Did They Do the Deed or Did They Not Do the Deed? That Is the Question.
analytical Essay
1054 words
William Shakespeare's defining work may in fact be the masterpiece named after its ambivalent main character Hamlet. In this play the poet-playwright artfully guides his audience through a tangled plot of murder, revenge, madness, and perhaps even love. Hamlet, the prince of Denmark has returned home for his father's funeral, and two months later must watch as his mother marries his uncle. Hamlet is told by the ghost of his father that Hamlets uncle, Claudius, is guilty of the murder. The ghost then tells Hamlet to avenge his murder. Hamlet decides to pretend to be crazy in order to throw people off, and this is the where things get especially interesting. During the time Hamlet is pretending to be crazy some interesting things happen between him and his lady friend Ophelia. The intimate nature of Hamlet and Ophelia's relationship leads to Ophelia's ultimate demise.
The first mention of the nature of Hamlets relationship with Ophelia comes from Polonius, Ophelia's father. He says, "'Tis told to me, he hath very oft of late/Given private time to you, and you yourself /Have of your audience been most free and bounteous." Polonius is afraid of what might be happening while his daughter is giving "audience" to prince Hamlet. Polonius then warns Ophelia that Hamlet's intentions may be "Giving more light than heat," that he is possibly in lust rather than in love. Polonius then instructs Ophelia not to "give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet" and she agrees to obey this command. Ophelia's father makes her feel guilty about her physical relationship with Hamlet. She agrees to follow her father's command because he has convinced her that she should not "believe his vows" (1.3).
Later Ophelia comes running in to her fathers' room ...
... middle of paper ...
...are of Ophelia's condition and he is reluctant to give her a proper Christian burial. It is only her place in the royal court that allows her to be buried in the churchyard.
I can't help but sympathize with Ophelia. Her trusting, innocent love for Hamlet comes into conflict with her duty to her over-protective brother and her over-bearing father. She loves Hamlet, and she gives herself to him body and soul, but to what end? She pays the ultimate price for love, gives up her life as a testament to her fidelity; she will have no other man but Hamlet. If Hamlet hadn't been so caught up in his own misery, he might have been able to recognize the melancholy in Ophelia, and perhaps he could have saved her from herself; and Ophelia might have been able to save him as well.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Stanley Appelbaum, New York: Dover,1992.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how ophelia is affrighted by hamlet's visit to her fathers' room. she rejects his letters and seeks protection.
- Analyzes how hamlet, through a mask of madness, is telling polonius that he has already been intimate with his daughter.
- Analyzes how hamlet tells ophelia to remember his sins in her prayers at the end of shakespeare's "to be, or not to be" speech.
- Analyzes how shakespeare is a purposeful writer. in her apparent madness, ophelia sings songs that give us clues to the nature of her relationship with hamlet.
- Analyzes how shakespeare guides his audience through a tangled plot of murder, revenge, madness, and perhaps even love.
- Analyzes how ophelia's trusting, innocent love for hamlet comes into conflict with her duty to her over-protective brother and overbearing father.
Related
- analytical
- Shakespeare's Hamlet - The Character of Opheliaanalytical essayThere is no more bizarre aspect of the misreading of Hamlet’s character than the assumption that his relations with Ophelia were innocent and that Ophelia was a correct and timid virgin of exquisite sensibilities. . . . She was not a chaste young woman. That is shown by her tolerance of Hamlet’s obscene conversations, which cannot be explained as consistent with the custom of the time. If that were the reason for it, all the men and women in Shakespeare’s plays, Romeo and Juliet, Beatrice and Benedict, Miranda and Ferdinand, Antony and Cleopatra, would have talked obscenely together, which is not the case (107).
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how polonius suggests that ophelia be placed in the presence of hamlet while her father and the king observe the hero’s conduct.
- Analyzes how samuel taylor coleridge's lectures and notes on shakspere and other english poets elaborated on an important part of this contrived encounter between the protagonist and ophelia.
- Analyzes gooch's review of the shapes of revenge: victimization, vengeance, and vindictiveness in shakespeare.
