ophelia character analysis essay

Hamlet: Ophelia Character Analysis

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Although it isn’t openly stated, it is implied that Ophelia is Hamlet’s ‘girlfriend’: his betrothed, the woman he will marry. Like Hamlet, she is part of the royal court, and her father, Polonius, is a lord – so although she isn’t royalty like Hamlet, she would be a suitable match for him in Danish society.

Ophelia is used by two men in the play – her father and Hamlet – as a pawn for them to enact their deceptions. Polonius uses Ophelia to try to determine what the cause of Hamlet’s madness is (although Polonius, arrogantly, already assumes he knows that Hamlet is ‘mad for [her] love’).

Similarly, Hamlet, determined to convince Polonius and Claudius that he is mad, speaks in riddles to Ophelia and verbally attacks her. When Hamlet kills Polonius,stabbing him when Polonius is hiding behind the arras in Gertrude’s chamber, Ophelia goes mad and drowns herself.

Ophelia thus became one of Shakespeare’s most famous female tragic figures, along with Cleopatra, Cordelia, Desdemona, and, of course, Juliet. But unlike Cleopatra or Juliet, we cannot exactly call her a tragic heroine , for her rapid mental decline and suicide aren’t placed centre-stage for long.

The flower-strewing scene (IV.5) is her most famous scene, and it obviously echoes Hamlet’s own ‘madness’ in one sense (it confuses Gertrude and the rest of the court) but unlike Hamlet’s, is (we assume) entirely genuine.

Whereas Hamlet is ‘but mad north-north-west’, Ophelia is truly insane by this point. However, like Hamlet she has been severely affected by the murder of her father. Whereas Hamlet only ponders suicide (the famous ‘To be or not to be’ soliloquy ), Ophelia does actually take her own life, although this occurs off-stage.

The other most famous scene involving Ophelia is III.1, when Hamlet tells Ophelia to ‘get thee to a nunnery’ (where ‘nunnery’ can either be taken literally or be interpreted as a euphemism for ‘brothel’). As the ensuing speech makes clear, this appears to be less an attack on Ophelia herself and, in fact, not even an attack on women as such, but a tirade against all of humanity.

For Hamlet, the problem with women is not that they themselves are flawed (although we should remember Hamlet’s disgust at his own mother here, which is laced with misogyny) but that they give birth to such useless, worthless men:

Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest, but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me.

Ophelia’s problem, for Hamlet, lies not in herself but in what Danish society will encourage her to do: marry and give birth to ‘sinners’. And marry him , specifically. All men, even Hamlet himself, are ‘arrant knaves’.

The real tragedy of the character of Ophelia, then, is that she is not a tragic heroine as much as she is collateral damage in Hamlet’s mission to seek revenge for his father’s murder.

The things which destroy Ophelia – his feigned madness and verbal abuse towards her, and his inadvertent killing of her father, believing Polonius to be Claudius – are part of Hamlet’s headlong campaign to get to the truth. Poor Ophelia gets caught up in all this, and it destroys her.

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2 thoughts on “Hamlet: Ophelia Character Analysis”

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I was under the impression from the talking to Ophelia received from both her father and brother that Hamlet is trifling with her because she isn’t eligible to marry him. What is the support Ophelia is a match for Hamlet? Isn’t “lord” only a polite title for Polonius due his position?

William Shakespeare

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Ophelia Quotes in Hamlet

Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest, but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me…

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Ophelia Character Analysis (Hamlet)

Significance/ Role

Noblewomen of Denmark
Daughter of Polonius
Sister of Laertes
Hamlet’s love

Character Traits and General Facts

She is childlike and naïve in nature
She is unaware of the harsh realities of life
“No, my good lord, but, as you did command, I did repel his letters, and denied access to me” (II.2.107-109).
She defends Hamlet and loves him, despite his brutality
“I do not know, my lord, what I should think” (I. 3. 104).
This quote describes how Polonius easily manipulates Ophelia and it is evident that Polonius brings his daughter up under his control
She is unable to cope with the unfolding of one traumatic event after another and as a result she becomes insane after hearing about her father’s death and eventually drowns

Her Relationship in Accordance With Other Characters

“I have heard of your paintings well enough; God hath given you one face, and you make yourselves another: you jig, you amble, and you lisp, you nickname God’s creatures, and make your wantonness your ignorance” (III. 1. 144-148).
“Ophelia, walk you here. Gracious, so please you, we will bestow ourselves. Read on this book, that show of such an exercise may colour your loneliness” (III. 1. 43-46).
Hamlet causes all her emotional pain throughout the play
Laertes and Polonius are both so ignorant of Ophelia’s true feelings towards Hamlet

Hamlet: Polonius Character Analysis
Immortality in Hamlet
Hamlet Character Relationships
Character Analysis: Polonius in Hamlet
Hamlet: Horatio Character Analysis

I would wish you’d specify the information as you did for your Gertrude character analysis instead of using bullet points

Nice, thanks

Very Helpful To My Essay, Thanks

Can you please clarify your concern with the article?

I do not know about this. who wrote this piece on Ophelia?

