Abstract
The chief aim of this paper is to analyse the character of Ophelia, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet. By investigating the elements in the play that are most significant to her character, this study seeks to assess the factors that, woven together, culminated into her madness. The main aspects to be studied are the characters that are closest to her, such as Polonius, Laertes and Hamlet, the challenges of her role as a woman, a daughter and a potential lover, and the abiding influence of the late King Hamlet in the play’s events.
Highlights
The chief aim of this paper is to analyse the character of Ophelia, from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet
This study proposes a broader, less exclusive interpretation of Ophelia’s insanity
This study has proposed to analyse the character of Ophelia, and to assess whether her madness might have been induced by a series of factors, rather than a single event
Summary
The social expectations imposed upon female figures are a heavy burden to carry. Throughout the play, it becomes clear to the audience that Ophelia is expected to be chaste and meek, even when circumstances have her face the tenacious advances. By the time the play ends, he loves no one, whether it be the dead Ophelia or the dead father, the dead Gertrude or the dead Yorick, and one wonders if this frightening charismatic ever could have loved anyone Bloom defended this idea once again in his 2003 book, Hamlet: Poem Unlimited: “[the beauty of Ophelia’s death] is engendered by Hamlet’s cruelty, by his failure to love. Even though Hamlet’s remarks have been influenced by his aversion to female sexuality and to the deceitful ways of men, Ophelia could not have known that Hearing these words from the man who had made her believe he loved her must have been profoundly troubling. This particularity of her character, along with her willingness to love and be loved by Hamlet, indicates that his bitter ambivalence towards her could have been troubling enough to disrupt her peace of mind to some degree
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