Hamlet Essay On Ophelia's Madness

In William Shakespeare’s work, The Tragedy of Hamlet, it reveals Ophelia's madness and how it was brought on by a multitude of medical and social factors. Cultural restrictions always determined a woman’s behavior and the lack of having a nurturing, motherly role model left Ophelia without any source of a female advisor. Her father was overbearing and selfish, however, his sudden death at the hands of Prince Hamlet of Denmark truly left her alone. Madness is usually brought on by depression, medically speaking, and traumatic situations. The most notable destruction came from the lack of a nurturing, motherly role model, heart break from her lover Hamlet and being pregnant out of wedlock. Ophelia suffered from a severe heart break. She loved Hamlet dearly, but she was forced to obey her father …show more content…
Ophelia's mood swings throughout the play from seemingly happy to genuinely depressed show that she was indeed hurting. She simply could not continue with the painful events leading to her death. Ophelia's parents paid no attention to her, tossing her hopes and dreams aside. She continued to play the good daughter, doing what she was told and staying out of trouble. The stress of upholding the values of society and the drama that played out from King Hamlet's death till the end were too much. Did Hamlet love her? Yes, but his feigned insanity and harsh words confused her as well as leaving her hopeless. Was she pregnant? Maybe, there is not enough evidence to prove it, but there also is not enough to disprove it. Ophelia went mad because she could not understand life, her purpose; she was socially rejected and left without a father and was left without love. With no one to calm her, to show her the kindness she was denied, her very life fell forfeit to fate. Ophelia was a young lady who died due to a broken heart and a corroded