William Shakespeare

Literature Notes
Hamlet at a Glance
Play Summary
About Hamlet
Character List
Summary and Analysis
Act I: Scene 1
Act I: Scene 2
Act I: Scene 3
Act I: Scene 4
Act I: Scene 5
Act II: Scene 1
Act II: Scene 2
Act III: Scene 1
Act III: Scene 2
Act III: Scene 3
Act III: Scene 4
Act IV: Scene 1
Act IV: Scene 2
Act IV: Scene 3
Act IV: Scene 4
Act IV: Scene 5
Act IV: Scene 6
Act IV: Scene 7
Act V: Scene 1
Act V: Scene 2
Character Analysis
Character Map
William Shakespeare Biography
Critical Essays
Major Themes
Yorick's Skull as a Major Symbol
Free Will and Fate
Ophelia's Dilemma
Top 8 Quotes Explained
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Character Analysis Ophelia

Ophelia is a difficult role to play because her character, like Gertrude 's, is murky. Part of the difficulty is that Shakespeare wrote his female roles for men, and there were always limitations on them that restricted and defined the characterizations devised. In the case of an ingenue like Ophelia, a very young and lovely woman, Shakespeare would have been writing for a boy. The extent to which a boy could grasp subtle nuances might have prevented the playwright from fleshing out the character more fully.

We do know that Ophelia is torn between two contradictory poles. Her father and brother believe that Hamlet would use her, that he would take her virginity and throw it away because she could never be his wife. Her heart has convinced her that Hamlet loved her, though he swears he never did. To her father and brother, Ophelia is the eternal virgin, the vessel of morality whose purpose is to be a dutiful wife and steadfast mother. To Hamlet, she is a sexual object, a corrupt and deceitful lover. With no mother to guide her, she has no way of deciphering the contradictory expectations.

Just like Hamlet, the medieval precept that the father's word is unquestionable governs Ophelia. But her Renaissance sense of romantic love also rules her. How can she be obedient to her father and true to her love? When she lies to Hamlet and tells him that Polonius is home when he is concealed in the room eavesdropping, Ophelia proves she cannot live in both worlds. She has chosen one, and her choice seals her fate.

The dilemma also forces her into madness. She has no way to reconcile the contradictory selves her men demand that she be and still retain an equilibrium. Ophelia's desperation literally drives her crazy, and she has no means with which to heal herself.

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"Hamlet's love, though never lost, was, after Ophelia's apparent rejection of him, mingled with suspicion and resentment, and that his treatment of her was due in part to this cause. And I find it impossible to resist this conclusion. But the question how much of his harshness is meant to be real, and how much assumed, seems to me impossible in some places to answer. For example, his behaviour at the play-scene seems to me to show an intention to hurt and insult; but in the Nunnery-scene (which cannot be discussed briefly) he is evidently acting a part and suffering acutely, while at the same time his invective, however exaggerated, seems to spring from real feelings; and what is pretence, and what sincerity, appears to me an insoluble problem". A. C. Bradley.

Ophelia from Shakespeare’s ”Hamlet” Essay

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In Hamlet, Shakespeare introduces a concept of women more in keeping with the traditional view than what he usually portrays. The play opens upon Hamlet’s return home following the death of his father. He finds his mother married to his uncle and the ghost of his father appears to inform Hamlet that he had not died accidentally, but rather was killed by the ambitious Claudius and, perhaps, the willing acceptance of Queen Gertrude.

As the action unfolds, Shakespeare tells of how Hamlet seeks a way to both prove what the ghost has said and bring about the revenge that is demanded if the ghost is correct. Hamlet feigns insanity to discover the truth, effectively confusing those around him as was his intention. Because he is acting outside of his normal character, he has no problem using others as they might be used against him, introducing the theme of individual manipulation.

Forced to work alone, his hesitation to act proves almost fatal to his vengeance and most certainly fatal to himself, but not before those he loves are also destroyed. While the concept of manipulation is evident in Hamlet’s actions as well as the actions of several other characters throughout the play, it is perhaps brought into the clearest focus as it applies to the women of the play, particularly Ophelia. Shakespeare employs the traditional view of the woman as a means of illustrating its more dangerous elements through his portrayal of Ophelia in her innocence, the ease with which others use her, and the suspicion that falls on her as a result of the actions of others.

According to the traditional and more popular view of the female sex, women were considered necessary but nearly mindless household accessories rather than actual people. Most of Shakespeare’s women, though, broke this mold in some way, such as the defiance of Desdemona when facing her father or the self-determination shown by Juliet. However, Ophelia floats through the Denmark castle providing little to no valuable service and seemingly without volition or true activity of her own.

Not only conforming to the traditional concept of a submissive, malleable female with little to no educated thoughts of her own, Ophelia also conforms to the traditional concept of a hero’s love interest. She is presented as a demure, chaste young girl, obedient to her father and her brother, mild-mannered and sweet. Her humble question “Not more but so?” (I, iii, 11) following Laertes’ warnings about Hamlet’s interest indicates her traditionally proper complete acceptance of a man’s opinion and directive. Her response to Laertes warning him against debauchery while at school reinforces her role as the guardian of the family soul just as her acquiescence to Laertes, as the male, reinforces that he is the guardian of the family chastity.

She is a faithful servant to the queen and is always engaged in properly frivolous activities – the sewing of decorative things and the knowledge of flowers and songs. She seems to be innocent of the plotting of those around her and proves to be incapable of comprehending the various dynamics of the events unfolding. Shakespeare seems to suggest through this portrayal that an uneducated woman is fated to be the tool of others while an educated woman may have helped avert the tragedy.

