ipl-logo

Self Expression In Ophelia In Shakespeare's Hamlet

926 Words4 Pages

Self expression is a crucial component for happiness, and the inability to do so would drive anyone mad. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Hamlet is furious with his uncle for murdering his father and wants to avenge his father’s death, but he fails to act on all presented opportunities, and, instead, unintentionally causes many other people’s deaths. This classic tragedy is world-renowned. Yet, many people do not know the characters well, especially not Ophelia. She is viewed by the audience as a feeble woman, who is hopelessly in love and incapable of making her own decisions. However, her character is much more complex. She is in a constant internal battle throughout the play but is never able to voice her concerns or opinions. All her life, Ophelia was not allowed to think for herself, but her madness--which was the result of cruelty from men in her life--enabled her to express herself at last. …show more content…

Hamlet, her father Polonius, and her brother Laertes decide everything for her. When she gets the chance to make a choice, she does not know how. “At four different times she say, ‘I do not know what to think, my lord,’ twice to her father and twice to Hamlet” (Montgomery Byles 1712). She wants to satisfy the desires of men and is confused when her feelings conflict with their wishes. She does not speak up or voice her opinion. Instead, Ophelia obediently carries out her father’s wishes to stop seeing Hamlet even though she loves him. “She is not allowed to have, much less declare an emotional world of her own” (Montgomery Byles 1713). To fulfill her father’s requests, she sacrifices her own happiness. Ophelia “...exists in a world created by their need…” (Montgomery Byles 1713). Ophelia’s whole life revolves around demands from the men she loves. She is expected to satisfy their wishes, but they never stop to think about her

Show More
Related

  • Ophelia's Internal Conflict Analysis

    87 Words  | 1 Pages

    We see Ophelia torn between her desire to be near Hamlet or pleasing her father and her brother. This clearly represents a massive internal conflict to Ophelia. Especially when she has been ordered by her father to stay away from Hamlet. Then, He ordered again to be the bait for Cladius who 's want to snoop on her conversation with Hamlet. Hence, Ophelia placed for the second time in a difficult choice, She must choose between her loyalty to her father or her loyalty to her lover

    Read More

  • The Role Of Insanity In Hamlet

    645 Words  | 3 Pages

    By verbally harassing Ophelia and estranging himself from her, Hamlet provides the apparent image of losing his prior care without a great amount of consideration. Additionally, Hamlet further displays his anger for his father’s death through this display. By dissolving his relationship with Ophelia, Hamlet furthers his image of insanity to further illustrate himself as incapable within Claudius’s eyes while still communicating distaste for his loss of his father. With Hamlet’s intentionally swift change of heart for Ophelia, Hamlet’s procedure warrants a certain level of sanity. Regardless of the sudden nature, Hamlet’s continual barring from Ophelia possesses procedure which causes further doubt of Hamlet’s mental instability from the audience of the

    Read More

  • How Is Ophelia Presented In Hamlet

    948 Words  | 4 Pages

    Women have been dominated and manipulated by men for many years. In Hamlet, the character Ophelia was living under the demands of her father. She didn’t actually decide anything for herself. She obeyed every demand she received from her father Polonius because for her it was a form of loyalty. When Polonius was killed by Hamlet, she became vulnerable since she no longer had the person who decided everything for her.

    Read More

  • Dialectical Journal Of Hamlet

    981 Words  | 4 Pages

    As the innocent victim of Hamlet’s feigned madness, Ophelia’s insanity is a product of her inability to cope with Hamlet and her father’s death. Her songs show hidden grief and sorrow; her flowers represent the fact that beneath the innocent exterior, there is a weakness or flaw in everyone. Hamlet was able to look past his grief for his father’s death, but he caused someone he loves to be in pain. Whether it is the frailty of women, sorrow, or death, anything, including love, can appear to be pleasant, but can be the ultimate cause of a person’s

    Read More

  • Examples Of Insanity In Hamlet

    1154 Words  | 5 Pages

    Ophelia’s madness is caused by the actions of others in the story. “Madness becomes Ophelia’s last resort, her unconscious revolt. Indeed what else is left for her to do? Offering her an escape, madness provides her with the ability to finally speak her anger and desire” (Dane,412).Her father tells her to stay away from Hamlet, who she has fallen in love with. Hamlet has warned her earlier that whatever he tells her in the future will not be true but, when he tells her he does not intent to be with her it starts the beginning of her madness.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Hamlet Play And Movie

    939 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ophelia’s character went through quite a large transformation. In the play her father tells her that she is to stay away from Hamlet and she readily agrees. In the movie Ophelia doesn’t disagree with her father but she also doesn’t agree just to please him. This shows that Ophelia isn’t easily persuaded, even by her own father. Despite her father’s warning about Hamlet, Ophelia met with him in secret at her apartment until her father found out.

