Preview

How Does Hamlet Criticize Ophelia

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
618 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Does Hamlet Criticize Ophelia
Polonius was self-absorbed, boring & nosey. He was also a very manipulative father. That being said, I don’t think anyone deserves to die because they were eavesdropping. I also believe that if Hamlet didn’t kill Polonius, a lot of other lives would have been spared as well.
I don’t think she knows Claudius killed her husband. The ghost accuses her of being an incestuous, adultering beast, but he never calls her a murderer. I feel if you’re going to call someone out on those two things, & murder is on the table too, why wouldn’t you throw it in the mix as well?
I think Hamlet criticizes Ophelia & is so cruel to her because his father was murdered by his uncle who is now married to his mother & she’s breaking up with him & spying on him for
…show more content…
All men will see her as damaged from now on. Ophelia fiercely obeyed her father & brother & I don’t think she knows how to deal with their disappointment now that she’s lost her virginity. Ophelia literally giving away flowers only reinforces this theory.
I think Hamlets Oedipus complex is fairly obvious. Gertrude & Claudius’ marriage would upset anyone, but it made Hamlet despise his mother & filled him with rage. It made him question life & whether Ophelia really loved him or not. His mother’s new marriage cast such a shadow on his entire world. It is odd, to say the least, that it had such a big impact on him. Hamlet is very thoughtful & even hesitant when coming to carrying out his revenge, but when he killed Polonius, he is single minded & quick to act.
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are paid informants that went to college with Hamlet. They are constantly stepping on one another trying to kiss up to the King. They are liars & not very bright, but they don’t really deserve to die in the end. Horatio, another old friend, stays loyal to Hamlet throughout the play. Horatio has good sense & that’s proven when he’s called on by the guards of the castle to weigh in on the ghost situation. When Hamlet is dying in his arms, he offers to die with him, but instead he carries Hamlet’s story

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Unit 4 – THE AGE OF JACKSON Chp. 13-15 & 17 (skip 16) 10/22 – 11/7…

    • 377 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The Perfect Pizzeria

    • 145 Words
    • 1 Page

    Please answer the following questions applying OB concepts and theories as appropriate. While the case primarily focuses on motivational approaches, you find that other OB concepts that we have covered are applicable.…

    • 145 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ophelia was a modern day good girl gone bad. She obeyed her father, Polonius, and brother, Laertes’ wishes to stay away from Prince Hamlet while trying to fight for her love for Hamlet and being herself. Throughout the entire play Ophelia is used as pawn in a game of revenge between Hamlet, Polonius, and King Claudius. Polonius and Laertes forbid Ophelia from seeing Hamlet because they believe that he is only using her for sex, yet Polonius uses her to seek information from Hamlet as though she were his personal spy. Although Hamlet loves Ophelia and genuinely cares for her, he sees the danger he and the royal court pose on her. Hamlet wants to get her away from the corruption while putting on an act for King Claudius to prove that he is really mad, and in that attempt, acts as though Ophelia means nothing to him. He treats her in the same manner he treats his mother and all women for that matter. Hamlet sees all women as ignorant and deceitful. Despite Ophelia’s ability to see through Hamlet’s charade, there is still a sense of pain in the words he speaks to her. “Get thee to a nunnery, go. Farewell...To a nunnery, go, and quickly too. Farewell.” (Act 3.1) This had to have been the largest insult to Ophelia ever spoken, but was not meant in that…

    • 582 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    After Hamlet started to turn against Gertrude because of her actions, he took the anger and used it against Ophelia. Hamlet says to Ophelia “God hath given you one face and you make yourselves another. You jig and amble, and you lisp, you nickname God’s creatures, and make your wantonness your ignorance.” (III.i.142-145). He comments on the way women mask their faces, all being unfaithful and dishonest. Hamlet completely loses trust in Ophelia after she was not honest with him and turned her back on him and listened to her father instead. Ophelia deceived Hamlet and in turn he is rude to her and continues to tell her that his love for her was false and demands that she go to a nunnery, he also makes it clear there will be no marriage for the…

    • 138 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ophelia, a fictional character in Hamlet, is the daughter of Polonius and young lover to the main character. Her father, the right hand of the king, originally requests she keep her distance from Hamlet. Quite soon, the company of Hamlet believes he has gone mad. Polonius, of course, asks his obedient daughter to spy on her lover. Mary Salter stated, “She certainly has a great deal of respect for her father and unquestioningly obeys his instructions…” Ophelia and Hamlet spend an extravagant amount of time together. In the time of Shakespeare, this was nearly unacceptable. One could understandably be under the impression they…