Ophelia’s role is to be used completely as a tool or ‘puppet figure’ by the more important protagonists. Seizing upon any tool they can lay their hands on, the King and Polonius readily employ Ophelia as a weapon for their own purposes. At the beginning of the play, she is told by her father in no uncertain terms, to go against her heart and spurn all communication with Hamlet: “I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth, / Have you so slander any moment leisure / As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet. / Look to’t, I charge you” (I, iii, 132-135).

While this directive can be seen as the natural reaction of a father is working to guard the chastity of his daughter, it can also be seen as a wily political move of an ambitious parent attempting to both protect the assets of the family as well as present alluring bait to the ultimate prize. This interpretation is supported in the almost over-humble way in which he approaches the King and Queen with his theory regarding the cause of Hamlet’s madness, reciting the degeneration of the prince since Ophelia had stopped receiving his messages: “And he, repelled, a short tale to make, / Fell into a sadness, then into a fast, / Thence to a watch, thence into a weakness, / Thence to a lightness, and, by this declension, / Into the madness wherein now he raves” (II, ii, 146-150).

This understanding of Hamlet’s condition (II, ii), provides Polonius with the tool he’s been seeking in the form of his daughter for greater court security as well as providing the King with a tool, again Ophelia, to use against Hamlet himself.

Precisely because of her perfection in her role as the quintessential princely favorite and potential tool, Hamlet is suspicious of her. Not only is Hamlet aware that his already expressed feelings for Ophelia may be used by his enemies against him, he is suspicious of Ophelia’s possible complicity with these enemies, indicating he is aware of a latent intelligence. While this was displayed through her quick wit in turning Laertes’ instructions around, her silence elsewhere makes this easy to forget. Although she is very obviously in love with Hamlet, presenting Hamlet’s pursuit of her in the most honorable and noble terms possible, she is also very obviously torn between her maidenly duty to obey her male elders and the feelings of her heart.

This confusion, as well as the conflicting instructions of her elders, further supports Hamlet’s suspicion that Ophelia may be acting in conscious concert with his uncle. Because he does have feelings for her, he tries to protect her in case she is innocent by hinting at his continued attraction for her as in the play scene – “Lady shall I lie in your lap?” (III, ii, 127) – yet he also rails against her as a means of expressing his thoughts to the other woman he feels has so wronged both him and his father. His mother’s recent treachery has opened his eyes to the devious nature of women and he continues to question whether Ophelia’s innocent-seeming confusion is instead a skillful manipulation of inborn feminine evil.

Without even realizing it, Ophelia thus becomes the pawn of the play. She is unaware of Claudius’ complicity in the death of Hamlet’s father as both Hamlet and the King, of course, are. She innocently believes what her elders have told her, as she has been taught to believe since her earliest childhood and has already proven to have learned well. Because she truly loves Hamlet, Polonius and the King believe she will successfully subdue Hamlet.

For Polonius, either his daughter provides Hamlet with a sudden cure and his family becomes firmly attached to the crown or Hamlet is truly crazy and Polonius will continue in his current function. The risk is small while the rewards are great. For the King, he will gain a clearer understanding of Hamlet’s current behavior, of which he has already become suspicious. However, Hamlet’s recent revelation regarding his mother, coupled with Ophelia’s sudden changes of heart as a result of differing directives, hardens him to also use Ophelia as a puppet.

By portraying the women of Hamlet in ways that are more in keeping with the traditional values of continental Europe, Shakespeare seems to be making an argument in favor of providing women with education and autonomy. Had Ophelia not been brought up to be meek and mild, consistently and completely following the directives of her elders, she perhaps would not have aroused suspicion in Hamlet and instead provided him with an additional individual to confide in. At the same time, she could have avoided her own personal tragedy by avoiding the maddening conflict of emotions that was created when her elders bade her go against the dictates of her heart.

While making women little more than puppets may seem like a good idea to men, Shakespeare demonstrates through Ophelia that the practice, in reality, is a tremendous deficit to the welfare of the woman, the household, and the country overall. In Hamlet, Shakespeare’s style differed from many of his other works by portraying women more realistically to the era, bringing about tragedy, the death of a kingdom, and an unforgettable warning regarding the proper treatment of women in society is to remain healthy.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. “Hamlet.’ The Complete Works of Shakespeare. Alfred Harbage (Ed.). London: Penguin Books, 1969, pp. 930-976.

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Hamlet by William Shakespeare - Ophelia Character Analysis essay

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Character Sketch of Ophelia in the Play Hamlet

Ophelia is the one seemingly loved by Hamlet who is the protagonist of the play written by Shakespeare. She is the daughter of Polonius, the chief councillor to the King of Denmark. In the very beginning, the naivete inherent in Ophelia can be seen when her brother Laertes is advising her before leaving for France.

Ophelia doesn’t love Hamlet with enough strength to discard what her brother and father impose upon her. In an indifferent manner she “ repels his letters and denied access to her ” without even caring about Hamlet’s state of mind who in complete despair and betrayal could come only to her. She shows an unbearable incapacity of defending herself and thinking for herself, so she says, “ I do not know, my lord, what I should think. ”

In complete disarray of his state of mind, he finally chides Ophelia in the famous Nunnery scene with “ Get thee to a nunnery. ” Ophelia also understands the depth of Hamlet’s personality. It becomes obvious when seeing Hamlet leaving the scene in an erratic manner makes her say, “ O, what a noble mind is here o’erthrown. ”

The reason may be a composition of poles apart conflict in her. After realising the frailty in his mother, Hamlet must’ve sought compensation from Ophelia’s integrity but her silence and passivity infuriate him and in the torn apart state Ophelia gives in to disintegration.

