving instruction from others and allowing herself to be