    Read More

  • Hamlet A Misogynist Analysis

    937 Words  | 4 Pages

    Hamlet once again fails to understand that Ophelia much like himself is only trying to stay loyal to her father, much like what he is doing himself. In addition, Hamlet blames woman for giving birth to such evil and deceiving men like Claudius and himself. When he was talking to Ophelia he told her "Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest, but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better

    Read More

  • Hamlet Compare And Contrast Hamlet And Ophelia

    932 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ophelia goes mad throughout the story. She is overwhelmed by the loss of her father and the rejection of Hamlet. Her character is seen spiraling down a dark path that also ends in death. Ophelia is depicted as not having control over her actions; speaking and acting erratically. While Hamlet is speaking erratically and behaving oddly, he still maintains control over his actions and movement throughout the story.

    Read More

  • Ophelia's Double Standard Essay

    478 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thus, Ophelia’s “madness” is determined by the extent to which she subverts female gender expectations. The more she exhibits traits traditionally associated with men, the more “mad” she becomes. In this context, Ophelia serves as both a caricature and a warning against female enlightenment as told through a patriarchal lense. She is ultimately ostracized from society, implying that women who seek freedom will receive the same fate as

    Read More

  • Hamlet: The Cause Of Ophelia's Suicide

    745 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ophelia is grieving the loss of her father after Hamlet kills him. Ophelia doesn't know that Hamlet killed her father. But Ophelia has gone mad from learning about her father's death. Also, after Hamlet telling Ophelia that she needs to go to a nunnery, Ophelia is a little bit discouraged. She is discouraged because Hamlet had told her before that if Ophelia would sleep with him that they would get married.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Ophelia's Madness In Hamlet

    798 Words  | 4 Pages

    Emily Dickinson once said “Much madness is divinest Sense— To a discerning Eye—“. This type of madness can be found in the play “Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Though many characters show madness throughout the play, Ophelia’s madness is the most prevalent. Ophelia has good reason for this irrational behavior because of the trauma she has gone through. First, her boyfriend dumps her, then he calls her vulgar names, and lastly, he kills her father.

    Read More

  • Ophelia Submissive Women In Hamlet

    277 Words  | 2 Pages

    For the duration of the play, Ophelia was portrayed as a naïve and submissive woman. Her passivity and powerlessness reinforce the voicelessness of women during the Elizabethan era. For example, “I shall obey, my lord” (I.iii.134) shows that Ophelia concedes to her father’s will, even though she believes Hamlet’s love is genuine. She is willing and expected to obey her father despite the fact that she still loves Hamlet, which emphasizes her character’s submissive nature. Furthermore, in Act I Laertes warns Ophelia that it would be shameful of her to love Hamlet, and she responds with “I shall the effect of this good lesson keep as a watchman to my heart” (I.iii.45).

    Read More

  • Ophelia's Soliloquy Essay

    905 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Act III, scene i of The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare, readers will come upon Ophelia’s soliloquy. After Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have failed to find a reason as to why Hamlet is acting in a peculiar and mad way, Claudius is persuaded by Polonius that the reason for Hamlet’s madness is the broken romance between Hamlet and Ophelia. To prove this, Claudius and Polonius plan to spy on Ophelia’s meeting with Hamlet. During their conversation, Hamlet denies ever having loved her and curses her. Ophelia is left fretting over his sanity.

    Read More

  • Paradox In Hamlet And Ophelia

    1389 Words  | 6 Pages

    Saying this, Hamlet’s behavior towards Ophelia is crude, rough, and full of anger. Despite Hamlet’s harsh treatment towards Ophelia, he really did love her, but because she was not his main focus, the

    Read More

  • Oppression In Hamlet Analysis

    1370 Words  | 6 Pages

    As a young woman of the 1600’s Ophelia is most likely unaware of the patriarchy that shadows above her. “I do not know my lord, what should I think?”. Ophelia is so unsure about her affair with Hamlet that she

    Read More

More about Self Expression In Ophelia In Shakespeare's Hamlet

Open Document