Here, Ophelia remains unable to understand Hamlet in a condition where her overprotective typical father and brother who are closed to her true feelings, dissuade her from the very onset of her heart’s affair with Hamlet.

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Ophelia Character Analysis Essay

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Introduction

Ophelia character description, feminist literary criticism of ophelia, ophelia character analysis, ophelia, gender and madness, works cited.

This Ophelia character analysis essay focuses on feminist literary criticism of one of two female characters in Hamlet. The paper offers Ophelia character description, explains its role and importance in the play, and highlights the themes of gender and madness in Shakespeare’s most famous play.

Harold Bloom, in “Hamlet: Poem Unlimited” is not shy while stating who he believes is responsible for Ophelia’s insanity and ensuing death. The blame lies directly on Hamlet as Bloom states, “Yet in effect, he is murdering Ophelia, and starting her on the path to suicide” (Bloom 41). Ophelia loves Hamlet with a passion that can be recognized by the swooning and obsessive talking about the prince. Bloom speaks of Ophelia with the highest praise, describing her as “fragile” and “lovely,” while on the other hand “Hamlet is monstrous to torment her into her true madness (Bloom 42). His blithe concern after slaughtering Polonius would be another candidate”, Bloom states, as regards to the events that sent Ophelia into a mindset of insanity (Bloom 41).

Ophelia’s is set up for death from the first act of the play, in Ophelia’s encounters with Polonius and Laertes. Ophelia speaks about Hamlet’s love towards her as she says, “He hath, my lord, o flate made many tenders of his affection to me. I do not know, my lord, what I should think” (I.iii.112). Ophelia openly expresses her confusion about her love life early on, and Polonius’s hatred of Hamlet only fuels her confusion. “Affection, pooh,” (I.iii.109) Even though Ophelia is not the central character in the play ‘Hamlet’, she is still an important one. Since Shakespeare wrote the play in the early 1600s, depending on the theatrical performances and director’s view, audience’s and critics’ interpretations of Ophelia have changed dramatically throughout the past 400 years.

Ophelia is the daughter of Polonius, the king’s counselor, and the love interest of Prince Hamlet. Ophelia is a sweet and innocent young woman who is deeply in love with Hamlet. She is also highly vulnerable and susceptible to the manipulations of those around her. Her father and brother both try to control her actions and relationships, and she is ultimately driven mad by the events of the play.

Shakespeare, in the portrayal of Ophelia shows how men in a strong patriarchal society controlled women in the 1600s. The influence of men in Ophelia’s life is evident throughout by the relationships with the men in her life. It is interesting to note that Ophelia’s first scene is in a very domestic setting. Her brother, Laertes is stressing to Ophelia the fickleness of young love showing men’s attitudes towards women in the period by assuming that Ophelia cannot think for herself. (Ronk, 21-43) Ophelia is obviously uncertain or doubtful about Laertes’ argument but she is still in awe of him so she answers monosyllabically: ‘No more but so?’

She has a small ration of dialogue compared to Laertes’s grand lecture suggesting the overpowering control that he has over his sister. Laertes speaks in a very verbose manner and even begins to sound arrogant and hypocritical. Ophelia’s father, Polonius enters saying:

‘Yet here Laertes? Aboard, aboard for shame!’

Elaine Showalter, a feminist critic suggests that Polonius was willing to let his son leave for France without a farewell or wishes of good luck from his father. Therefore, she says there was little hope for a strong father- daughter relationship between Polonius and Ophelia if he had failed with Laertes. (Showalter, 77-94) Polonius disabuses her of her longing for a relationship with Hamlet and tells here that:

‘You do not understand yourself so clearly/ as behoves my daughter and your honour’

Rather than sympathizing with Ophelia, Polonius almost ridicules her by saying she not only does not understand her duty as a woman but she does not understand herself. Eventually Ophelia agrees and disregards her own thoughts:

Ophelia: ‘I don’t know, my lord, what I should think.’

Polonius: ‘think yourself a baby’.

Polonius’s choice of words here suggests that Ophelia is a caged beast, again with no real will of her own, which may eventually escape. The word ‘loose’ was also closely related to prostitutes, which could imply the disrespect felt towards women in the period. When Freudian interpretations of ‘Hamlet’ became popular in the 20th century, Ophelia was seen as having an…

‘Unresolved oedipal attachment’…to Polonius.

There are no scenes of Hamlet and Ophelia alone, perhaps to avoid a scene of sexual intimacy because in the Jacobean theatre they would have all been male actors. The audience only hears of the relationship through the conversation of others. We see how Hamlet’s obsession with his mother’s re-marriage and possible infidelity with Claudius changes his outlook and opinion of women, including Ophelia. On the order of Polonius, Ophelia presents Hamlet with the tokens of affections he previously gave her. She interrupts his ‘to be or not to be’ soliloquy, though it is possible that she hears it and that Hamlet himself is aware of her presence. In this case, she is a victim again, already spied on by her own father and Claudius, but now also by Hamlet playing the role of the ‘melancholic’ man.

