Essay on the Character of Ophelia in Hamlet

This allowed her to only accept her father’s views that Hamlet’s attention towards her was only to take advantage of her and to obey her father’s orders not to permit Hamlet to see her again. Hamlet has the disillusion that women are frail after his mother’s rushed remarriage as shown by “Frailty, thy name is woman!” He also believes women do not have the power to reason. (“O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason.”) Ophelia has the power to change his view but her unexplained rejection of him only adds to Hamlet’s disillusion. The ghost’s revelation that Gertrude dishonored Hamlet’s father but also their marriage by the adultery with Claudius is contemplated by Hamlet until he goes into Ophelia’s room to look upon her. As Hamlet searches Ophelia’s face for some sign that might restore his faith in her, he instead believes her face shows guilt and thinks she is another false Gertrude.

Her father also wanted to prove Hamlet's madness to the king. He used Ophelia as bait so he and the king could listen to Hamlet's words. Ophelia willingly obliged to her father's desires. By not thinking for herself and only doing as her father wished, she ruined her chances of love with Hamlet. Hamlet put pressure on Ophelia by expecting her to surpass his mother's shortcomings and be an epitome of womankind.

It can be heavily assumed that she knew of his wicked ways, but only seen him as her loving husband. Gertrude seemed to not hold the ability to think deeply about the situation at hand, and she ran straight into the Antagonist’s arms. Having the mental capability to assess a tragic situation and to figure out the suitable actions was something Gertrude lacked. Additionally, in Act One Scene Five the ghost of Hamlet’s father says “So to seduce, won to his shameful lust the will of my most virtuous queen.” The Ghost illustrates the picture of a woman who was loyal to her husband, but was seduced by his brother. For one to be seduced by the brother of one’s love, the mental proficiency to repress the advances must be moderately low.

If Laertes was so concerned with her well being when she was in love with Hamlet then why didn't Laertes show concern with her life and protect her during her weak point of her life? I do believe that Laertes truly loved Ophelia and would do anything for her but at the time of her madness he was too concerned with the death of his father to pay attention to Ophelia. Polonius acts toward Ophelia with dispise and disgust. Polonius uses her as a tool to become closer and get on Claudius' good side. Polonius cares nothing for Ophelia: she is considered as a pawn in a chess game only to protect the king, Polonius.

Note also how differently Laertes is treated by his father, compared to the lack of regard shown to Ophelia by Polonius. Women had little status, and Ophelia's wishes are not considered at any time. Torn apart as she is by divided loyalty it is no wonder that the strain on her eventually leads to her madness and subsequent death. That she loves Hamlet is without question. She is distraught when she observes his behaviour before the nunnery scene, and after his savage rejection of her in that scene she laments his "noble mind..here o'erthrown" She also grieves for herself, "Oh woe is me, t'have seen what I have seen, see what I see."

Theseus described lovers as “Madmen”. Helena was the character that really showed this aspect of love. She always felt ashamed and she always blamed herself for loving Demetrius despite his bad treatment to her and his love towards her friend Hermia. Nevertheless, she is still loyal to their old promises. She cannot find explanations for his abundance as she knows that she is as beautiful as Hermia but she also believes that “Love said to be a child, because in choice he is so oft beguiled.” In her article Discordia Concors on the Order of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Jane Brown contrasts Helena and Hermia’s conviction about love when she writes,” Helena insists on the blindness of love.” That is to say, she gives herself the excuses to act that recessively when she believes that her heart is forced to do so and she has to follow it.

(I.iii.104). She is used to relying on her father’s direction and has been brought up to be very obedient. As well, her brother Laertes agrees with what their father is saying. He also tells Ophelia that Hamlet is no good for her "Perhaps he loves you not" (I.iii.16). He thinks that Hamlet only loves her because he wants to seduce her, and demands his sister to never see him again.

Ophelia believes Hamlet loves her but,  because of her father’s wishes, constantly turns him down and denies that she feels the same way. Ophelia finally denounces denies that she loves him but Hamlet states that "I did love you once." He also stated that "You should not have believed me, for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it. I loved you not." "Get thee to a nunnery."

Critics argue that Hamlet has the first reason to be hurt by Ophelia because she follows her father's wishes regarding Hamlet's true intentions for their beginning love. In Act 3, Hamlet begins with his spiteful sarcasm toward her. "I humbly thank you, well, well, well," he says to her regarding her initial bantering. (III, i, 101) Before this scene, he has learned that the King and Polonius have established a plan to make reason of his unusual and grief-stricken behavior. Hamlet is well aware that this plan merely uses Ophelia as a tool, and as such, she does not have much option of refusing without angering her father and the conniving King as well.

He was looking for her innocent face for some sign of loving truth that might restore his faith in her. He took her silence for a sign of her guilt and found her to be a false person, like his mother. In his letter to her, having addressed the letter as "the most beautified Ophelia" and he ended the letter with "I love thee best, O most best, believe it" (English Book). He used the word "beautified" to display a honest message of thanking her, and it is obvious he still loves her. His tries to win her feeling of love.