People will hate others for reasons that are far beyond ones knowledge and understanding. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlets father, Hamlet Sr., is murdered by his brother, Claudius, in order for him to obtain the throne and be King of Denmark. Hamlet begins to see his late father ghost. The ghost informs him how he truly died and it is at this time when Hamlet vows to get revenge in honour of his father. His mother remarries very quickly and his girlfriend, Ophelia, rejects him for reasons beyond Hamlet’s knowledge. Some may argue that Ophelia is forced to ignore Hamlet’s love because of her father, Polonius’s, orders. However this is untrue because Ophelia helps to set up the meeting where Claudius and Polonius spy on Hamlet and Ophelia, she …show more content…
which is the ultimate burn to Hamlet, and Ophelia does not bother to inform Hamlet of her father’s commands, she simply leaves. All the important women in Hamlet’s life have betrayed him one way or another which gives him justification for his bitter and hostile view of women. There has been controversy over the fact that Ophelia did not have the choice whether to listen to her father or not. Some critics may argue that Ophelia is forced to reject Hamlet’s love because of her father’s orders. Shortly after Laertes finishes telling Ophelia that she should not believe what Hamlet says or does, Polonius enters the room to tell her what she needs to do, he commands, “Have you so slander any moments leisure,/ As to give words or talk with the lord Hamlet./ Look to’t, I charge you: come your ways” to which Ophelia reluctantly replies, “I shall obey my lord” (1.3.133-136). In this time period, Ophelia is not given the option whether or not she is going to obey her father, she has to. Since Polonius is saying ‘I charge you’ this means that he commands her to listen and she knows that if she …show more content…
When Hamlet seems to be depressed even two months after his father’s death, Claudius addresses it. Gertrude tries to help the situation by saying, “Thou know’st ‘tis common, all that lives must die,/ Passing thorough nature to eternity” (1.2.72-73). Gertrude is disregarding all of Hamlets feelings towards his father by telling him he has no reason to be upset because everyone is going to die eventually. Gertrude clearly does not care about what mind set Hamlet is in and is trying to get him to forget about his father because Gertrude already has. With Gertrude saying ‘all that lives must die’ she is stating that it is no big deal that his father, her husband, has just passed away since it is completely normal and it happens to everyone. Hamlet sees this as complete disrespect towards his father since it has barely been two months since his death and she has already stopped mourning. Hamlet lets her know that just because he looks like he is depressed does not mean that he is, she does not know how he is feeling on the inside, only he knows that. With Gertrude’s lack of respect for Hamlet’s feelings regarding his father’s death, he is justified for his bitter and hostile view of
Ophelia is a character in Hamlet that is chronically faithful to everyone else but herself. Ophelia is deeply in love with Hamlet, and she is certain that he loves her as well. This is clear from the assertions she makes in Hamlet’s defense: “My lord, he hath importuned me with love in honest fashion. And hath given countenance to his speech, my lord, with almost all the holy vows of heaven” (1795). Ophelia’s downfall emerges when she doubts her own feelings and beliefs about Hamlet, upon instruction and advice from her brother and father. Ophelia, a confident and intelligent woman, begins to rely on others to tell her what to think and how to act. “I do not know, my lord, what I should think” (1795). Upon Polonius request, and going against her own hearts desires, she starts to avoid Hamlet. “No, my good lord, but, as you did command, I did repel his letters and denied his access to me” (1806). By doing what her father advises and wishes Ophelia is no longer capable of making decisions for herself. The loss of Hamlet’s love and the death of her father leave her with confusion and doubts about her future. “Well, Go...
The Love of Ophelia It is never easy to see into a person’s heart and find their true emotions, especially when their feelings are intentionally masked to give off a different impression. Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, attempts to mask specific emotions throughout the play. He tries to give off the impression that he is insane when he is near his murderous uncle and other characters because he doesn’t want them to suspect his plan of revenge. However, he silently expresses his love towards the sweet Ophelia, his girlfriend.
By not speaking anything, Hamlet at once strengthens his image as a madman, as well as shrouding his real intentions towards those around him. Just following this passage comes a place in the text where we can see how the character of Ophelia has been manipulated by Polonius. After his "hint" that he might be doing this out of frustrated love, Ophelia says that that is what she truly does fear. (87) Her feelings of pity and concern are shaped by her father in order to fit his case of madness against Hamlet.
During Hamlet, Polonius and Laertes use Ophelia for their own self-gain not taking her feelings in consideration. In the article “Jephthah's Daughter's Daughter: Ophelia,” Cameron Hunt reveals that Polonius disregards Ophelia’s wants for his ...
In The Tragedy of Hamlet, Shakespeare developed the story of prince Hamlet, and the murder of his father by the king's brother, Claudius. Hamlet reacted to this event with an internal battle that harmed everyone around him. Ophelia was the character most greatly impacted by Hamlet's feigned and real madness - she first lost her father, her sanity, and then her life. Ophelia, obedient, weak-willed, and no feminist role model, deserves the most pity of any character in the play.