Perhaps because the world is too corrupt for Ophelia to remain pure so she must withdraw herself and enter the world of a convent. Yet more likely, it is being critical of her by being aware that she is being used by her father against Hamlet and calling her a whore for allowing someone else to use her. The reference to a ‘nunnery’ then would mean a brothel as it was used in colloquial speech during the period. Once alone, Ophelia is free form male influence. Interestingly, Ophelia becomes her most articulate and describes her ideal Prince and herself as:

‘I of ladies most deject and wretched That sucked the honey of his music vows’

These two lines are the only allusions to her own feelings, yet she can only think when she is free from male empowerment. Later Hamlet again uses crude and coarse language to ridicule Ophelia.

‘I think nothing my lord’

…Ophelia tells Hamlet in the Mousetrap Scene, and he cruelly twists her words:

Hamlet: ‘That’s a fair thought to lie between maid’s legs

Ophelia: ‘What is, my lord?’

Hamlet: ‘Nothing’

Ophelia is a woman completely controlled by men; the frailest aspect of her seems to be that whether by nature or nurture she cannot exist without men. Although her feelings are not taken seriously, she needs men to guide her perceptions of the world, as she has been convinced that she is incapable of trusting her own. Once her male support begins to diminish, so does her state of mind. It seems as though her thoughts and emotions that were blocked by sanity and by the repressive society are given free expression in her madness. (MacDonald, 309-17) The restrains that were placed on her through society ‘Are moved, a secret life rises up and overwhelms her.’ Ophelia’s lunatic ravings reveal the nature of her young mind, full with suppressed sexual ideas, her obsession with death, beauty and her own desires and are far more explicit than in any other scene:

‘Then up he rose and donned his clothes And dupped the chamber door; Let in the maid that out a maid Never departed more’

Modern interpretations have been influenced by growing awareness about social and family pressures and female schizophrenia. (Roberts, 26-36) The different interpretations depend on the changing views of women and Ophelia herself is ‘a character of multiple and changing perspectives. The final farewell to Ophelia is symbolic in many ways, her lover and her brother fighting over her love.

‘I will fight with him upon this theme Until my eyelids will no longer wag.

Even in death, Ophelia is seen as an object fought over by men, who in the patriarchal society that she lived in valued possessions and their worth over women themselves.

‘For most critics of Shakespeare, Ophelia has been an insignificant minor character in the play, touching in her weakness and madness but chiefly interesting, of course in what she tells us of Hamlet.’ Unlike Hamlet in the play, Ophelia does not struggle with moral choices.

It has often been reproached to Ophelia that she is a deplorably weak character and many seem unable to forgive her that she doesn’t raise to a heroine. First of all, Shakespeare meant to stress out the character of Hamlet and not the love story of hamlet and Ophelia therefore no other character can be Hamlet’s equal in spirit, power or intelligence. That’s why he’s the only person who rises to the tragic level. Now, Ophelia had to be such so as to be unable to help Hamlet. The character of Ophelia could not have been that of a tragic heroine but it contains a lot of pathetic beauty. Ophelia is plainly quite young and inexperienced. She has lost her mother and has only a father and a brother to take care of her. She loves them deeply, though her love for her father is mingled with fear. (Burnett, 48-56) She has given to Hamlet all the love she is as yet capable, because she could be close to childhood and her first affections could still be too strong for a deep love for a man to be developed.

The two men left, who burdened Ophelia’s life, now admit their true feelings, but this is of little use to her now that she is dead. Even though the affections of the characters seem to be touching, in the quarrel that arises between Laertes and Hamlet, Ophelia, even in death, is seen as an object fought over by men. The two of them claim that each one of them would have done more for Ophelia. Their arguments can neither flatter nor bring honour to Ophelia. The two of them boast about their love, both of which remained unknown to Ophelia when she was still alive.

Ophelia obeys her father, and we must remember before we judge that the standards of obedience to father was much more rigorous in the days of Shakespeare than nowadays. But she does more than obey, she reports his visit, shows the letter, and takes part in a plot against him. But let us look at the fact that she understands and knows little and that the father whom she thinks the absolute authority on life is convinced that Hamlet is mad because of the love she has denied him. She is frightened like a child. She goes to the adults and believes that they want to help Hamlet overcome his madness. When she lies in the Nunnery-scene she does so to protect her father from a love-crazed lunatic who has just harassed her. Finally, one must take into consideration the utter loneliness that must have fallen on her at the end of the play: her father is dead, her brother is away, and the man she loves is away and mad. She goes mad but not in a horrible and horrifying way. In her madness Ophelia continues sweet and loveable.

Hamlet’s treatment of Ophelia shapes and brings life to the two characters as well as their downfall. They are given a chance to free themselves from the “chains” of men-control, but their doing so, either purposely or not, brings nothing good, but instead their death. Shakespeare chose the female characters to be punished for their disobedience, so as to emphasize the inferior and discriminating status women occupy in the tragedy of Hamlet. The two women surrounding Hamlet are innocent victims of other people’s wrongdoings.

Burnett, Mark Thornton. “Ophelia’s ‘False Steward’ Contextualized.” The Review of English Studies 46.181 (1995): 48-56.

Harold Bloom Hamlet: Poem Unlimited: Riverhead Trade (2004) 41-42.

MacDonald, Michael. “Ophelia’s Maimed Rites. Shakespeare Quarterly 15 (1986): 309-17.