- Analyzes how rebecca west in "a court and world infected by the disease of corruption" viciously attacks the virginity of ophelia.
- Analyzes the development of ophelia's character as rounded and complex, not just because she is the girlfriend of the protagonist.
- Analyzes how the penetrating hamlet perceives, from the strange and forced manner of ophelia, that the sweet girl was not acting a part of her own, and his after speeches are not so much directed to her as to the listeners and spies
- Analyzes how hamlet prefers the company of ophelia to that of his mother, gertrude, in the dumbshow, prologue and play.
- Analyzes how gunnar boklund interprets ophelia as a victim in "the shapes of revenge: victimization, vengeance, and vindictiveness in shakespeare."
- Analyzes how laertes commits to the king's plan of vengeance against hamlet, who is now returning to elsinore.
- Analyzes the lack of consensus in the interpretation of the character of ophelia in "one of destiny's casualties."
- Introduces abrams, m. h., and boklund, gunnar. the norton anthology of english literature.
- Cites jorgensen, paul a., lehmann, courtney, and starks.
3349 wordsRead More - Men In Ophelia's Lifeanalytical essayLeaving her only with the response saying “I shall obey, my lord”(1.3.145 ). Why Ophelia is unable to say more than a few simple words is made clear by societal expectations of the time. During this time daughters were the property of their fathers and were obligated to do their bidding. Campbell says “if she refuses Polonius, she risks social ostracism and grave insult to the man who capriciously controls her future” (58). Ophelia fears the backlash of disobeying her father, believing there is no other choice than doing what he has asked her to do. Even though a woman's virtue is a sacred and a very personal choice, her father leaves Ophelia with one option: to do what he says. “The issue of Ophelia’s chastity concerns Polonius as a parent and a politician—a virginal Ophelia has a better chance of attaining Hamlet’s hand in marriage” (Floyd-Wilson 401). This relationship Ophelia has between her father is very one-sided and unhealthy. It is formal and proper with very few emotions attached to each other. However, because Polonius is the only parental figure Ophelia has and loves him, his death was extremely difficult for her. Her father, hasn’t left her like Laertes and hasn’t rejected her like Hamlet. Making his unexpected death the final straw to her losing her sanity. Without someone to guide her, she is lost. She is unable to blindly follow a man but is to racked with emotion to think clearly.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how ophelia, in shakespeare's hamlet, is an example of a young naive girl who faces the dangers that come from only following what others want, and not thinking for herself.
- Analyzes how ophelia's downfall is dependent on love in the play hamlet. when the ties are broken between her relationships with significant men, it breaks her to the point of madness.
- Analyzes how laertes is the only male character to be spoken back to by ophelia in a way that signifies healthy relationships.
- Compares how ophelia's father, polonius, condemns her in a harsher way, leaving her only with the response saying "i shall obey, my lord."
- Analyzes how hamlet's role in ophelia’s downfall plays a significant role. he plays with her emotions intentionally and unintentionally to solidify his madness.
- Analyzes how ophelia is manipulated by her father and hamlet who use her as leverage. the events and sacrifices leading up to his death cause her to crumble.
1036 wordsRead More - The Abuse of Ophelia in "Hamlet"analytical essayWhen 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...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how hamlet is a morbid tale of tragedy, commitment, and manipulation. ophelia is constantly torn between obeying and following the different commitments that she has to men in her life.
- Analyzes how ophelia's family believes that hamlet is a womanizer rather than the philosopher that he is.
- Analyzes how ophelia is driven insane by her desire and love for hamlet, or was she merely a casualty of an unfeasible culture.
- Analyzes how laretes warns ophelia that hamlet is merely toying with her emotions due to that she is not as high of status as he is in the kingdom.
