The story of Hamlet is a morbid tale of tragedy, commitment, and manipulation; this is especially evident within the character of Ophelia. Throughout the play, Ophelia is torn between obeying and following the different commitments that she has to men in her life. She is constantly torn between the choice of obeying the decisions and wishes of her family or that of Hamlet. She is a constant subject of manipulation and brain washing from both her father and brother. Ophelia is not only subject to the torture of others using her for their intentions but she is also susceptible to abuse from Hamlet. Both her father and her brother believe that Hamlet is using her to achieve his own personal goals.
When reading the text, one can comprehend that Ophelia is caught in the middle between two opposite sides. Her family (father and brother) believe that Hamlet is a womanizer rather then the philosopher that he is. They also believe that he will use her in order to achieve his own purposes, and that he would take her precious virginity only to discard it because he would never be her husband. But, Ophelia's heart mesmerized by Hamlets cunning linguistics is set on the fact that Hamlet truly loves her or loved her, even though he swears he never did. In the eye of her father and brother, she will always be a pure, wholesome girl, an eternal virgin in a sense, (due to a parents nature to always see their offspring as a child) they want her to ascend into her stereotypical role in life as a vessel of morality whose sole purpose of existence is to be a obedient wife and a committed mother. However, to Hamlet she is simply an object used to satisfy and fulfill his sexual needs. He also seems to hold her at a distant which suggests that he may...
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...at accuse her of being a harlot. In fact he recommends her to enroll in a nunnery, which would imply that she was no better then a common tart. Hamlet constantly creates situations where Ophelia is torn between different obligations and therefore is always at fault according to him.
The men in Ophelia's life are wrong about her true personality. They make demands that are impossible to resolve due to the conflicting forces that influence her life. There is no way that she could possibly live up to these demands because they contradict each other. Due to the absence of Ophelia's mother, her life is completely dominated by the will of men. All of her decisions and choices in life are determined by the men around her, therefore Ophelia is a character that lacks freewill. She is deprived of the most basic intuition of humans, so therefore she loses the will to live.
We know that Ophelia is torn between two conflicting extremities. Polonius and Laertes believe that Hamlet would use her, that he would take her virginity and throw it away because she could never be his wife. Her heart has convinced her that Hamlet loved her, though he swears he never did. To her father and brother, Ophelia is the eternal virgin, the vessel of morality whose purpose is to
Even though Hamlet is a prince, he has little control over the course of his life. In that time many things were decided for the princes and princesses such as their education and even who they married. This was more or less the normal way of life for a child of the monarch. But in the case of Hamlet, any of the control he thought he had, fell away with the murder of his father. Having his father, the king, be killed by his own brother, sent Hamlet into a state of feeling helpless and out of control. Cooped up in a palace with no real outlet, he tries to control at least one aspect of his life. Hamlet deliberately toys with Ophelia's emotions in order to feel in control of something since he cannot control the situation with Claudius.
"Motherless and completely circumscribed by the men around her, Ophelia has been shaped to conform to external demands, to reflect other 's desires." (Dane) Through both the misogyny of the time period and the overbearing males in Ophelia 's environment, Shakespeare took a character that could have had some depth and complexity through these environmental factors and flattened her character into this one dimensional, fragile damsel in distress whose sole purpose is to portray Hamlet and the rest of the men in her life as dominant and strong males. Through analyzing her dialogue and actions towards these men it becomes clear that Ophelia isn 't this innocent and naive songbird with a character flaw, and instead a woman who can 't fight against the males in her life, instead just deals with them in a quiet manner.
In act three, he tells her to go to a nunnery because a woman like her should not have children who would just be sinners: "Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?" (3.1.119-120), Hamlet chooses to turn his anger on Ophelia most likely because she returned the gifts he gave her and denied his love. Throughout these accusations, Ophelia simply seems to feel worried towards his way of acting. She chooses to not talk back to Hamlet in a rude manner much, less defend herself.____ Any other girl would say something back if told she is not worthy of having children, but she does not because she is doing what her father ordered her to. Doing as she always has in the past, Ophelia absorbs like a sponge what people tell her while holding her emotions. “I found Ophelia… more tangible as I stopped seeing her as a mental washtag and started seeing her as an emotional sponge” (Resetarits). Her father and the person she loves have used and in a way abused of her and now even nature has taken its
Many of the characters during the play express love for Ophelia. Such as Gertrude at Ophelia’s funeral, “I hoped thou shouldst have been my Hamlet’s wife. I thought they bride-bed to have decked, sweet maid, and not t’have strewn they grave” (5.1.228-229). She is a dutiful daughter and citizen and loves Hamlet dearly. However she is a member of a complex family and society where she is constantly striving to fulfill other peoples expectations of her. Every relationship that Ophelia has during this play is not purely out of love. Everyone is manipulating her and there is not a relationship that does not abuse Ophelia’s determination to fulfill her societal roles. This breakdown of relationships leads to the eventual breakdown of Ophelia. As she attempts to do as she is asked, she slowly looses the people she loves and then loses
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
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
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 ...