Roberts, Leonard, and Mary Virginia Evans. “‘Sweets to the Sweet’: Arthur Hughes’s Versions of Ophelia.” Journal of Pre-Raphaelite Studies 1.2 (1988): 26-36.

Ronk, Martha C. “Representations of Ophelia.” Criticism 36.1 (1994): 21-43.

Showalter, Elaine. “Representing Ophelia: Women, Madness and the Responsibilities of Feminist Criticism.” In Shakespeare and the Question of Theory. Patricia Parker and Geoffrey Hartman, eds. New York: Methuen, 1985. 77-94.

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As with the other posts on Claudius and Gertrude, this is a summary of Ophelia’s main appearances in the play. It is not an interpretation of her character – you have to make up your own mind. Is she a person we admire or pity? Why? Is she limited in what she can say and do because she is a woman living in Shakespearean times and thus must obey the men in her life? (If we judge her for being weak we are assuming she is free to act differently) Is she a good daughter? A good girlfriend to Hamlet? Does she deliberately hurt those around her? Do they hurt her? How does she respond? Does she deserve the suffering she goes through in the play? Does she deserve the way she dies?

Act 1, scene 3 Laertes & Polonius warn her off Hamlet.

When Laertes warns her to guard her virtue and protect her reputation and virginity “ Be wary then best safety lies in fear ” Ophelia shows a lively spirit and a quick mind in her response “ Do not, as some ungracious pastors do, show me the steep and thorny way to heaven whiles…himself the primrose path of dalliance treads “. )Here she teases her brother for being a hypocrite).
Ophelia attempts to defend Hamlet “ My lord he hath importuned me with love in honourable fashion ” even though her father suggests that Hamlet’s love for her isn’t genuine and ridicules her naiveity “ Affection, pooh! You speak like a green girl “.
She gives in quite easily when Polonius forbids her from seeing Hamlet again “ I shall obey my lord “. A modern audience may expect her to (in the words of Cheryl Cole) fight fight fight fight fight for this love but this was unheard of in Shakepearean times when women were completely dependent on first their fathers and later their husbands for literally everything – food, clothes, shelter, security. They didn’t dare disobey. Even expressing an opinion here was brave on Ophelia’s part.
The dramatic function of this scene is to emphasise that yet another person is betraying Hamlet and at the moment when he needs her the most – he cannot turn to his mother, his father is dead and now the last person he is close to (his girlfriend) is about to turn her back on him too. We don’t necessarily blame her; nonetheless Hamlet has our sympathy as a result of her poorly timed rejection of him.

Act 2. scene 1 Ophelia describes Hamlet’s bizarre behaviour when he visited her in her chambers.

Ophelia describes Hamlet’s visit – his clothes were untidy “ his doublet all unbraced “, he appeared deeply sad and distressed “ with a look so piteous in purport as if he had been loosed out of hell to speak of horrors ” and seemed unsure of Ophelia “ he took me by the wrist and held me hard…he falls to such persual of my face as he would draw it ” and then turned away but did not confide in her “ he raised a sigh so piteous and profound as it did seem to shatter all his bulk and end his being “. We wonder why she didn’t follow him as he left, or make a greater effort to discover the cause if his misery – if someone you loved behaved like this would you not do everything you could to find out what was troubling them, so that you could help end their misery and distress?
Ophelia reveals that she has broken off their relationship “ as you did command I did repel his letters and denied his access to me “. Her use of the word command implies that she didn’t feel she had a choice. Her concern following his visit shows that she cares for him and did not intentionally add to his suffering. This scene also convinces us that Hamlet’s love for Ophelia is genuine but he is no longer sure that he can trust her – or any woman – because of his mother’s actions and because of Ophelia’s rejection of him.

Act 3, scene 1 The Nunnery Scene

Ophelia is told how to behave when Hamlet appears “ Walk you here…Read on this book ” . Iit is probably unfair to judge her for ‘going along’ with this plan to use her as bait because she was mosly likely never consulted – she is but a pawn in a game of chess being played by her father & Claudius (as a woman & the King’s subject she must obey).
Any hesitations she has are probably balanced out by her desire to see Hamlet again and her hope that her father is right – that Hamlet is lovesick – because if this is true, then there is a possibility that they can be reunited, if only to cure Hamlet of his melancholy and madness. (In her mind this is probably her best chance of getting her father to approve of them as a couple).
Ophelia rejects Hamlet a second time by trying to return the gifts he gave her when they were together (imagine how hurt you’d be if your ex did this, as though your entire relationship meant nothing). She defends this saying “ Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind ” implying that she once treasured these love tokens but now – because of Hamlet’s ‘unkindness’ – no longer sees them in the same light. This seems highly unfair to Hamlet. After all, she broke up with him and his unkindness towards her now (“ Get thee to a nunnery “) springs from the pain of her rejection. He is deeply insulted that she thought so little of him (that he was only after her virginity) so easily (just because her father and brother said so) and this is why he makes jokes about her chastity (“ I’ll give thee this plague for a dowry: be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow “). He also starts to believe that all women are this fickle and untrustworthy “ wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them” “ God hath given you one face and you make yourselves another “. He also seems to know that Polonius is spying on them – in his mind further proof that women cannot be trusted, as she seems to be helping the ‘enemy’!
Despite his cruel words and erratic behaviour, Ophelia refuses to think badly of Hamlet – the Hamlet she knows would never treat her like this. Again we sense that these are two star-crossed lovers torn apart by circumstances and misunderstandings yet truly in love and meant to be together. Ophelia opts instead to believe that he is mad “ O what a noble mind is here o’erthrown” “O woe is me, to have seen what I have seen, to see what I see” .