639 wordsRead More - Female Role In Opheliaanalytical essayThe reader is left guessing on Hamlet’s true feelings for Ophelia through his various insults, sexual innuendos, and admitted desire. Hamlet’s claim, “God hath given you one face, and you / Make yourselves another.” (3.1.155-156) is laced with irony and hypocrisy given Hamlet’s own deception regarding true feelings. This proclamation comes at the end of a lengthy tirade against Ophelia and womankind in general for their conniving deceit leading men astray. The fact that Hamlet cannot see this duplicity in his very own actions shows the double standard he holds for females. Ophelia’s immediate reaction is one of shock and defense due to the aggressive nature of Hamlet’s attack. She calls out “O, woe is me!” (3.1.174) in distress to the ferocity of Hamlet and is unable to form a particularly coherent response akin to the ones seen against Laertes and Polonius. She does show her intelligence and rebellion from this assumption of power by Hamlet in her songs while Hamlet is gone. While many attribute her madness to the death of her father, a large portion of her instability should be attributed to Hamlet and his earlier actions. In her first introduction as insane she sings, “And I a maid at your window, / To be your Valentine. / Then up he rose and donned his clothes / And dropped the chamber door, / Let in the maid, that out a maid / Never departed more.” (4.5.55-60). Due to her references to sexuality and deceit the
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how ophelia, in william shakespeare's hamlet, represents a self-confident and aware female character who recognizes the multitude of male figures attempting to control her life.
- Analyzes how laertes' view on women and ophelia specifically is made evident as soon as the reader is introduced to the pair.
- Analyzes how ophelia's response to laertes shows her maturity and respect by avoiding conflict through a calm demeanor.
- Analyzes how hamlet's relationship with ophelia is a curious one, with his insults, sexual innuendos and admitted desire laced with irony and hypocrisy.
- Analyzes how ophelia's life is filled with men attempting to control her life and her only respite comes in her death.
1067 wordsRead More - Hamlet And Ophelia Analysisanalytical essayThe Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, written by William Shakespeare, is considered to be one of his most perplexing plays. The tragedy follows the story of Prince Hamlet as he undergoes states of insanity, depression, and eventual death. Theories regarding Hamlet’s relationship with Ophelia are developed through subplots and leave the reader questioning as to whether Hamlet truly loved her. Arguments can be made that Hamlet and Ophelia love one another, but there are many obstacles that prevent them from rightly being together. The couple face a series of cascading problems, including the high expectations set forth by their friends and family. As the story develops, these problems cause major setbacks that become impossible to
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how shakespeare's the tragedy of hamlet, prince of denmark, is one of his most perplexing plays.
- Analyzes how ophelia's personality and characteristics symbolize innocence, since her father, polonius, and brother, laertes, protect her from worldly influences.
- Analyzes how the pressures of patriarchal society have a large impact on ophelia.
- Analyzes how hamlet is the consummate iconoclast, in self-imposed exile from elsinore society, and the adulated champion of denmark.
- Analyzes how hamlet "acts" crazy around his friends and peers in order to learn the truth behind his father's death. he sells his insanity to ophelia to convince her father and the king.
- Analyzes how the story of hamlet, written by william shakespeare, is considered to be a perplexing play as the many subplots twist, turn, and unfold.
1066 wordsRead More - Ophelias Role in Hamlet by William Shakespeareanalytical essayWe first meet Ophelia when she is talking with her brother Laertes, who attempting to educate her about the ways of the world. He warns her not to get too close to Hamlet, for Hamlet is "subject to his birth," (1.3, 18) he cannot choose who he loves. His caring advice for his sister, though, is lined with undertones of accusation. He warns her that even "the chariest maid is prodigal enough,"(1.3, 36) implying that even though she may seem modest, but her intentions could very well be the opposite. He attacks her virginal nature, heaving the burden of other, more crass, women upon this frail beauty. She, though a member of the more seemingly dim and weak sex, replies very wittily to this, "Do not, as some ungracious pastors do...reck not his own rede." (1.3, 47-51), advising, and possibly implying, the same things to her dear brother, showing their mutual respect for each other.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how hamlet shows us how the world can change a person, how certain circumstances can knock them out of proportion with who they used to be. ophelia is torn between father and lover, accused of not being as innocent as she seems, and finally driven to suicide.
