Even though she’s often read as a minor character, Ophelia’s existence in Hamlet is still considered one of the most famous. Her madness stemmed from the outrageous standards Hamlet and her father, Polonius held her at. She was unable to show any emotion and was in a state of dysphoria from Polonius’s constantly meddling with her relationships, and Hamlet's blatant rejection and overreaction from their break-up. Polonius’s death was the final event to trigger her into madness, but it allowed her to make her first decision in the play; drowning herself.
