...warns her to be wary of Hamlet’s urges and tricks when he is off to college. While she begins by telling Laertes that she will listen to his advice, she does so only to fulfill the submissive, powerless role that women were supposed to act out. Ophelia then quickly speaks her true opinion, by comparing her brother to a pastor that shows people the difficult way to heaven. His beliefs that...
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...As the theme of “madness” runs rapid through the play, Hamlet, many characters suffer from psychological disorders leading to their inevitable end. Ophelia, daughter of Polonius, is among the many characters that suffer from these psychological behaviors. Her mindless behavior was under scrutiny and eventually classified under two categories: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Delirium. These disorders were characterized through both the physical and mental stability of her. At the start of the play, Ophelia was considered to be rather normal. Her responses and actions were of those who would be considered healthy. As the play progressed, she began to slowly lose touch with reality until she finally went ‘mad’. Ophelia’s psychological degradation...
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...Hamlet suddenly opened Ophelia’s door in shock and Ophelia glared at him absentmindedly. He grabbed her hand physically and observed her like there was a spider on her face. Ophelia examined him in confusion thinking about what is wrong with him. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Hamlet shows Ophelia how much he loves her with a letter that he writes her. However, sometimes he does not show it at times. Although, when he finds out that Ophelia died, he shows everyone that he loves her with all his heart. Hamlet undeniably loves Ophelia because he cares, he is protective, and he made sure she was happy. Hamlet shows he loves Ophelia by reacting strongly after she dies. For example, when Hamlet finds out that Ophelia died, he screams to Laertes,”Will you cry? Fight? Stop eating? Cut yourself? Drink vinegar? Eat a crocodile? I’ll do all that,” (Shakespeare 297). Hamlet explains to Laertes that he will do anything to have her around one more time. He is devastated that Ophelia died. He just wishes to spend one more moment with her if she were alive. For example,...
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...and insanity. Both Hamlet and Ophelia display characteristics of madness however Hamlet’s madness is associated with the environment he is in while Ophelia’s madness is linked to her biological makeup of being a woman. On Shakespearean stage, the portrayals of female insanity were often the same. Ophelia would enter the stage in a white dress with flowers in her long and untamed hair while singing and playing a flute. When speaking, her lines were made up of “extravagant metaphors, lyrical free associations and ‘explosive sexual imagery’.” These common portrayals of Ophelia on the Elizabethan stage hold multiple connotations about femininity and sexuality. Ophelia frequently embodies a role of contrast within her self and other characters...
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...Throughout William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, it is evident that women play a secondary role. Gertrude and Ophelia are characterised as weak and submissive, and are extremely obedient to the men in their lives. Both female characters play passive roles in a play but are important in displaying the theme of Hamlet’s misogyny; “Frailty, thy name is woman”. Gertrude from the beginning proves to be very wholly dependent on men. Her first husband, King Hamlet, was murdered and yet “within a month”, she was married to his brother Claudius. The relationship between Claudius and Gertrude seems to be for convenience rather than love. It is perceived as good for Denmark to have a politically skilled ruler and Claudius was undoubtedly fit for the role. Gertrude’s...
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...Kaplan English 12 P.4 28 March 2012 The Difference of Insanity: Hamlet against Ophelia In the Renaissance, madness was the theme of William Shakespeare's writings. He attended grammar school, but nothing further. So for his writings to be written with intelligence, it was greatly admired by many. Shakespeare’s career was in the time of Elizabeth I, 1558-1603 and James I, 1566-1625. His writings were not his own original work. It has been said that he took the story, Hamlet, from Saxo Grammaticus and changed the way Hamlet was portrayed from his story into a more “mad” version of Hamlet that waits to get revenge and is not truly mad from the start. It is also said that Shakespeare stole a majority of his stories from other writers during his time, making them more well-known and changing the moral of the story. In the Renaissance, people looked at insanity as if it were a crime. It was looked down upon. People did not understand that it was something that occurred within the mind, so they thought if they sprayed people with water it would shock them out of their insanity. The Renaissance culture also gave an intellectual rendition to three specific kinds of madness: folly, demonic possession and melancholia. In that time, thoughts of madness were confused by religious beliefs and sometimes even mistaken for nonsense. The dictionary defines madness as “extreme anger, excitement, or foolishness” and in Hamlet, Hamlet is characterized as insane because he fits the definition the...