In the play Hamlet, everyone has a role that they must perform.Some characters are meant to push the story forward, and some are meant to make us question the symbolism that they represent. Ophelia plays both of these roles. She pushes the story forward, and she represents many important ideas.Ophelia plays a victimized character; she is the innocent bystander in the play that dies off due to manipulation that leads to her madness. Hamlet, the king, and even her father all use her as a pawn to gain something they want, ignoring whether she wishes to follow along or not. With her death, the significance of her role is seen through the events that transpire. This makes Ophelia one of the importantcatalysts for the end game of Hamlet; her death
Hamlet treats Ophelia like property and because he does not care for her. This is proven because he insults Ophelia, uses her to get his revenge on Claudius and uses her as a way to get attention. To begin with, Hamlet abuses Ophelia by accusing her of having impure motives. To him she “jig[s]… amble and …lisp” (3.1.145) to seduce other men. He also accuses her of being deceitful because she changes the “one face [that]…God hath given” to her by putting on cosmetics. Hamlet verbally abuses Ophelia because he believes that she is worthless. Hamlet is not concerned about the effect that these insult have on Ophelia’s psyche. In addition to verbally abusing Ophelia, Hamlet uses Ophelia as a pawn. Hamlet uses Ophelia as a way to get to Claudius by also physically abusing her. Ophelia description of Hamlet’s abuse exhibits Hamlet’s unruly behaviour towards her: “He took me by the wrist and held me hard; then goes he to the length of all his arm” (2.1.88-89). Hamlet physically abuses Ophelia because he knows that Ophelia will report it to her father who in turn will tell Claudius. By doing this, Claudius will think Hamlet is insane and will then lower his guard and will not suspect that Hamlet intents to kill him. Hamlet does not stop to consider what kind mental toll will take on Ophelia, all he cares about is to finishing what his father asked of him. It is apparent
Point #2: Another instance where she’s treated poorly is in the part where Claudius and Polonius set up Ophelia to meet up with Hamlet. He knows it’s a set up and he immediately insults her by calling her a “breeder of sinners” and tells her to go to a nunnery, which is misogyny! He basically calls her a slut. Hamlet shouldn’t disrespect her like that especially since she hasn’t done anything and she can’t do anything about it cause it wouldn’t be ladylike, according to the Elizabethan era.
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...
The play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, contains many complex characters involved in the royal court of Denmark. After the king’s tragic death, his son, Hamlet begins to lose his mind, leaving behind the girl he once loved. Ophelia, the daughter of the Lord Chamberlain to the royal court, remains a static character; obedient and passive, while still maintaining her innocence. Upon the death of a loved one, however, she goes mad, her own end reflective of her inborn characteristics.
Hamlet loves her but is appalled by her behavior: her dishonesty in refusing to keep affection and her unwillingness to be honest with him. Those two things are what revealed her betrayal. For all of the betrayal, he reacts violently and cruelly. Because Gertrude showed him the shortness of woman's love, Hamlet finds it difficult to trust women, including Ophelia. Hamlet wanted to love Ophelia, but he had duties to perform and had no time to think about love. Ophelia eventually becomes faced with internal conflicts and she eventually becomes crazy. She always obeyed her father rules whether she wanted to or not. When her father wanted her to stop seeing Hamlet she agreed by saying “"I shall obey my Lord" (I.iii.145). When Polonius used her to spy on Hamlet for King Claudius, she did exactly what she was told. Eventually, Ophelia snaps — just like anyone else would who spent their lives obeying other people. Hamlet cannot stand the actions of Ophelia, therefore, he has nothing to do with her. Hamlet soon regrets it when he finds out that he has made a crucial
Ophelia is a beautiful young woman, easily influenced by the opinions and desires of those superior to her. This simple-mindedness is revealed through her relationships with the men in her life. Ophelia is most molded by her father and brother, Polonius and Laertes, who love her with their own faults. On the other hand, Hamlet manipulates his way into Ophelia’s heart and mind through professions of love. However, Hamlet is a womanizer and believes all women to be the same. This misogynistic perception is reflected in Ophelia and Gertrude’s striking similarities as the only two women in the play. Her lack of self without the dominating figures pulling her in opposite directions leads to her ultimate destruction.