Ophelia Submissive Women In Hamlet

Throughout theatrical history women have been portrayed as submissive to men. Shakespeare is no exception. However, in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia seems to be so submissive she almost cannot think for herself. After all, “The name is probably a feminine derivative of the Greek name ‘Ophelos’ meaning ‘helper’(Findlay).Her name’s translation helps the theory that she is nothing but a submissive daughter, lover, and sister, but what if it’s all a clever act? Much like Hamlet’s “madness,” which the audience knows is all a façade to con Claudius and Polonis, Ophelia’s kind and innocent nature is merely a persona used to keep a kingdom of men from crashing. Ophelia may, in fact, be the smartest female character in Shakespearean literature. Ophelia

He feels a sense of dominance over her until he discovers her relationship with Hamlet and decides to give her some “brotherly” advice. She takes his advice, which much like his father, leads to her insanity and the death of all of the main characters. Ultimately Laertes absents effects Ophelia more than anything else he does in the play. Once her father dies and Hamlet refuses her, she has no one and Laertes is off at school. She has no one to run to. She is alone. Laertes was the one man left that dictated her life and he wasn’t there. Laertes, however, seems to feel a sense of ownership over Ophelia. Once she is given her burial rights, he states “Hold off the world awhile, till I have caught her once more in mine arms” (253; Act 5). He must hand over all control he had over her to the cold earth where she will lie. Once he loses this control all moral judgment he has is lost. He begins to conspire against the only other man, who had control over Ophelia left:

Hamlet’s relationship with Ophelia is brief “as woman’s love” (147; Act 3) and sexual. Hamlet even uses Ophelia as a pawn in his ‘madness’ act. He states “ Let her not walk i’ th’ sun. Conception is a blessing but, as your daughter may conceive, friend look to ‘t” (95; Act 2). He uses her to mess with her father’s mind by claiming she may be pregnant. She is nothing, but a pawn, to him at this point in their relationship, a pawn that he controls. His act, well performed, convinces Polonius that he is “mad for [Ophelia’s] love” (79; Act 2). This leads her to become a pawn for Polonius as well. However, Ophelia proves braver than the men think by returning gifts from Hamlet that “wax poor when givers prove unkind” (129; Act 3). The infighting happening between the men that control her keeps Ophelia in the middle, as a barrier between them. However, after Polonius’ death, the power shifts and the positions of the pieces change. Ophelia is no longer a barrier. Ophelia’s virginity, which was taken by Hamlet, also becomes relevant when Ophelia goes insane and tells everyone the story through one of her mad songs. “And I a maid at your window…Then up he rose and donned his clothes…let in a maid, that out a maid never departed more” (209, Act 4). Ophelia, having told this truth, has removed the barrier keeping the men