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...Professor Wolfard 11 Jan 2015 Hamlet’s Hidden Love In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there is quite a bit of controversy as to whether Hamlet truly loved Ophelia or not. Although there is much evidence arguing that Hamlet never loved her and that he was just using her, there is even more evidence refuting that argument. By the way he acts when he is alone with Ophelia, he shows that his feelings for her are genuinely true. Hamlet shows throughout the play that he is really in love with Ophelia. The first piece of evidence that shows Hamlet really did love Ophelia is when he tells her, “I did love you.” Hamlet confesses that he loved her, but then goes on to say that he never loved her. This could be due to the fact that Hamlet knows his conversation with Ophelia is being overheard. There is evidence to prove this when Hamlet immediately asks Ophelia where her father is after they are done talking. When Ophelia tells him that Polonius is at home, Hamlet replies with, “Let the doors be shut upon him that he may play the fool nowhere but in his own house.” This implies that Hamlet knows Polonius is watching him. Another point in the story that validates Hamlet’s love for Ophelia is when Hamlet tells Ophelia to go to a nunnery. At first, it seems as though Hamlet is mocking her, but it is possible that Ophelia is pregnant with Hamlet’s child because immediately after he tells her, “Get thee to a nunnery”, Hamlet starts talking about breeding and how it would be bad to bring a child...
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...Annotated Bibliography for Hamlet Thesis: In Hamlet, Ophelia faces the constant struggle to find her identity, due to male superiority and lack of mother. If Ophelia were to live in today’s world, she would most likely suffer from depression, abuse, and eating disorders due to her lack of personal identity. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York: Dover Publications, 1992. Print. Hamlet, by William Shakespeare is the main text used for relations to Ophelia and her lack of personal identity. This play provides us with first-hand information on Ophelia’s downward spiral into insanity, which results in her own personal demise. This source is very appropriate, due to the fact that it is the first-hand insight into what Shakespeare portrayed Ophelia as, in her role in Hamlet. Therefore, it is believed that all information found in it, can be trusted and used accordingly, to relate Ophelia and her insanity due to contributing factors in her social environment. I found this source, in class, as it was our primary learning source in the discussions we had about Hamlet. This source is unlike my other sources, due to the fact that it is the base text for my work. From this source, I can learn how Ophelia slowly fell into madness, and what events helped lead up to her peak of insanity in the play. This helps develop my essay, because it is the main source that I will be using in relation to my other research sources. Considering that this is my base text, it is relatable to both my...
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...never doubt I love” (2.2.119). Hamlet proclaims his feelings for Ophelia, assuring her that he will always love her. Hamlet gives Ophelia the mindstate that she should trust the love she receives. Love heavily impacts and drives Ophelia’s actions throughout the play, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare. Ophelia’s desires push her to be intimate with Hamlet and eventually drive her to madness resulting in her death. Ophelia’s loving and trusting nature compels her to obey her father. She trusts her father’s judgement, but also wants to trust Hamlet’s love for her. Ophelia has very strong feelings and has put a lot of trust in Hamlet so when her father asks “Do you believe his tenders” (1.3.45-112). Ophelia...
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...Poor Ophelia! Shakespeare’s Ophelia was a benevolent and innocent young girl, who dutifully obeyed her father, Polonius. Ophelia did as she is told, even if in her heart she felt strongly against what she was being asked to do. It was obvious that she was behaving like well mannered, aristocratic, young ladies of the time were expected to behave. Obedience and compliance were desirable traits, and Ophelia assumed that and here love and devotion to Hamlet would secure a happily ever after. But, unfortunately, her exceptional obedience would be her downfall. Ophelia is found betraying her one true love, Hamlet, by merely obeying her father, Polonius, and king Claudius, who believe that Hamlet has gone mad. Polonius seemed to bear a grudge against Hamlet, which should have been a signal to Ophelia that something was amiss. But being the good daughter, she did as she was told when Polonius instructed Ophelia not to ever speak to Hamlet again. When Hamlet comes running into her room looking like he has just seen a ghost, which in fact he has, and she does not say a word to him. She just looks at him like he is crazy and watches him go out the door without saying a word. Hamlet feels betrayed by his love for her and lack of response to his distress. She obeyed her father and did not speak to him, even when he looked like he had gone through something very terrible. Ophelia agreed to Polonius’s schemes to spy on Hamlet, even when it went against her feelings for Hamlet. The...
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...William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, Shakespeare reveals the tragedy of the young prince of Denmark, Hamlet. After the ghost of his father, King Hamlet, appears Hamlet and tells him that his very own uncle Claudius, killed his father, Hamlet swears vengeance. Claudius took over Denmark and married Hamlet’s mother Gertrude, making Hamlet hate Claudius. Gertrude, Hamlet’s friends and his love Ophelia all die during his mission to kill Claudius. Hamlet does eventually avenge his father by stabbing Claudius with a poisoned blade, but also dies from a scratch on the back from the same sword used in a duel. Feminist theory focuses on analyzing the inequality between genders. Feminist literary theory illuminates how power relations in the play are dominated by only men which shown in the characters of the play with Hamlet and Ophelia, Polonius and his daughter Ophelia, and Gertrude and Claudius, and Hamlet and Gertrude. Firstly, Polonius' ascendancy over Ophelia, Polonius' death and Polonius' relationship with Laertes in comparison to Ophelia's all illuminate the dominance Polonius has on his daughter. Ophelia is really devoted when it comes to the relationship with her father Polonius. Polonius does control her choices when Ophelia says she likes Lord Hamlet; he says "I would not, in plain terms, from this forth, have you so slander any moment's leisure, As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet" (1.4.130-134). Polonius tells her not to associate with Hamlet because he doesn’t trust...