Act 3, scene 2 The Player’s Play

Ophelia remains calm despite Hamlet’s lewd sexual innuendos “ Lady shall I lie in your lap?” “Did you think I meant country matters “. It is almost as if he is deliberately acting like a Lothario (a man who seduces women) to make fun of her belief that that’s the kind of man he is. Remember though, she only began to think this because her father put this thought in her head and now it’s possible that his behaviour is confirming for Ophelia that he really is like this!

Act 4, scene 5 Ophelia’s madness

Gertrude reluctantly agrees to speak to Ophelia, who enters, obviously mad, singing love songs. Her father has been murdered by the man she loves and her mind cannot cope with the horror of what has happened “ I would give you some violets but they withered all when my father died “. She has moments of sanity where she contemplates the heartbreaking reality of burying her father “ I cannot choose but weep to think they would lay him ‘i the cold ground “.

Act 4, scene 7 & Act 5, scene 1 Ophelia’s death and funeral

The description of her death is one of the most haunting & poignant in all of literature and has inspired many famous paintings. Even the hardest of hearts melts with pity to hear how this beautiful innocent creature met her end “ Her clothes spread wide and mermaid like awhile they bore her up, which time she chanted snatches of old lauds as one incapable of her own distress “. The dramatic function of this description is to emphasise how damaging Hamlet’s delay has been for all concerned.
The tributes paid to Ophelia at her graveside remind the audience that she was essentially a pawn in a game she neither asked to play nor understood. Gertrude laments what could have been “ I hoped thou shouldst have been my Hamlet’s wife ” , Laertes emphasises her innocence “ Lay her ‘i th’ earth, and from her fair and unpolluted flesh let violets spring ” (He blames Hamlet for her death because his murder of Polonius is what drove her mad) and Hamlet, blinded by grief and rage that he might be held responsible proclaims “ I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum “.

Ophelia’s dramatic function in the play is to do the following:

Illustrate how powerless women were in Elizabethan times, living in a male-dominated society where men had absolute control over their wives and daughters.
Emphasise Hamlet’s absolute isolation – if he cannot trust her, can he trust anyone?
Remind us how easily true love can be destroyed, through circumstances and misunderstandings.
Show how easily innocent people can get caught up in external political events and end up dead, particularly if those in power are corrupt.
Highlight the tragic consequences of Hamlet’s inaction.

Now you need to organise this information into 6 coherent paragraphs

First look at Ophelia’s manipulation by her father and brother and how this relates to her position as a woman in this era.
Examine her rejection of Hamlet & reaction when he visits her.
Next analyse her interaction with Hamlet in the nunnery scene and before the play.
Fourthly look at her madness.
Fifthly look at the impact of her death on the audience – the imagery used is designed to arouse our sympathy.
Finally discuss the tributes paid to her by other characters.

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At the beginning of the play, poor Ophelia, the maiden fair, possesses everything necessary to obtain the condition that passed for a happy marriage at that times. She is young, innocent, beautiful and completely obedient. Both Polonius and Laertes warn her not to get into a too intimate relationship with young Hamlet, and for a good reason: Hamlet’s behavior was far from normal even before he met the old king’s ghost. Also, one should note the fact that after the power shift the heredity line can be changed, so young Hamlet might not be a man any girl would like to marry anymore. Ophelia obeys, as a good daughter and sister should, and agrees to stop seeing Hamlet. This does not stop Hamlet from seeing her: in fake fit of insanity he wanders into her room. Later, Ophelia meets Hamlet in accordance with the plan hatched by her father, Polonius. Hamlet, determined to keep his fake madness, tells her a lot about women nature, recommends her to go to a nunnery (i.e., a brothel, not a monastery), and crowns this heap of offensive statements by proclaiming the absence of his love to her. Offended, Ophelia tells Polonius that Hamlet is indeed insane. After that, she mostly keeps her offences to herself, while Hamlet throws openly sexual innuendos during a performance arranged by him.

Critics dispute what could have happened behind the scenes, a possibility of Hamlet and Ophelia having sex, in particular. Whatever happened, the death of Polonius becomes a proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back: Ophelia has a mental breakdown and goes completely insane. Her actions and words have now nothing to do with innocence and purity; in fact, these are the words and songs of a nymphomaniac. Queen Gertrude is deeply and sincerely upset, seeing beautiful Ophelia in such a state. Not long after that, the poor girl accidentally falls into a river and drowns.

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Ophelia in the Essays

Author: Angel Bell

Ophelia Character Analysis

The Hamlet play portrays Hamlet the protagonist as having the love of his life be Ophelia, Hamlet’s one true love. Even though Hamlet does not show it at all times Hamlet loves Ophelia. Ophelia is often judged as a woman who cannot make up her mind because she loved Hamlet back and forth until Hamlet’s demise. Hamlet’s death was the hardest thing Ophelia had to go through in her life since Hamlet was her true love.

Hamlet always takes advantage of Ophelias love for him, while he is courting other girls behind her back Hamlet still tells her that she is his one and only sweet lady. Hamlet does not show any affection towards Ophelia except when Hamlet is telling Gertrude that he will get married after his father’s death which shows that Hamlet’s love for Ophelia is mostly based on convenience because Hamlet’s father did not allow him to get married yet, this adds an interesting aspect because if Hamlet’s father would have allowed it Hamlet would be with another girl other than Ophelia.

