Ophelia's Relationship In Hamlet Essay

First introduced through conversation with her brother, Ophelia is asserted as a love interest of Hamlets. Within the conversation, Laertes proposes hypocritical advice which she quickly replies to with witty retort: "Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,/ Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven;/ Whiles, like a puff 'd and reckless libertine,/ Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,/ And recks not his own rede." (I. iii.). Her introduction instills both her friendly relationship with her brother, as well as her comical, original nature. It asserts her neither passive nor aggressive. Within the same setting shortly after, her father asserts a protective command over Ophelia. "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." (I. iii.). Being told to stay away from Hamlet to protect her honor as a woman, Ophelia accepts and complies; it is somewhat foolish yet primarily protective of her father, but also displays Ophelia 's attachment to family in respect and care. Further, Ophelia 's commitment to family is

While Hamlet pursues his revenge and continues to use his mind with efficiency, Ophelia is crippled and left in madness, only to sing for expression. Shweta Bali comments on her state in an analysis of all possibly insane characters of Shakespeare 's, stating, "Ophelia 's confused and chaotic state of mind manifests itself in the form of madness. Music and song which are often associated with insanity become her tools of expression." Hamlet 's condition is more relatable to hatred than craziness, as he is compared to Ophelia and her brother in close proximity; Ophelia acts as a denial of Hamlet 's fake insanity, while Laertes is introduced as another comparison more closely fit. Laertes, just like Hamlet, work for