- Analyzes how ophelia's brother laertes warns her not to get too close to hamlet, implying that even "the chariest maid is prodigal enough."
- Analyzes how polonius is the next to step in with words of advice to his daughter. he chastises her for her behavior.
- Analyzes how ophelia meets with hamlet in the hope that the cause for hamlets madness lies in her.
- Analyzes how hamlet tells ophelia to "get thee to a nunnery," implying she get herself into brothel, become prostitute. he sees her as all other men see women.
- Analyzes how hamlet, under the disguise of madness, lies his head in ophelia's lap, accusing her of thinking about "country matters," pretending that his intentions were not of a sexual nature.
- Analyzes how ophelia's father is slain by the man she loves. she loves her father, but he never treats her as a person.
- Analyzes how ophelia goes insane after losing her father to her love, accusations of impurity, missing her brother, and her only love denying that there was anything there.
- Analyzes how ophelia's insanity is real, not an act, nor a ploy for attention, but it gives her freedom of sorts.
- Analyzes how ophelia talks of flowers, and gives certain types to certain people. rosemary and pansies are given specifically to laertes, while rosemary is a symbol of fidelity, love and loyalty.
- Analyzes how the climax of ophelia's story is her tragic and romantic suicide. she died among her flowers, among crowflowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples.
- Analyzes how the drama did not end in suicide. gertrude mentioned how she would've loved if she had married hamlet, but the irony remains.
- Analyzes how ophelia was abused mentally and physically by every character in the play, but got caught up in selfish acts of others, leading to her untimely death.
1236 wordsRead More - Hamlet: One Of The Four Great Tragedies In Shakespeare's Hamletanalytical essayHamlet puts on an antic disposition in the beginning act in order to prove Claudius’ guilt and avenge his father’s death, but as an audience we finally see how this “madness” affects other characters in later scenes. Most importantly one can see how this contrast not only affects, but also ends Ophelia’s life. Ophelia’s heart, that she believed was filled with love, is soon ripped into pieces when Hamlet acts mad and says, “I loved you not” (3.1.118). Later in the play, Ophelia finds out that not only has her father been murdered, but he was also killed by her own love, Hamlet. After this scene, Ophelia is lost and confused in emotions causing her to take action in the way she believes will benefit her best. This action includes taking her own life because she can no longer bear the pain of all the tragedies. As the queen describes this death she says, “Till that her garments, heavy with their drink,/ Pull’d the poor wretch from her melodious lay/ To muddy death” (2.7.181). These ironic moments again prove that the contrast in actuality and make-believe are crucial to the tragic ending of the play. In these moments, we feel pity and sorrow for Ophelia because we wonder if she had known the truth, would this have happened? Her desire to satisfy her own needs in this moment allow this tragedy to occur though; therefore, at the same time we wonder if the truth would have made a
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how shakespeare establishes "madness" to confuse the audience. hamlet's internal struggle to fight with words, rather than physically, causes him to delay his actions.
- Analyzes how shakespeare used contrast to show claudius and hamlet's true character and motives.
- Analyzes how the contrast between truth and fantasy is crucial to the tragic ending of the play.
- Analyzes how shakespeare produced a tragedy through his use of contrast between actuality and fantasy. this blurred line allowed shakespeare to end the play with the death of each character.
- Analyzes shakespeare's play hamlet, which uses unearthly characters to instill fear, and foil characters, to show the possible outcomes for the protagonist. the difficulty in achieving this task comes from the ironic reality that the murderer is his uncle.