Hamlet cold-heartedness towards Ophelia can be seen when Hamlet is trying to get his mother to give up her maidenhood for Hamlet as Hamlet says “Give me that Maid which never hath been wooed, / Which ne’er consent, nor ne’er deny’d what I would suitor. // I will have her”. Hamlet’s cold words do not even show a little bit of affection and love since he clearly states that he wants this girl and the reason why Hamlet wants Ophelia so bad is because she has always given Hamlet attention, unlike other girls who didn’t pay enough attention.

Hamlet’s true self comes forward through this scene where we see him upset with Ophelia because Hamlet thinks she is betraying him for Polonius. Hamlet’s words are “I did love you once” which shows that Hamlet has no affection for Ophelia anymore. Hamlet is trying to reason with Ophelia saying that he never loved her but then Hamlet changes his mind and says that maybe it was lust, not true love putting Ophelia in a position where Hamlet does not know what he feels for Ophelia making her feel confused about Hamlet’s feelings towards her.

The main thing which drives Hamlet crazy is the fact that his mother Claudius marries so fast, Hamlet’s father dies only 2 months after marrying Gertrude making us wonder if Hamlet is the right king of Denmark Hamlet is just too emotional with everything that has to do with his father, Hamlets fights with Ophelia could also be because Hamlet cannot face the fact that he might have killed his father.

Hamlet sees Ophelias death in a way where Hamlet does not really care about what is happening he thinks “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray you love, remember: and there is pansies; that’s for thoughts” making it seem like Hamlet’s sadness towards Ophelia’s death was only caused by her death opening up the possibility of somebody replacing her.

The most significant turning point which makes Hamlet go insane is when Polonius dies Hamlet does not really care about the death of Hamlet’s father or Hamlets mothers remarriage, Hamlet even goes as far as to say that he is glad those people are gone; Hamlet does not really care about what happens but when Polonius dies Hamlet gets upset and starts acting like a mad man. Hamlet’s actions towards Ophelia could be because she was the only one who gave Hamlet attention and lovemaking Hamlet feel lonely.

The other reason why Hamlet acts like this might be because Gertrude married Claudius too quickly after the death of his father making him feel uncomfortable with everyone around him and wanting to escape from them which makes us wonder if this was actually a mental illness Hamlet was suffering from or Hamlet acting out because of the death of his father. Hamlet’s feelings towards Ophelia are mostly based on convenience because Hamlet does not show any real affection toward her except when Hamlet is talking about marrying her which would have been Hamlet’s plan if his father allowed him to get married.

Hamlet sees the only person who has ever loved him as a betrayer and makes Hamlets misery even worse than it already is making Hamlets relationship with Ophelia seem like a very toxic one where both people involved just bring pain to each other and feel nothing else for each other besides dislike and hatred which could be why Hamlets actions towards Ophelia were so cold throughout the play.

Hamlet’s death is tragic but Hamlet does not really care about it causing Hamlet’s death to be even more tragic because Hamlet was voluntarily dying which makes Hamlet’s death seem pointless. The reason why Hamlet acts the way he does towards Ophelia might be because of the fact that Hamlet never knew his father or got enough love from his mother, Hamlet’s feelings for Ophelia are mostly based on convenience since she was the only one who gave Hamlet attention making him feel wanted and loved.

There also might be some mental illness going on with Hamlet due to the fact that Hamlet’s father’s ghost came and spoke to him and said “Remember me” which made Hamlet go mad and start acting like a mad man which makes us start to wonder if Hamlet was actually mentally ill or Hamlet just started acting this way because he is sick of Claudius being the king and Hamlets mother marrying him so quickly after Hamlet’s father died.

Hamlets main relationship throughout the play starts with Ophelia and end on her dead body Hamlet’s relationships with everyone else in the play only made his life worse and drove him more insane than before, Hamlet goes as far as accusing his best friend of betraying him when he went through everything alone without any comfort from anyone Hamlet even says that “Get thee to a nunnery: why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? making it seems like Hamlet’s feelings towards Ophelia are mostly based on the fact that Hamlet is lonely and does not know what to do now that he has no father or mother Hamlet even says “I loved Ophelia: forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum” which makes Hamlet’s feelings seem like a very toxic relationship since Hamlet just wanted someone to love and feel wanted and needed by somebody.

Hamlet sees Ophelia as a betrayer which makes Hamlets misery worse than it already was, Hamlet’s relationship with Ophelia seemed to be more based on convenience because Hamlet never had anyone who actually cared about him except for his mother, this also seems like a very toxic relationship making it so both people involved do nothing but cause pain to each other. Hamlet’s death is a very tragic one because Hamlet wanted to die for a full year and Hamlet was just a willing victim in his own death making Hamlet’s death pointless.

The reason why Hamlet acted the way he did towards Ophelia might have been because of Gertrude’s quick marriage after Hamlet’s father died which made Hamlet feel very alone and betrayed, there could also be some mental illness going on with Hamlet since Hamlet’s father appeared to him and said “Remember me” which sent Hamlet off the deep end causing him to look like a mad man this could be why Hamlet’s feelings towards Ophelia were so cold throughout the play.