Hamlet's Love For Ophelia Essay

An Elizabethan understanding of mental health is quite unlike our conception of mental illness in the modern era. To the Elizabethan, the most accepted theory of madness was based on the Greek conception of the ‘humours’. The Greeks eliminated supernatural understandings of madness by a secular understanding based on the imbalances of bodily humours- sanguine humour(associated with air) was responsible for optimism and irresponsibility, choleric humour was responsible for short temper and…

163). Critics claim that Ophelia’s death was a suicide. In previous scenes, Ophelia displayed evidence of madness. Ophelia’s apparent madness, resulting from Hamlet’s denying his love for her as well as the sudden death of her father, is evidenced through her singing (Hamlet IV.v.161-93). When Laertes flees from the castle, Claudius tells Gertrude that they must follow him. The king is not concerned about the death of Ophelia, but rather about the potential danger that the upset Laertes may…

the stern realities of life. The dramatist has exposed the tragic weakness in the character of Hamlet at the beginning of the play. Hamlet fails to adjust his lofty ideals to existing realities of his environment, and thinks of committing suicide. Hamlet’s tragedy is the tragedy of…

revenge and his ambition. Hamlet said this to Ophelia because he thinks Polonius is listening to their conversation and wants to warn Polonius to stop spying. Abnormal word order: “shut” and “fool” “Let doors be shut upon him” is not only used metaphor that her father is going to be killed by his hand in the end of the book, it is also used foreshadowing that let readers know he will take the revenge successfully and he will lose his lover Ophelia because he treats her…

When the play opens, we learn that Hamlet’s father is recently deceased, and Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude, was quick to marry Hamlet’s uncle, who thus becomes King Claudius and Hamlet’s stepfather. The ghost of Hamlet’s deceased father shows up at the night of King Claudius’s and Queen Gertrude’s wedding, appearing before the guards. After the wedding, Horatio is then introduced…

sanity and the death of everyone he loves. Hamlet may not deal with the consequences of his sins, but before death, he certainly paid for the consequences of his actions. Hamlet’s actions seemed to be the motives of a madman, but he also proved that behind the face of a lunatic is a calculative actor that knows the role all too well. Perhaps Hamlet knew the role of a crazed man so well because he had become the role himself, yet there is no way to truly know Hamlet’s true motives and feelings.…

Hamlet’s impulsive behaviour and ruthlessness generated a chain of destructive events. His need for revenge lead him to kill Polonius, who wasn’t even involved in the situation but was an innocent and loyal advisor to Claudius. Hamlet killing Polonius affected Ophelia, Polonius’ daughter and Hamlet’s lover, leading her to lose her mind and drown herself after the absence of her father and Hamlet being…

of his father being murdered and his goal to seek revenge on the newly announced king. Hamlet also faces some external conflicts within the play this is specifically shown when his mother and uncle wish he would stop mourning his father’s death. Hamlet’s internal conflict is presented when he sees the ghost of his father. He does not quite understand what to do with the information he is given. He also faces the confusion of knowing and…

Claudius. However, Hamlet begins to stray from his moral code as the play progresses and his gradual decay impedes him from completing what he first set out to do. Hamlet’s rage fueled quest signifies the theme of vengeance corrupting one’s morals. The recurring motif of revenge seen throughout the play plays a central role in Hamlet’s progression throughout the story and begins to alter his personality. At the onset of the play Hamlet it highly depressed with the recent passing of his father…

from the tragic deaths that occured within their families. However, literary critics have questioned the authenticity of Hamlet’s so-called “insanity” for centuries. Holden’s mental illness is much more believable than the psychological issues that Hamlet claims to have. This is shown through Holden’s obsession with suicide, Hamlet’s soliloquies about his pretend madness, and Hamlet’s odd, irrational behavior that is so exaggerated, it is almost unbelievable. Throughout The Catcher in the Rye,…