    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “When it came to property, a woman gave up all of her rights to own land and such things to her husband. He became not only the owner of her physical possessions, but of her as well.” (“Rights of Women” 1). In the play, Ophelia has been under the control of male characters by being used for her possessions, status and lust. "Come, go with me: I will go seek the king./ This is the very ecstasy of love,/ Whose violent property fordoes itself/ And leads the will to desperate undertakings/ As oft as any passion under heaven/ That does afflict our natures.” (2.1.101-106) as mentioned by Polonius. Here it is evident that Polonius uses his daughter for his own desires. When Ophelia talks about Hamlet's unusual behaviour towards her, Polonius immediately depicts this to his advantage. He speculates his daughter's description as madness from love which is in his advantage because it can mean that Ophelia will marry into royalty which would bring him up in status. Polonius's intentions are seen through his desperate actions. Secondly, when Ophelia sings a song "Before you tumbled me,/ You promised me to wed.", he answers: "So would I ha' done, by yonder sun,/ And thou hadst not come to my bed." (4.5.62-66). Ophelia's song indicates the mistake she made of losing her virginity to Hamlet. With the loss of her father, virginity and…

    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Monologue on Gertrude

    • 789 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Oh, Polonius, Polonius…stabbed cruelly to death! My sweet child, what has happened to you? You’ve gone mad! My darling Hamlet used to be so innocent and playful... He was always out in the fields with his friends, having a good time. He had such a lovely upbringing, if I do say so myself. His father and I loved him very much and we ensured he had the best of everything. I have never seen him like this before. His eyes brim with hate. He’s surrounded by the aura of a deranged man. This stabbing is only one thing that has made me worry about him.…

    • 789 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Her weak mindedness and cowardice eventually leads to her suicide; however, the cause of her of emotional weakness is due to forces beyond her control. Ophelia’s subjection to the loss of two loved ones at the same time allocates an overwhelming feeling of devastation that she is incapable of coping with due to her lack of mental strength. Claudius recognizes the intensity and overpowering nature of her suffering as he states that “when sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in batallions,” (IV, iv, 77). Ophelia’s immense losses include the Polonius’ murder, in addition to the Hamlet rejecting her feelings. The death of Polonius not only means the death of her dad additionally the one whom she derives all of her guidance from. The lack of support for Ophelia during this vulnerable period of her life further weakens her emotional stability; furthermore, Hamlet’s unusual conduct leaves Ophelia feeling more isolated and disliked. Hamlet illuminates his unorthodox demeanor to her by denying her mementos and by blatantly denies having ever loved her as states, “I loved you not” (III, i, 118). Denying the remembrances, he alludes to the…

    • 899 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Betrayal in Hamlet

    • 431 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Hamlet’s plot to act as though he is mad causes him to deceive and harm his family members and peers, primarily Ophelia. By denying his love for Ophelia, he leaves her confused and broken hearted. She didn’t understand why the man she loved was now acting as though he was disgusted by her and as if he never cared for her at all. Hamlet’s hasty actions continue when he abruptly murders Polonius, Ophelia’s father. This drives Ophelia into madness. Hamlet truly loves Ophelia, but she will never know because of his deceptive processes.…

    • 431 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Shakespeare’s tragic play titled “The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” (commonly shortened to “Hamlet”) is a well-known classic. The story follows a complex protagonist named Hamlet who faces a challenge that would end up changing his life. He is given the ultimatum to avenge his father’s death or to simply let it be. Hamlet is a character that appears to be insane, but in reality, he has reasons for his actions. Although he seems mad, he only acts this way in front of certain people. He knows it is what he has to do to avenge his father’s death by killing his father’s murderer. During the story, the ghost of Hamlet’s father appears and tells him the truth about how he died. He explains to his young son that he was murdered by King Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle. Hamlet is commanded by the ghost to seek revenge on Claudius and regain order to Denmark. The prince of Denmark is eager to get his vengeance on his father’s murderer when he first hears the news, but he contemplates what he should do because he knows his actions would not be moral. Eventually, he decides to get his revenge and kill the king because it is what his father wished him to do.…

    • 1397 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Ophelia In Hamlet

    • 1399 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Although Hamlet continued to pursue her as a lover, he eventually discovered that her loyalties did not lie with him, as she became a spy for Claudius and Polonius. It is unclear as to whether or not Hamlet is aware that Ophelia is being used by the men, but he is reassured of her loyalty to them when he asks, “Where’s your father?” and Ophelia replies, “At home, my lord” (3.1, 130-131). Ophelia’s social position as a woman in society is virtually nonexistent as the presences of manipulative men merely use her obedience as a means of improving their social positions, with little regard for hers. In accordance with the time period, Ophelia would have followed codes of conduct “influenced by religious literature, the attitude taken by most writers of deportment manuals reflect the theologians’ traditional dislike and distrust of women” (Kincaid 103). While there is no indication that Ophelia has broken any codes, Hamlet takes out his frustration with his mother on her, and chastises her for shortcomings as a woman when he says, “Let me think on’t. Frailty thy name is woman!” (1.2, 146). Regardless of Ophelia’s proper social behavior, Hamlet reveals that she cannot escape her fate as a woman. Hamlet tells her, “If thou dost marry, I’ll give thee this plague for thy dowry: be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery” (3.1, 135-37). Even if Ophelia follows every social norm and remains chaste, she will always be restricted by society because of the men that define…