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...The Themes of Hamlet: Love in Denmark Through the interactions between young Prince Hamlet, his lover Ophelia, and his mother Queen Gertrude, Shakespeare explores the themes of romantic and familial love. The two main female characters are torn between their love for their families and love for their romantic lovers. Ophelia is torn between her love for Hamlet and loyalty to her father, and Gertrude must choose between her love for Claudius and love for Hamlet. Ultimately, Ophelia and Gertrude’s choices and interactions with the men in their lives suggest that familial love is stronger than romantic love. Hamlet’s treatment towards Ophelia reflects the fickleness of romantic love, and Ophelia’s obedience to her father demonstrates the strength of familial love. Likewise, Gertrude’s quick marriage with Claudius reflects the fickleness of romantic love, and Gertrude’s unwavering love for Hamlet demonstrates the strength of familial love....
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...personalities for his characters in Hamlet were, Ophelia’s legitimate madness is one trait that isn’t easily proven otherwise. Poor Ophelia is a young girl conditioned to the medieval dogma that her father is the ultimate authority in her life until marriage, while also heavily drawn to her sense of romance characteristic to the Renaissance. Also, Ophelia cannot express herself the way the men around her can, reserving her to a balloon of emotions, which, in addition to being left stranded after the men in her life essentially disappear, bursts into her ultimate insanity. Every person with influence in Ophelia’s life are men: Polonius, her father, Hamlet, her lover, and Laertes, her brother. These are the people who most of the time dictate her decisions for her. In the first scene of the play involving Ophelia, her lines are not many in number or lengthy by any means. This is because Polonius and Laertes spend the bulk of the scene instructing her. Both men discourage her from trusting Hamlet’s love. Laertes says, “His greatness weighed, his will is not his own. For he himself is subject to his birth.” (1.3.1718) Laertes is saying that Hamlet cannot be devoted to her because his focus has to be on Denmark as the heir to the throne. He also tells her to protect her virginity, which is a very authoritative statement and possibly an uncomfortable command to receive from your brother. Polonius in the same scene after Laertes leaves forbids Ophelia from seeing Hamlet again, telling her Hamlet may ...
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...Ophelia: A Daughter or a Yes Man? Ophelia is a beautiful and simple-minded girl who was Hamlet’s significant other. Ophelia the epitome of a flat character allows throughout her life the commands of Polonius and Laertes to shape her actions. Ophelia was incapable to neither live nor think for herself because of all the pressure from the men of her life to be something she was not. The weakness of her brain and will, which allowed her submission to the men in her life, consequently pulverized her expectation for Hamlet's affection and at last brought about her madness and demise. Ophelia’s father Polonius plays the most influential role on Ophelia’s actions, throughout the play we see Ophelia do whatever is asked of her. This is first seen in Act I when Laertes shares his words of wisdom to his sister Ophelia and Polonius shows up. The last thing she told Laertes when he said “Farewell Ophelia, and remember well What I have said you” was “Tis in my memory locked, And you yourself shall keep the key of it.” Yet as soon as Polonius asks what he told her Ophelia instantly responds “Something about Hamlet.” Some things should not be shared, if siblings are speaking keep it between siblings but, when it comes to confidentiality if Polonius asks Ophelia is telling it all on demand. It’s apparently clear Ophelia loves Polonius and holds respect for him but it’s also clear Polonius has full control her brain; referring to Act I when Polonius questions Hamlet’s true love for Ophelia...
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...Throughout history of English literature, William Shakespeare’s characters have been some of the most complex and famous characters in literature. They are played over and over again in community theaters, and their archetypes are used repeatedly in modern film and books. In Shakespeare’s play, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Hamlet is arguably displayed as one of the most dramatic character ever created. From the moment we meet the prince we are captivated by his elegant, yet intense personality. The play opens up with frightened guards forced to stand watch in the cold, dark night. They are frightened because they believe they have seen an apparition, or ghost of some sort. Prince Hamlet has just arrived home from school because his father has pasted away. To make matters worse for Prince Hamlet, his mother, Queen Gertrude, has married his uncle, Claudius, the newly appointed king, very soon after his father’s death. When Hamlet joins the guards and his good friend Horatio, they too see the ghost. They’ll all soon realize the spirit is the image of the late King Hamlet, dressed in his armor, ready to fight. From our very first encounter with Hamlet, he is consumed by grief and obsessed by death. Although he is dressed in black to signify his mourning, his emotions run deeper than his appearance. In Act 1, Scene 2, he says to his mother: ‘Tis not alone my inky cloak, good-mother, Nor customary suits of solemn black ... Together with all forms, moods, shows of grief That can denote...
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