1245 wordsRead More - Essay on the Oppression of Ophelia in Hamletanalytical essayAs the play opened, Hamlet and Ophelia appeared as lovers experiencing a time of turbulence. Hamlet had just returned home from his schooling in Saxony to find that his mother had quickly remarried her dead husband's brother, and this gravely upset him. Hamlet was sincerely devoted to the idea of bloodline loyalty and sought revenge upon learning that Claudius had killed his father. Ophelia, though it seems her relationship with Hamlet is in either the developmental stage or the finalizing stage, became the prime choice as a lure for Hamlet. Laertes inadvertently opened Ophelia up to this role when he spoke with Ophelia about Hamlet before leaving for France. He allowed Polonius to find out about Hamlet's courtship of Ophelia, which led to Polonius' misguided attempts at taking care of Ophelia and obeying the king's command to find the root of Hamlet's problems. Ophelia, placed in the middle against her wishes, obeyed her father and brother's commands with little disagreement. The only time she argued was when Laertes advised her against making decisions incompatible with the expectations of Elizabethan women. Ophelia tells him, in her boldest lines of the play:
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how shakespeare developed the story of prince hamlet, and the murder of his father by the king's brother, claudius.
- Analyzes how laertes inadvertently opened ophelia up to this role when he spoke with him about hamlet before leaving for france.
- Analyzes how the passage conveys the first and only sparks of defiance from ophelia. when her father gave her similar advice, she caved in and agreed to his wishes.
- Analyzes how ophelia allowed herself to become a marionette in polonius' schemes toward understanding the seemingly mad prince.
- Analyzes how ophelia's obedience was a combination of her natural character and the events occurring around her.
- Analyzes how ophelia was weak-willed and dependent on men in her life, especially her father, even in the depths of her madness. gertrude attempted to offer her a sympathetic character within her gender, but the offer was rejected.
- Analyzes how ophelia is pitiful as she reels from the painful blows that she has received.
- Analyzes how ophelia, due to her inherent nature, evokes the greatest sense of pity from the audience.
1249 wordsRead More - The Symbolism of Ophelia's Deathanalytical essayIt is widely believed that “Living life without honor is a tragedy bigger than death itself” and this holds true for Hamlet’s Ophelia. Ophelia’s death symbolizes a life spent passively tolerating Hamlet’s manipulations and the restrictions imposed by those around her, while struggling to maintain the last shred of her dignity. Ophelia’s apathetic reaction to her drowning suggests that she never had control of her own life, as she was expected to comply with the expectations of others. Allowing the water to consume her without a fight alludes to Hamlet’s treatment of Ophelia as merely a device in his personal agenda. Her apparent suicide denotes a desire to take control of her life for once. Ophelia’s death is, arguably, an honorable one, characterized by her willingness to let go of her submissive, earth-bound self and leave the world no longer a victim.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how ophelia is conditioned to obey polonius and laertes' commands, thinly veiled as guidance for her “own good.” she is dependent on the men in her life, who exert authority over her, patronize, and degrade her.
- Analyzes how hamlet victimizes ophelia and her lack of resistance to his treatment is paralleled in her surrender to the water and subsequent drowning.
- Analyzes how hamlet's treatment of ophelia symbolizes that she is merely a means to an end.
- Analyzes how ophelia's suicide is an act of revolt on her part, in an attempt to preserve her honor.
- Analyzes how ophelia's death symbolizes a life spent passively tolerating hamlet’s manipulations and the restrictions imposed by those around her while struggling to maintain her dignity.
- Analyzes how ophelia's suicide reflects a life led in captivity without independence and identity, enduring rejection, humiliation, and manipulation from those she loves.
1278 wordsRead More - Tough Love in Mel Gibson's Hamlet and Branagh's Hamletanalytical essayLiving 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.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how kenneth branagh and mel gibson's film adaptations of the play, "hamlet" and "get the to a nunnery" may explain hamlet' blatant harshness toward his once loved girlfriend ophelia.
- Analyzes hamlet's extreme anger and brooding throughout the play, but he has no actual confrontation with another character until the aforementioned lines in act iii scene i.
- Analyzes branagh's emphasis on the fact that hamlet may be trying to convince his "enemies" that he is certainly mad. his scurrilous behavior toward ophelia could be taken as a sure sign of craziness.
- Analyzes how "mel gibson's" hamlet is subdued and introspective than branagh. he is still angry with his mother, but he seems more reluctant to express any disappointment in her direction.
- Analyzes how hamlet's anger and vehement actions toward his beloved ophelia can be debated from several different points of view.
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