Ophelia and Jocasta are both two very significant woman from there times, they both share the anguish of male dominance. They may be considered significant due to their relationships with important men figures, but it is through these relationship that we learn of their stories and what they can tell use about these significant male characters. Often when Ophelia is discussed in regards to Hamlet she is often identified as “the object Ophelia” this implies that Ophelia is nothing more than the “object of Hamlet’s male desire. ”5 In other words Ophelia’s purpose in the play is to assist the audience in gain a further understanding of Hamlet’s personality, his behaviour towards and thoughts about woman.…
When Laertes learns of his sister Ophelia’s death, he is angry and torn with loss because he just lost his father as well. Hamlet is also shocked and angered over the loss of her. Hamlet was obsessed with Ophelia and this can be seen through his steady anguish over her. This causes him to suffer greatly with the loss of her. Laertes, unlike Hamlet shared a brotherly love for Ophelia.…
Ophelia needs to be obedient as a women in a patriarchal society, and this is what separates her from Hamlet, who has power to change his fate. In the beginning, Hamlet and Ophelia’s relationship seems like an ordinary dating couples; Hamlet makes “many tenders of his affection” on her. However, Ophelia is then frankly told by both her father, Polonius, and brother, Laertes that Hamlet does not actually loves her. And they demand her to reject Hamlet.…
Ophelia’s descent into madness is the ultimate tragedy of Hamlet when considering her family’s distrust of her worth and virtue, and her lover’s betrayal and cruelty. Ophelia’s family’s distrust of her worth and virtue…
Loving relationships are built up and destroyed when you have to make a choice. In the book Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, a side character, Ophelia, has to make a choice between her love of Hamlet and her loyalty to her father and brother. In this quote we can see that Hamlet really did love Ophelia and never wanted anything bad to happen to her: "Doubt thou the stars are fire, Doubt that the sun doth move, Doubt truth to be a liar, But never doubt I love." (2.2. 116-19). The choice that Ophelia made was to choose her brother and father who just want to protect her instead of the person that really loves her.…
Hamlet’s harsh words spark a downward spiral in Ophelia’s state of mind. Laertes being away worsens Ophelia’s emotional state. Considering Polonius’ loyalty to the King, Laertes has…
Next, Hamlet damages Ophelia emotionally when he acts “Mad as the sea and wind when both contend / Which is the mightier” (IV.i.7-8). Ophelia begins to suffer from depression as she loses her father, Polonius, and begins to believe that Hamlet does not love her. Furthermore, as stated in Lidz’s essay, “it is not her father 's murder that has driven her mad but, rather, his murder by Hamlet, the person she loves and upon whose love she has placed her hopes.” She continues by stating that “Now, she {Ophelia} can never marry him, and worse still, she has an obligation to hate him” for killing her original love; her father.…
Laertes, as Ophelia, has just lost a father and in his despair he has sworn revenge, but at seeing his sister, his anger intensifies as he states “Hadst thou thy wits, and didst persuade revenge, It could not move thus” (IV.v.169-170). Her insanity leaves her looking like someone who is in need of protection and inspires sympathy and pity from others. Laertes’ unwillingness to face his guilt of not being there for his sister transfigures into blaming others for her insanity. Even after her insanity has driven her to death, Ophelia still has an effect on the ones she left behind. She is the factor that leads to a confrontation between Hamlet and Laertes of who loved her the most even though both of them were contributors of her descent into madness.…
Betrayal has been a tool used to gain power throughout history. It has been used to climb the corporate ladder, gain political power and even win wars. At any point in history someone has been stabbed in the back for someone else’s personal gain and Shakespeare’s time was no exception. In many plays by Shakespeare, the characters are involved in physical battles in order to gain power, however; in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the battles for power are fought through spying, lies and backstabbing. In Hamlet, Shakespeare demonstrates that betrayal leads to a radical development of Hamlet’s personality.…
While this is true during the timeline of the play, small key features reveal that Hamlet once had true love for Ophelia. Ophelia had told her father at the beginning of the play that Hamlet had made promises of his love to her. Given that they were both likely teenagers, it is possible that her immaturity skewed an insignificant relationship into an illusion of love but the fact that she was so passionate in telling her father that Hamlet “hath given countenance to his speech, my lord, with almost all the holy vows of heaven” (1.3.113-14) suggests that their relationship was genuine. Later, Hamlet’s argument with Laertes at Ophelia’s grave also outlined their former love. While his declaration that “forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up [his] sum” (5.1.247-49) of love for Ophelia was at one point accurate, this didn’t reflect his feelings for her at the time.…
Ophelia, the daughter of Polonius and the sister of Laertes, is an obedient daughter. She obeyed every rule that was commanded of her. For example, Polonius warned her about Hamlet’s attitudes and affections towards her, and not to “Believe his vows . . .” (1.2.127). Polonius doubts Hamlet’s love for his daughter.…
Ophelia’s relationship to Hamlet In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, despite the fact that Hamlet lied and used Ophelia for the good of himself, he truly was in love with her. Throughout the play we notice a dramatic change from beginning to end, in regards to Hamlet’s relationship with Ophelia. In the beginning of the play we see Hamlet having feelings for Ophelia, but then we see him talk down to Ophelia and start to deny his feelings towards her. We see Hamlet writing love letters to Ophelia, in the middle of the play when Ophelia begins to go crazy she reminisces on Valentine’s day…
Hamlet’s true feelings are reveal ironically in Ophelia’s death bed, “I loved Ophelia. Forthy thousand brothers could not with all the quantity of love Make up my sum. What wilt thou do for her?”(5.1.254-319) Ophelia is the only last reminding thing that was constant in his life and someone he had a deep connection with, due to this incident, Hamlet is forever mad. During his encounters with Ophelia, He solely ignores her to not show his shattered heart so Hamlet communicates with a bad manner towards Ophelia. Hamlet is burst of love and anger about her death exclaims how he would have done anything for her.…
In Hamlet, Ophelia is portrayed as a beautiful young woman. She is the young daughter of Polonius, the sister of Laertes, and Hamlet's love interest. In the play, Ophelia is trapped amongst her obedience to her father and her love for Hamlet, which comes with several tragic consequences. Ophelia tries to be “obedient”. Ophelia is the ideal obedient daughter, a role that is required entirely of all young women in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.…
Romance and love, respectively, are a very personal experience, and therefore are different for each and every lover. In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, love is a very central idea and conflict throughout. Moreover, the most conflicting relationship happens between Hamlet and his girlfriend, Ophelia. The father of Hamlet has just passed, and Hamlet is very distressed as a result. Choosing to fake madness to get revenge against his uncle, Hamlet manages to destroy his relationship with Ophelia.…