Ophelia's Faults In Hamlet

Hamlet is the most complex character ever created in English Literature. Hamlet is a man with varying contradictions: he is reckless but cautious, courteous but rude, fragile but ferocious. He faces his father 's death with an overpowering anger, but shows no remorse when he is responsible for the deaths of Rosencrantz, Guildenstern, and Polonius. Hamlet uses Ophelia as a release for his disgust and anger towards his mother, and does not realize that he was the cause of her insanity. Regardless of his many faults, he is looked upon kindly with his faults being overshadowed by his positive qualities. How could somebody with as many negative qualities like indecisiveness, hastiness, hate, ferocity, and obsession be perceived as a hero for his …show more content…
To this resolve even the Queen, considering she has just lost the love of her life, offers up the rather unhelpful solution in stating "Thou know 'st tis common, all that lives must die/Passing through nature to eternity" (I.ii.71-72). Hamlet 's enormous amount of grief is further intensified by this lack of reaction by those around him, but more so by the insensitive actions of his mother. His mother married her brother-in-law, that happened to be taking the throne, within a month of her husband 's death. By doing this it greatly offends Hamlet, and causes him to torment himself with memories of his father 's compassion towards his mother, “So excellent a king, that was to this hyperion to a satyr, so loving to my mother, that he might not beteem the winds of heaven visit her face too roughly; heaven and earth, must I remember?...” (I.ii.141-45). This passage demonstrates the great amount of respect Hamlet has for his father and his position. This is further demonstrated by Hamlet’s analogy of King Hamlet to Hyperion, the titan god of light in greek mythology. The passage also exposes Hamlet’s repulse for Claudius by comparing him to a satyr, a creature that is half-goat and half-man, known for its drunkenness, a behavior which happens to closely resemble that of the new king, …show more content…
Even though Hamlet himself wants justice for the evil that Claudius committed, he realizes the evils that coincide with killing the king, he will have to make the choice between possibly going to heaven or hell. This places Hamlet in a predicament by being asked to murder him by the ghost. Hamlet hates the king, but he would not do anything if he were not prompted to do so by the Ghost. Hamlet is reflective and contemplative, and we see this throughout the play, but it is most apparent by the way he delays his revenge as long as he possibly can. The perfect opportunity to kill Claudius presented itself as he prayed alone, but Hamlet who excuses that the timing is not right because Claudius would be sent to