In a world full of hopelessness and horror, Ophelia represents a diming beacon of hope in Hamlet’s life. It is clear from the beginning that Ophelia's love for Hamlet is real and reciprocated in strength. Even after Laertes and Polonius try and convince her that even if Hamlet’s feelings for her were real, things between them could never work out, Ophelia insists that he “hath given countenance to his speech, [...] with almost all the holy vows of heaven” (11). She is convinced that Hamlet’s love for her is so real his feelings couldn’t be faked. Reluctantly Ophelia agrees to call things off with Hamlet at her father’s request even if it means pretending she doesn’t love him. From the beginning Hamlet conveys his dismal attitude towards the world through his devaluation of life; but Ophelia’s presence represents a light in Hamlet’s never ending darkness. …show more content…
She finds him alone one day and returns to him the “remembrances, that [she] had long to redeliver”. Upon receiving his own love letters back, Hamlet responds with “No, not I. I never gave you aught” (32). Hamlet tries to protect himself by denying that he ever even sent those letters; and, with enough badgering, falsely confesses to Ophelia that “[he] loved [her] not” (33). Ophelia's betrayal of Hamlet hits him in his already vulnerable heart. As their interaction follows his most famous soliloquy in which he again denounces living, Hamlet is in a most unstable state. He yells to Ophelia “get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sins?” (33). Hamlet loves Ophelia. He once wanted to marry her and presumable have children with her. But the tole life has taken on him and the final beating from Ophelia's words is enough to mark the ending of hope for
Living in an environment of deception and hostility, the reader can easily identify with Hamlet's anger. Most all compassionate audiences will be sympathetic to his plight. However, the origins of Hamlet's vehement actions toward his once beloved Ophelia can be debated from several different points of view. Whatever his reasoning may be, it is probably correct to assume that he regrets deeply every harsh world spoken toward Ophelia. He only realizes again what a beautiful and kind person she was- after her death.
From the beginning of Hamlet Ophelia was a pure, genuine, happy person and had found her true love. Ophelia’s brother warns her to stay away from Hamlet because he is just going to hurt her and that he is never going to really love her, she is to be obedient and follow what they say,
As for Act III, Scene I, this scene starts off in a room within the castle, where King Claudius, Queen Gertrude, Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern are in play. To start thinking off, King Claudius had asked Rosencrantz and Guildenstern if they had found any sort of information that they can use to find out what is wrong with Hamlet. Though gentlemanly, the two sadly did not have much information to figure out what is wrong with Hamlet, due to his cryptic questions and answers. If anything, they do know now that he is truly insane. However, they were able to reveal that when he was told about the players’ arrival, he felt excited, and actually wishes to the King and Queen come to the play, in which they would. After that, the
While Hamlet may still be feeling depressed Hamlet moves into the stage of denial and isolation. Hamlet feels the effects of denial and isolation mostly due to his love, Ophelia. Both Hamlet’s grief and his task constrain him from realizing this love, but Ophelia’s own behavior clearly intensifies his frustration and anguish. By keeping the worldly and disbelieving advice of her brother and father as “watchmen” to her “heart” (I.iii.46), she denies the heart’s affection not only in Hamlet, but in herself; and both denials add immeasurably to Hamlet’s sense of loneliness and loss—and anger. Her rejection of him echoes his mother’s inconstancy and denies him the possibility even of imagining the experience of loving an...
