The Theme of Playing with Emotions in William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Criseyde is not a truthful lover and she is to blame alone as we all know Troilus love for her was very strong. Her love for him was nothing but a lie. Come to think of it this kind of love cannot possibly exist. In reality she was not in love with him as she was forced to draw into him by her Uncle Pandarus, who desires her to comfort Troilus’ sadness without any concern of her own. Basically she is only doing it for her uncle because he is also Troilus’ best friend and he cannot see Troilus upset and depressed.

A regular mother to a grieving child should know that a child needs their mother to get pass this terrible event and Gertrude does not notice how insensitive she is being to Hamlet. She should of known that remarrying so quickly to the dead man's brother would embarrass Hamlet because it is considered to be incestuous to marry the immediate family of the dead. Then there is Hamlet's jealousy to consider as he is going to want the attention of his mother more than ever. Gertrude isn't on par with what her son is feeling to see why he would be angry at the current situation. He expresses this thought with his first soliloquy: O, most wicked speed, to post With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!

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.

Nothing that she says or does is a representation of herself but mostly that of her father. Ophelia’s cruel actions towards Hamlet, which go against her feelings for him, demonstrate her obedience to her father. In the beginning of the play, Ophelia tells her father that she likes Hamlet but her later actions sacrifice these personal feelings under the order of her father. She does as her father says regardless of how it could affect her own life. In particular, Ophelia agrees not to see Hamlet anymore after the request from her father: “I shall obey, my lord...”(act 1, scene 4).

Gertrude’s trust is betrayed by Claudius at that moment because Gertrude believes that Claudius loves Hamlet, when in fact, he despises him and wishes death upon him. Claudius is not the only character that betrays in the play Hamlet. Hamlets makes Ophelia believe that he loves her for a long time, until one day he tells her things that break her heart. Because Hamlet suspects that someone is listening to his conversation with Ophelia, he acts like a mad man and says cruel things to Ophelia. “Virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it.

That weakness of mind and will, which permitted her obedience to her father and thus destroyed her hope for Hamlet's love, finally resulted in her insanity and death. When her father had challenged the honor of Hamlet's intentions, Ophelia could only reply "I do not know, my lord, what I should think" (III, iii). Used to relying upon her father's direction and brought up to be obedient, she can only accept her father's belief, seconded by that of her brother, that Hamlet's "holy vows" of love were simply designed for her seduction. She was to obey her father's orders not to permit Hamlet to see her again. Her father also wanted to prove Hamlet's madness to the king.

Gertrude is not in touch with her own son's feelings to see why he is angry. Hamlet expresses this outrage during his first soliloquy: O, most wicked speed, to post With such dexterity to incestuous sheets! (I.ii 156-157) Gertrude is shown to be a loving mother but a parent who cannot read into her sons's behavior. When answering Hamlet, she says that it is common for all men to die, but this is not just any man who has died, she should realize; it's Hamlet's own father! Also, when Gertrude asks Hamlet: If it be, Why seems it so particular with thee?

Ophelia's weakness of mind and will, which catalyzes her obedience to her father and thus destroys her hope for Hamlet's love, finally results in her insanity and eventual death. When her father had challenged the honor of Hamlet's intentions, Ophelia could only reply "I do not know, my lord, what I should think" (III, iii). Used to relying upon her father's direction and brought up to be obedient, she can only accept her father's belief, seconded by that of her brother, that Hamlet's "holy vows" of love were simply designed for her seduction. She was to obey her father's orders not to permit Hamlet to see her again. Her father also wanted to prove Hamlet's madness to the king.

Another similarity between Hamlet and Ophelia is their [the] feelings they have for each other. In the beginning of the play[,] we are lead [led] to believe that Hamlet loves Ophelia. This frightens Ophelia, but that does not mean she does not have feelings for him also. It is her father who discourages [encourages] her to suppress any feelings she may have then. Later in the play Ophelia confesses her love for Hamlet[,] and he then hides his feelings and denies that he loved her.

I thought he was mean and only cares about himself. He may still be that, but now he seems more human. The fact that now he wants to put Ophelia with Hamlet is evidence that he is not the man we were let to believe. Now he sees how much they care for each other and want them together. No, I think that he is a bit overprotective with his daughter because he is afraid of the love that Hamlet feels and shows for Ophelia.