In the play Hamlet, Ophelia’s downfall is dependent on love. Being one of the two women in the play, Ophelia lives in a very male dominated society. When the ties are broken between her relationships with the significant men in her life, it breaks Ophelia to
Hamlet shows much anger and disrespect to the women in his life. Ophelia’s believing her father’s words breaks Hamlets heart, being the reason for his treatment towards not just her but his mother. Ophelia
In the life of Ophelia, it can be seen that she is very dependant on Polonius. She obeys him, even if she doesn’t want to. When she is told by Polonius, “I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth/ Have you so slander any moment leisure/ As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet./ Look to’t, I charge you. Come your ways.”(1.3.132-135), her immediate response is, “I shall obey, my lord” (1.3.136). Being a woman, Ophelia is not allowed to make many of her own decisions in life, and therefore grows to rely heavily on her father. When her father commands her not to “give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet”, Ophelia complies, even though she believes that he really does love her, because she said earlier, “He hath, my lord, of later made many tenders/ Of his affection for me” (1.3.99-100). She immediately promises to obey, demonstrating her custom to follow his orders, even though it is not what she desires. By saying, “my lord”, she is respectfully acknowledging her father’s request, and submitting herself to his authority. In doing so, she continues in her dependance on him.
The story of Hamlet is a morbid tale of tragedy, commitment, and manipulation; this is especially evident within the character of Ophelia. Throughout the play, Ophelia is torn between obeying and following the different commitments that she has to men in her life. She is constantly torn between the choice of obeying the decisions and wishes of her family or that of Hamlet. She is a constant subject of manipulation and brain washing from both her father and brother. Ophelia is not only subject to the torture of others using her for their intentions but she is also susceptible to abuse from Hamlet. Both her father and her brother believe that Hamlet is using her to achieve his own personal goals.
Ophelia trusts the advise given and her obedience is very evident in this matter as she avoids contact with Hamlet until she is told by her father, with the King and Queens approval, to meet up with him by 'accident' in the lobby. Deceit not being in her nature, believing that her father, the king and queen are right and true; that Hamlet is mad; and probably curious to know if Hamlet is "mad in love" with her the young, obedient, powerless Ophelia does her part to search out the truth. But tragically this one forced step outside of her true character begins her downfall. In a precarious predicament, loyalty to her father compelled Ophelia to lie to Hamlet when he asked about her father?s location at that moment saying he was at home instead of behind a tapestry right the...
Hamlet is without any reservations, one of Shakespeare's most mystifying plays. Although the play has a concise story, it is filled with many uncertainties relating to different issues behind the plot. The reader is left with many uncertainties about the true feelings of prince Hamlet. One question in particular is, did Hamlet really love Ophelia? This dispute can be reinforced either way, however I believe Hamlet was truly in love with Ophelia. Support for my decision comes from Hamlet's treatment towards Ophelia as shown throughout the play, but especially in Act 3, Scene 2, and at Ophelia?s grave in Scene 1 of Act 5.
Hamlet’s disillusionment with the women in his life, come from confusion as to where they’re allegiance lies. Firstly, Ophelia abruptly ends her relationship with Hamlet, simply because Polonius states that “[he] would not have you give words to Lord Hamlet”. Ophelia obeys her father by denying “his [Hamlet’s] access to me”, proving that her loyalty lies with her father. In addition to this, Ophelia outwardly lies to Hamlet during Polonius’ trap, stating that her father is “at home”. Hamlet’s reservations towards women can be seen when he says to Ophelia “if thou dost marry…marry...
But because of Hamlet’s drive to avenge his father’s death, and Ophelia’s will to obey her father, the two died in grief, along with the rest of Hamlet’s family. This play portrays the tragedy of death and how revenge does not end well. In fact it shows how revenge can lead to insanity and disturbance in the natural order. It causes anger and hate, something that is uncontrollable. Ophelia’s death shows how cruel revenge is and how one cannot realize whom their actions affect. Ophelia’s innocence gave a clear relationship to the theme of the play: mortality. Her death signifies how even the most naïve and delicate of situations can be affected by the horrors of death, revenge, and
Despite Ophelia’s weak will, the male characters respond dramatically to her actions, proving that women indeed have a large impact in Hamlet. Her obedience is actually her downfall, because it allows the male characters to control and use her in their schemes. Ophelia’s betrayal ends up putting Hamlet over the edge, motivating him in his quest for revenge. Ophelia is one of the two women in the play. As the daughter of Polonius, she only speaks in the company of several men, or directly to her brother or father. Since we never see her interactions with women, she suppresses her own thoughts in order to please her superiors. Yet however weak and dependent her character is on the surface, Ophelia is a cornerstone to the play’s progression. One way that her manipulation is key to Hamlet’s plot is when Polonius orders her “in plain terms, from this time forth/ Have you so slander any moment leisure/As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet,” (1.3.131-133). She complies with his wishes, agreeing to return any tokens of Hamlet’s love to him, verify t...
Another significant female character is Ophelia, Hamlet's love. Hamlet's quest for revenge interferes with his relationship with Ophelia. There is much evidence to show that Hamlet loved her a great deal, but his pretense of madness drove her to her death. Ophelia drowned not knowing what was happening to her. This can be deduced by the fact that she flowed down the river singing and happy when in truth she was heartbroken. Ophelia was very much afraid when she saw Hamlet "with his doublet all unbraced; No hat upon his head; his stockings foul'd, Ungarter'd, and down-gyved to his ancle" (Act #. Scene #. Line #). She described him as being "loosed out of hell" (Act #. Scene #. Line #). In addition to that he scared her when he left the room with his eyes still fixed on her. She is especially hurt when Hamlet tells her that he no longer loves her and that he is opposed to marriage. He advises her to go to a nunnery and avoid marriage if she can.