Hey There Ophelia Nunnery Scene Analysis
Erika Congdon
June 18th, 2009
Hallberg 3 Hey There Ophelia In Hamlet, Ophelia is portrayed a tragic heroine, pure but ultimately doomed. She is cursed to follow a course, which will end in her demise due to the complexity of the fragile human psyche. Ophelia’s psyche is compartmentalized into three major subdivisions: the Ego, the Superego and the Id. These three sections of her psyche can be best analyzed in the famous “Nunnery scene” from Shakespeare’s everlasting play Hamlet. In this scene Ophelia suffers from a critical mental overload that triggers a chain of cataclysmic events that robs her of not only of her innocence, but also her sanity. To apply a psychological lens to the “Nunnery scene”, we must first understand how a …show more content…
The id is representative of the pleasure seeking, instinctual part of the mind. The superego represents the quadrant of the mind, which represses the id's impulses, and often reflects one’s parental influences. The ego is referred to as the quadrant of the mind that controls but does not contain the impulses of the id, allowing them to be released in a productive but not damaging manner. Freudian lenses often draw attention to the sexual implications of symbols and imagery; this is because Freud believed that all human behavior is motivated by …show more content…
So that part of her superego is calling out to her “Paint an inch thick” meaning for her to put effort in her appearance and relationship with Hamlet. Finally, the last section of Ophelia’s superego is based on her basic cultural status and the goals she must accomplish to achieve it. As a lady in the palace of Denmark at this time period, she is expected to not only be married, but to have a family and nurture them. It is this part of her which is getting frustrated with hamlet as he fervently denies her, ultimately denying her of the goals she needs to accomplish. Her superego wants her to keep fighting with hamlet for their relationship, so that she can reach her final goal of having children and a family, as her culture expects of
June 18th, 2009
Hallberg 3 Hey There Ophelia In Hamlet, Ophelia is portrayed a tragic heroine, pure but ultimately doomed. She is cursed to follow a course, which will end in her demise due to the complexity of the fragile human psyche. Ophelia’s psyche is compartmentalized into three major subdivisions: the Ego, the Superego and the Id. These three sections of her psyche can be best analyzed in the famous “Nunnery scene” from Shakespeare’s everlasting play Hamlet. In this scene Ophelia suffers from a critical mental overload that triggers a chain of cataclysmic events that robs her of not only of her innocence, but also her sanity. To apply a psychological lens to the “Nunnery scene”, we must first understand how a …show more content…
The id is representative of the pleasure seeking, instinctual part of the mind. The superego represents the quadrant of the mind, which represses the id's impulses, and often reflects one’s parental influences. The ego is referred to as the quadrant of the mind that controls but does not contain the impulses of the id, allowing them to be released in a productive but not damaging manner. Freudian lenses often draw attention to the sexual implications of symbols and imagery; this is because Freud believed that all human behavior is motivated by …show more content…
So that part of her superego is calling out to her “Paint an inch thick” meaning for her to put effort in her appearance and relationship with Hamlet. Finally, the last section of Ophelia’s superego is based on her basic cultural status and the goals she must accomplish to achieve it. As a lady in the palace of Denmark at this time period, she is expected to not only be married, but to have a family and nurture them. It is this part of her which is getting frustrated with hamlet as he fervently denies her, ultimately denying her of the goals she needs to accomplish. Her superego wants her to keep fighting with hamlet for their relationship, so that she can reach her final goal of having children and a family, as her culture expects of