Ophelia: A Victim of Circumstance.
In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the character of Ophelia is the most tragic of
all characters. Ophelia is a victim of her life’s circumstance. Having no mother to guide
her, she lacks a sense of self needed to navigate the rough waters of relationships. This is
evident in the choices she makes and by the way she allows the men in her life to treat
her.
She is in a constant search for the approval of the men in her lives. She is engaged
in a struggle between her loyalty to her father and her love for Hamlet. As a result of
being weak willed, this struggle leads to her demise.
From the outset of the play, her identity is defined by external forces and is
constructed by societal influences of the times. Motherless and limited by the men in her
life, she has been shaped to abandon her own desires in order to appease the desires of
others. Her father and brother control Ophelia in an almost incestuous way. Both
consider themselves individually the cultivator of her moral and psychological growth.
Laertes, for example, attempts to teach her about the dangers of the advances of men.
“Fear it, Ophelia, fear it my dear sister”(1.3.33), --“it” being Hamlet’s desire to take her
“chaste treasure”(1.3.31) which Laertes seems to want to hold. With his “ministering
angel” (5.1.234) safely in Ellsinore chastity in tact and even agreeing to deny herself the
act of sleeping so she can write to him (1.3.3-4), Laertes can return to France without
worrying about his sister.
Whereas Ophelia is an angel in the eyes of Laertes, she is used by Polonius in order
to advance his own cause. Continually treating her like a child, he teaches his “green girl”
(1.3.101) to be loyal and agree to every command. Polonius further controls her by
stating that if she acts on her own accord she will “ tender [him] a fool” (1.3.109). In
addition, he strips her of any individuality. “You do not understand yourself so
clearly/As it behooves my daughter and your honor. I will teach you,” he further tears her
down to the status of a child by stating, ”Think yourself a baby”(1.3.96-97, 105). Ophelia
now becomes a willing instrument in order for her father to possibly gain stature with
Claudius by showing loyalty to him.
Ophelia, exhibiting once again her lack of regard for herself and her desires,
agrees to participate in the set up to see if Hamlet is acting crazy because he is in love.
Her emptiness toward her husband may be seen in the way she interacts with him. She
of life and now she has so little time for herself and feels so wanted
He believed that Hamlet was only with her out of lust and Hamlet said that he wanted to marry her only so she would sleep with him. Laertes told her that Hamlet comes from a royal family and she does not, therefore Hamlet will not marry her, nor does he love her. Ophelia disregarded most of what Laertes had said about Hamlet. Right after that Polonius came to speak to Laertes before he had gone to England. They spoke briefly and Polonius gave him advice to follow. Before saying farewell, Laertes told Ophelia to remember what he had said. Curious of...
at the place and situation she is now in because of her servitude to her
This scene casts the first shadow of doubt upon Hamlet’s character. It is curious that Shakespeare warns Ophelia twice: once through Laertes, and once through Polonius. Reading Laertes’ speech we can see the perspective of an understanding, though cynical young man. He essentially says, “Be careful of Hamlet because he’s young and his passions are burning. When the passions die down he’ll realise his desire for you can’t be fulfilled by marriage because of political constraints, and you’ll be left behind, scandalised.”
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...
In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia is the most static character in the play. Instead of changing through the course of the play, she remains suffering in the misfortunes perpetrated upon her. She falls into insanity and dies a tragic death. Ophelia has issues surviving without a male influence, and her downfall is when all the men in her life abandon her. Hamlet’s Ophelia, is a tragic, insane character that cannot exist on her own.
Ophelia’s tendency to follow everything the men say is crucial in explaining why she is not a good influence to the modern woman. Especially today with high power males being accused of sexual assault, women are learning to challenge these men and not succumb to the power these men have. It is amazing to see how women, like Ophelia, have come from being afraid of speaking out to speaking out without hesitation. This fearlessness is a trait we all can expand on, so we are able to make the world a better place for our gender. Our defiance will model to the younger generation the need for more people to stand up for themselves and what they believe in. With time, I believe that women will continue proving themselves in order to show that we have the power to change society’s views of our
Ophelia is conditioned to obey Polonius and Laertes’ commands, thinly veiled as guidance for her “own good.” She is never trusted to have a mind of her own, often having her intelligence openly insulted, causing her to be dependent on the men in her life. These men exercise authority over her, patronize, and degrade her, lowering her self-esteem to a non-existent level, and leaving her a...
Point #1: Where this is seen is in act 1 scene 3 with Laertes saying goodbye to Ophelia and Polonius. Laertes warns Ophelia about Hamlet and her dad does the same. The difference here is that Polonius is kind of scolding her for believing that Hamlet actually loves her and tell her to cut ties with him. He makes her look like she’s dumb and isn’t considering her feelings, instead how’ll it make him look as a person. He’s not letting her make her own decisions and she should be able to do what she wants to with her life!
Ophelia, in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, represents a self-confident and aware female character. She analyzes the world around her and recognizes the multitude of male figures attempting to control her life. Her actions display not only this awareness, but also maturity in her non-confrontational discussions. Though she is demeaned by Laertes, Polonius, and Hamlet, Ophelia exhibits intelligence and independence and ultimately resorts to suicide in order to free herself from the power of the men around her.
worsens her condition. It is visible that she considers herself worthy only if she has a man by
...what she needs. She, an elder who should be respected, submits in a manner befitting of a female in that society. This further exemplifies the inherent control that men exert over women.
does not regard him as important, and that she feels she would not maim the
interest of Hamlet, but is driven crazy by Hamlet’s sudden disregard of Ophelia and her feelings.