Described by queen Gertrude in act 4, scene 7, Ophelia died by drowning. While some characters within the play may see her drowning as a suicide, Ophelia was not in her right mind to make that decision. Ophelia’s drowning was accidental, brought on by her madness. Gertrude’s description of Ophelia’s death suggests that what happened to Ophelia was an accident. When describing her death, Gertrude says, “an envious sliver broke, / When down… herself / Fell in the weeping brook” (4.7.173-175). Ophelia stayed there, singing old tunes while the heaviness of her garments pulled her down into the water. Gertrude specifically mentions that Ophelia acted, “as one incapable of her own distress” (4.7.178). Although Ophelia was willingly submissive
