Preview

Ophelia In Shakespeare's Hamlet

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
178 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Ophelia In Shakespeare's Hamlet
Ophelia is a woman. Obvious as that is, her gender is her most distinguishing feature since it lays the foundation for her fate. Being a woman in a society dominated by men leaves Ophelia with no choice except to obey the male figures in her life. From the beginning Ophelia is instructed on how she should be and should not be as a lady. Laertes and then Polonius lecture Ophelia on Hamlet, writing off her feelings and assertions of their love as naivety. Ophelia attempts to stand up for her love with both members of her family, but once Polonius demands she stay away from Hamlet all she can muster is a meek “I shall obey, my lord” (I, iv). Ophelia’s decision “to obey her father compromises her future,” yet if she does not obey she risks insulting
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Ophelia's Suicide Analysis
    • 171 Words
    • 1 Page

    Ophelia's Suicide Analysis

    Is Ophelia driven mad by her love for Hamlet, or is she the victim of a society that has created impossible expectations for its women? Had she the license to think for herself, Ophelia might have reasoned…

    • 171 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ophelia's Farewell Analysis
    • 582 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Ophelia's Farewell Analysis

    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
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ophelia Character Analysis
    • 1631 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Ophelia Character Analysis

    The dismissive behaviour of Polonius and Laertes dehumanizes Ophelia and keeps her separated from the decision making “adults”. In one instance, Polonius instructs her to “think [herself] a baby”. In her interactions with these characters, Ophelia’s opinion is not asked for or valued she is largely cast aside or used as a tool. In Ophelia’s first appearance she is constantly reminded by Polonius and Laertes of the “danger of desire”, Laertes advises her that he “best safety lies in fear”. (Act I, Scene III). It is made clear early on that Ophelia is being taught to fear relationships, leading to long term isolation. These repressed emotions may relate to her fixation on desire during her madness. Polonius also dismisses Ophelia’s opinions on Hamlet’s behaviour saying, ”Affection? Pooh! you speak like a green girl”. Throughout all of Ophelia’s interactions with her father she maintains formal titles and language, referring to Polonius as “my lord”. By submitting to the perception of her inferiority Ophelia alienates herself from others. Even before her becoming insane, Ophelia is marginalized and removed from others, a the true outsider within…

    • 1631 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did Hamlet Turn Against Ophelia
    • 138 Words
    • 1 Page

    How Did Hamlet Turn Against Ophelia

    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
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Character Ophelia In Shakespeare's Hamlet
    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Character Ophelia In Shakespeare's Hamlet

    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
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Role Of Ophelia In Hamlet
    • 249 Words
    • 1 Page

    Role Of Ophelia In Hamlet

    You don't have to be a feminist to know that Ophelia is little more than a plaything and a tool of the men around her. Hamlet may well have loved her and treated her well once, but by the time he has the burden of revenge on him, he treats her rather badly. Now, of course, he does so because he knows that she's followed her father's orders and has rejected his love. Further, Hamlet knows that Ophelia is being used by her father and the King to spy on him.…

    • 249 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Destruction Of Ophelia In William Shakespeare's Hamlet
    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Destruction Of Ophelia In William Shakespeare's Hamlet

    Due to Ophelia’s fickle behavior regarding Hamlet, he is unsure of her affection and does not deem her trustworthy. Ophelia is not yet a married woman, meaning she is not admitted to disobey her father, and not able to control her own choices. When her father demands “I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth have you so sander and moment leisure as to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet.” (I, III, 136-140) Ophelia must heed her father’s commands. When Ophelia is requested to converse with Hamlet by Polonius and Claudius, she must endure. She attempts to return letters that Hamlet wrote for her, this seeming to have a powerful effect on him. Although he has suspicions that their conversation is being eavesdropped on, Hamlet does not restrain himself with his reaction towards Ophelia. Hamlet seems to contradict himself when proclaiming her “Get thee to a nunnery, go.” (III, I, 138). Nunnery, also meaning brothel, shows Hamlet’s indecisive feelings for Ophelia, by using a word that paints her as holy and sinful. As he continues to insult Ophelia, it becomes clear that Hamlet presumes all women to be deceitful, describing that “God has given you one face and you make yourselves another.” (III, I, 145). Although it is not certain whether or not Hamlet truly loves Ophelia, it can be deducted that due to his mother’s actions he cannot be definite in his…

    • 840 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet And Ophelia's Madness
    • 728 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Hamlet And Ophelia's Madness

    that he is going to act mad in public, and that they should not worry for…

    • 728 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet And Ophelia Analysis
    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Hamlet And Ophelia Analysis

    “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
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    A Parallel Guidin Ophelia In Shakespeare's Hamlet
    • 718 Words
    • 3 Pages

    A Parallel Guidin Ophelia In Shakespeare's Hamlet

    Ophelia is a crutch to Hamlet, a living symbolic representation of Hamlet’s emotions much in the same way that ancient Greek stories used a chorus. Ophelia is the one woman chorus of Hamlet (the play and character both), a fact which makes her one of the most elementally affluent of Shakespeare’s characters in a literary sense. In his play, Hamlet, William Shakespeare uses his character Ophelia’s descent into madness as a parallel…

    • 718 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ophelia's Manipulation
    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Ophelia's Manipulation

    Having been lectured on the dangers of Hamlet by Polonius, Ophelia responds, “I shall obey my Lord” (1.4.145). Considering she is his daughter, her response seems peculiar, and almost servant like. Polonius and Laertes, Ophelia’s father and brother, order her to refrain from relations with Hamlet, because they believe that due to his nobility, he is incapable of loving her properly. Ophelia, Hamlet’s love, is interpreted as more of a puppet than a strong female lead, even though the love, of which Hamlet and Ophelia had prior to the bombardment of interferences, was undeniable.…

    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does Ophelia Relate To Hamlet
    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages

    How Does Ophelia Relate To Hamlet

    At the end of the Act 3, Polonius was killed by Hamlet. Ophelia heard the news about her father’s death in the Act 4. After she heard the news, the became insane. She lost her dignity as a noble lady and continued to sing in front of people. The song she sang seemed meaningless to others; however, there was a meaning to those.…

    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Ophelia In Hamlet
    • 1399 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Ophelia In Hamlet

    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
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Does Shakespeare Present Ophelia In Hamlet
    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Does Shakespeare Present Ophelia In Hamlet

    Ophelia, the sweet and naieve girl in “Hamlet”, is clueless about the world around her and she thinks Hamlet loves her, when in reality he doesn’t and he rejects Ophelia. Ophelia innocently loved Hamlet even though Hamlet was slightly crazy, she gave her all to hamlet and he took her for granted even after her own brother Laertes told her to watch out for the king because he’s of noble birth and she’s nothing to him. Polonius her dad is over protective and doesn’t want Ophelia to talk to hamlet because he knows what he’s capable of. Ophelia being innocent and Naive doesn’t understand why her family says this, but she takes in what her dad says, but lets her heart get to her and it leads to Ophelia’s downfall. In the play Hamlet her dad says…

    • 587 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ophelia Vs Hamlet
    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Ophelia Vs Hamlet

    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
    Read More

Related Topics