critics focus on Ophelia one of the plays female characters‚ within the text Shakespeare conveys the treatment of women in Elizabethan society. In doing this‚ Ophelia is often utilized as an ultimate pawn by the men in her life; Laertes‚ Polonius‚ and Hamlet. As for a women’s social position they are define as being powerless. Ophelia’s brother Laertes is one of the characters that implements her for his desire and will because of her gender. In the tragedy Laertes converse win Ophelia exuding a tone
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thought-provoking characters during his whole career as a playwright. Perhaps one of the most intriguing female characters we encounter is Ophelia in the play Hamlet. During the 19th century when Hamlet was produced‚ Ophelia was a beloved character by all of Hamlet’s readers. She began to encompass the virtues of grace while simultaneously being heartbroken and mad in love. While Ophelia was a major character in life‚ she also had a substantial role in the play after her death. This sense of double the influence
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need of assistance. In Hamlet‚ Ophelia is parallel to Hamlet in the events that occur‚ showing that death is an equalizer of even the deepest misogyny. Laertes and Polonius control Ophelia’s actions. Laertes says to Ophelia‚ “Or lose your heart or your chaste treasure open/ To his unmastered importunity./ Fear it Ophelia; fear it‚ my dear sister” (I.ii.35-37). When faced with the dilemma surrounding the relationship with Hamlet‚ Laertes instills fear into her. Ophelia accepts this
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Ophelia ’s Contribution in Hamlet One thing critics of Hamlet can agree on is that Ophelia‚ though brief in appearance‚ enamored readers and audiences because of her cryptic death and her symbol of innocence in the play. Linda Wagner claims she "is pictured as the epitome of unsophistication and of purity" (Wagner 94). While the play mostly focuses on Hamlet and forces the reader to sympathize and view him as a misunderstood character‚ it practically brushes over Ophelia ’s struggle as unimportant
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her unsuccessful relationship with Hamlet. Ophelia’s innocence‚ sweetness‚ and naïveté do factor in her committing suicide‚ but it is the realization that the men in her life all have dominance over her that leads Ophelia to her death. The death of her brother and father allows Ophelia to realize just how much say they had over her actions. After the death of these two men‚ Hamlet’s demeaning comments about her force her to transform into a cynical and “mad” character. Ophelia’s character
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contrary direction at the same time.¡± In the play Hamlet‚ by William Shakespeare‚ Ophelia¡¯s mind is pulled in conflicting directions between compelling desires‚ obligations‚ and influences. Ophelia is torn between her father along with her brother‚ and Hamlet. Ophelia¡¯s father and brother both caution her to Hamlet¡¯s advances and advise her to stay away. As Ophelia sees her brother away‚ Laertes warns Ophelia about the integrity of Hamlet¡¯s love. He says he might love her now‚ but she must
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or not to be." The main purport of that soliloquy is: whether one should love Ophelia or give up loving altogether whether he should take action against Claudius and end his frustration whether he should give in to his mood and commit suicide whether he can continue to cope with the lies of Claudius whether he can find a solution to the infidelity of his mother 2 When Ophelia is "loosed" on him in this scene‚ Hamlet answers her with curious answers. Those answers
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The garden motif in Hamlet contributes to characterization and theme. The characters Ophelia and Hamlet both find characterization within the motif‚ and the theme of corruption is depicted through the garden motif. Ophelia is the character most often associated with the garden motif. Flowers and weeds are intimately intertwined with Ophelia’s characterization. Initially‚ the flowers speak to Ophelia’s innocence and purity. In Act I‚ scene iii‚ Laertes seeks to give her advice upon his departure for
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opposing explanations. Byles’s view is that Ophelia is defined by the male roles in her life (i.e. her father‚ brother‚ and lover). Fischer’s view is that Ophelia is simply grieving the loss of her father and fails to break the hold of the men in her life. These two analyses present opposing explanations because one author is saying that Ophelia simply cracked because she has lost her father and she just could not handle it and the other is stating that Ophelia went mad and committed suicide because she
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Similarly to Gertrude‚ Polonius does not hurt his daughter Ophelia in a direct way. Be that as it may‚ Ophelia becomes more and more depressed as a result of his interventions with Hamlet. Initially‚ Polonius instructs Ophelia to be wary of Hamlet’s love because someone of such a high status cannot love her truthfully. Because of this‚ when Hamlet enters Ophelia’s chamber with his clothes all torn‚ Polonius falsely assumes that this is because Ophelia withheld herself from him. This becomes clear when Polonius
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