(citation) explaining that Hamlet may have to marry above his station or marry someone to resolve tensions between kingdoms rather than marry Ophelia. Next Ophelia is commanded by her father Polonius in the same scene to reject Hamlet’s advances because it is likely that Hamlet is only trying to gain access to her bed and in doing so, would not only dishonor Ophelia but also Polonius. Not long after this, Ophelia is commanded to spy on Hamlet to ascertain the reasons for his alleged madness. Hamlet, already knowing that the King is trying to spy on him, sees through Ophelia’s act and rebukes her. He commands her to “get.to a nunnery” (citation) and while Ophelia responds to these comments with “God has mercy on his soul” (citation), it isn’t confirmed whether Ophelia is playing along with Hamlet
Ophelia is one of the main characters in the play, Hamlet, as the daughter of the chief counsellor of the king, Polonius, the sister of Laertes and the romantic interest of Hamlet. Ophelia is one of the very few female characters in the play and Ophelia and Queen Gertrude are both used to be contrasted. Ophelia is a loyal character, which the opposite of Queen Gertrude because Gertrude betrayed her husband, King Hamlet, by poisoning him and marrying his brother, now King Claudius. She is a loyal character and the prime example is shown by the way she acts with her father. She clearly has so much respect for him and values whatever he says to her. For instance, in Act One, Scene 3, when Ophelia was talking to Laertes about Hamlet, and then their father comes in, Polonius tells Ophelia: “For Lord Hamlet, Believe so much in him that he is young, And with a larger tether may he walk than may be given you. In few, Ophelia, Do not believe his vows, for they are brokers not of that dye which their investments show, but mere implorators of unholy suits, breathing like sanctified and pious bawds, and the better to beguile. This is for all: I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth, have you so slander any moment leisure, as to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet. Look to’t, I charge you. Come your ways”. (Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3, 24-35) Then, to which Ophelia replies: “I shall obey, my lord.”(Act 1, Scene 3, 36) She is clearly obeying her father when he tells her that she should not be seeing Hamlet ever again. It can also be inferred that she is naïve because throughout the entire part of their conversation, she thought that Hamlet was being totally honest with her and she never considered what kind of person Hamlet might ...
“I do think, with submission, that the love of Hamlet for Ophelia is deep, is real, and is precisely the kind of love which such a man as Hamlet would feel for such a woman as Ophelia”.
Of all the pivotal characters in Hamlet, Ophelia is the most static and one-dimensional. She has the potential to become a tragic heroine; to overcome the adversities inflicted upon her, but she instead crumbles into insanity, becoming merely tragic. This is because Ophelia herself is not as important as her representation of the duel nature of women in the play. Ophelia serves a distinct purpose: to show at once Hamlet's warped view of women as callous sexual predators, and the innocence and virtue of women.
This final act of the play surely sums up the love that Hamlet had for Ophelia. Dramatically, Hamlet jumps into the grave of Ophelia. Distraught with grief for her, Hamlet confronts her brother, Laertes, telling him that he loved her even more than a brother loves a sister. Hamlet cries out to Laertes “I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not, with all their quantity of love, make up my sum” (Shakespeare, Act IV, scene I, lines 285-287). Although it was too late for Ophelia to hear Hamlet’s true feelings expressed once again, this does show that Hamlet’s love was not madness, but genuine affection. Pouring out his heartfelt emotions, Hamlet says he loved her so much he would do anything for
... cannot make up his mind if he loved her or never loved her, “Hamlet: I did love you once. Ophelia: Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so. Hamlet: You should not have believ'd me, for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it. I lov'd you not. Ophelia: I was the more deceiv'd.” Even though Hamlet cannot make up his mind about Ophelia he betrays her by tagging her long with the he plays with girls by showing affection for her and telling her all this sweet things. Hamlet’s gets Ophelia caught up in her emotions but then tell her that of course he lied and she should have caught on to what he was doing to her. One moment he confesses he did love her then completely changes his mind to not loving her at all and obviously lied straight to Ophelia’s face. Ophelia truly believed he loved her but she discovered the lies buried beneath his story.
Ophelia trusts the advise given and her obedience is very evident in this matter as she avoids contact with Hamlet until she is told by her father, with the King and Queens approval, to meet up with him by 'accident' in the lobby. Deceit not being in her nature, believing that her father, the king and queen are right and true; that Hamlet is mad; and probably curious to know if Hamlet is "mad in love" with her the young, obedient, powerless Ophelia does her part to search out the truth. But tragically this one forced step outside of her true character begins her downfall. In a precarious predicament, loyalty to her father compelled Ophelia to lie to Hamlet when he asked about her father?s location at that moment saying he was at home instead of behind a tapestry right the...
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 ...
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.
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.
Hamlet put pressure on Ophelia by expecting her to surpass his mother's shortcomings and be an epitome of womankind. He searched her innocent face for some sign of loving truth that might restore his faith in her. He took her mute terror for a sign of her guilt and found her to be a false person, like his mother. In his letter to her, he addressed the letter to "the most beautified Ophelia" and he terminated the letter with "I love thee best, O most best, believe it" (II, ii). He used the word "beautified" to display a sincere tribute, and it is apparent he still loves her. His attempts to win her affection are not triumphant. Ophelia is still too much under the influence of her father to question his wisdom or authority, and she has no mind of her own to understand how much she has made her lover suffer. No matter how much it pained her to not see Hamlet, all she could see in his present behavior is the madness that terrified her.