    • 1399 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ophelias Madness

    • 1002 Words
    • 5 Pages

    We see that Hamlet treatment of Ophelia because of this may be thestraw-that-breaks-the-camel 's-back with respect to the pressure he puts onOphelia. Ophelia will become increasingly despondent and mad in thewake of Hamlet 's rejection of her. In this sense,Ophelia is treated like an object by her family who strives to keep the manshe loves and that loves her away from her. Used bythe King, her father and brother, and abandoned by Hamlet; these externalpressures combine to cause Ophelia 's bizarre madness and, ultimately, hersuicide. However, to win favorwith Claudius he uses her to spy on Hamlet so she can report his every wordor deed to him. Hefeigns madness and acts extremely cold and harsh with Ophelia. "Reading Ophelia 's Madness." In Patrick Cheney, ed. The death of her father atthe hands of the man she loves, complete rejection by the man she loves andthe pressures on her conspire to cause Ophelia to ultimately take her life. Adding to Ophelia 's pressures with respect to patriarchal controland domination is the plot of King Claudius and Polonius. He further berates her andtells her she should to a nunnery and refuse to bear children. Though Ophelia may betray Hamlet unwittingly and he may unwittinglyadd to the intense pressures on her in his anger at others, her madness isapparent as she sings nonsensical songs, "They bore him barefaced on thebier / Hey non nony, nony, hey nony / And in his grave rained many a tear -/ Fare you well my dove" (Shakespeare IV.v.164-167). Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. This strain is increased tenfold when Hamlet begins to treat herpoorly, because he knows he is being set up by Polonius and the King. Body Despite knowing Hamlet is in love with her, Ophelia is subjected toenormous pressure from her father and brother to be wary of men. This creates a great strain on Ophelia for she lovesHamlet. Not only 'occasions ' are informing against Hamlet;Claudius and Polonius are conspiring against him too, and Ophelia,wittingly or not, is…

    • 1002 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet clearly demonstrates how insane he is after killing Polonius and showing no remorse for his death. Right before Hamlet entered the chamber to talk to his mother, Polonius explains to the queen that he will be hiding and ease dropping on their conversation, to find out the real reason for Hamlet erratic behavior. Hamlet enters the chamber, on a rampage after finding Claudius guilty of killing his father and also seeing him trying to pray. Hamlet goes off on his mother when she says, “Hamlet, thou hast thy father much offended” (l. 10). That also triggered his anger to the point where the queen feared for her life and as told to do so, she yelled for help. Polonius tries to come out from behind the curtain and before you know it, he was stabbed by Hamlet. At this point, after he stabbed Polonius, killing him, Hamlet first thought it was Claudius that was hiding behind the curtain. Later finding out it was Claudius, Hamlet says, “A bloody dead-- almost as bad, good mother, as killing a king, and marry with his brother” (l. 27-28). You would think that Hamlet would be scared for his life after realizing he killed someone. Not Hamlet, he just continues on with his conversation with the queen about how crazy it is that she remarried so soon. Hamlet showing no remorse for killing someone shows that he is not mental stable and doesn’t realize what just happened.…

    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Ophelia Vs Hamlet

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages

    When Polonius dies, in Kenneth Branaugh film, the audience can see Ophelia screaming inside of the castle fence which shows Ophelia was having an emotional break down. The reason why might Ophelia became mad is because she blames herself. In this version of Hamlet, Ophelia and Hamlet used to have a close relationship, meaning Ophelia might think that Hamlet was taking revenge on her because Ophelia chose Polonius over Hamlet. The reason why this version of Ophelia choose to sing sexual lyrics is because Ophelia had a sexual relationship with Hamlet.Ophelia might have thought that out of respect for her Hamlet will not hurt Polonius,but it turns out Hamlet killed Polonius meaning Hamlet does not care about how Ophelia feels even if they had such a close relationship before ;Men can say anything to get the women they want , but when it comes to life and death men's will not consider the well being of the women. Ophelia seems to be depressed and controlled by men, and now that the two men who were controlling her are gone , she chooses to suicide, which is the one last spying she could decide for herself. Franco Zeffirellis version of Ophelia seems to have a much simpler explanation of why Ophelia became mad . Because this version of Ophelia is young and confused, therefore it will make sense that Ophelia is obedient to Polonius like a puppet ; once the…

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Colagte

    • 2834 Words
    • 12 Pages

    1 1 1 2 3 4 4 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 7 8 8 9 9 9…

    • 2834 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Powerful Essays