Hamlet: Ophelia's Madness
William Gatewood
Tyler Wildman
English 12
03/14/2016
Ophelia’s Madness Shakespeare has introduced the world to numerous influential and thought-provoking characters during his whole career as a playwright. Perhaps one of the most intriguing female characters we encounter is Ophelia in the play Hamlet. During the 19th century when Hamlet was produced, Ophelia was a beloved character by all of Hamlet’s readers. She began to encompass the virtues of grace while simultaneously being heartbroken and mad in love. While Ophelia was a major character in life, she also had a substantial role in the play after her death. This sense of double the influence almost gave her two different characters to be analyzed. One character to be analyzed in life, …show more content…
Just as a “good” daughter should, especially so in this time period, Ophelia does what her father tells her to and places her future within his hands. The fact that Ophelia listens to her father and does not continue to see Hamlet becomes a very important issue later in the play; during Ophelia’s short time of perceived madness. This scene is one of the most famous scenes from the play because of the utter despair that is clearly seen from Ophelia. Within this scene, Hamlet denies having ever loved Ophelia, which we can see is the beginning of her decline of mental stability. This seemingly sudden outbreak towards Ophelia can be rooted in Hamlet’s all around distrust towards women. This distrust stems from his lack of respect for his mother because of her unfaithfulness to her dead husband. Ophelia is beginning to be viewed just like the other women, in that she is no longer being viewed as his love interest, but as his evil temptation. “Get thee to a nunnery” is one of the most well-known lines that Hamlet throws at Ophelia during his blind rage (3.1.121). Ophelia does not immediately show signs of offense to these words but rather she dramatically calls out to beyond by saying; “O, help him, you sweet heavens!” which shows her religious affiliations and innocence as a character to the audience (3.1.133). After Hamlet exits the scene, Ophelia gives a short speech that reveals her truly shaken state of mind and being; “And I, of ladies most deject and wretched, that sucked the honey and musicked vows” (3.1.154-55). Ophelia is just not beginning to realize that she been deceived and that Hamlet never truly loved her. But, the question then becomes, did Hamlet truly never love her or is he feigning madness to draw out the king? The words that Ophelia
Tyler Wildman
English 12
03/14/2016
Ophelia’s Madness Shakespeare has introduced the world to numerous influential and thought-provoking characters during his whole career as a playwright. Perhaps one of the most intriguing female characters we encounter is Ophelia in the play Hamlet. During the 19th century when Hamlet was produced, Ophelia was a beloved character by all of Hamlet’s readers. She began to encompass the virtues of grace while simultaneously being heartbroken and mad in love. While Ophelia was a major character in life, she also had a substantial role in the play after her death. This sense of double the influence almost gave her two different characters to be analyzed. One character to be analyzed in life, …show more content…
Just as a “good” daughter should, especially so in this time period, Ophelia does what her father tells her to and places her future within his hands. The fact that Ophelia listens to her father and does not continue to see Hamlet becomes a very important issue later in the play; during Ophelia’s short time of perceived madness. This scene is one of the most famous scenes from the play because of the utter despair that is clearly seen from Ophelia. Within this scene, Hamlet denies having ever loved Ophelia, which we can see is the beginning of her decline of mental stability. This seemingly sudden outbreak towards Ophelia can be rooted in Hamlet’s all around distrust towards women. This distrust stems from his lack of respect for his mother because of her unfaithfulness to her dead husband. Ophelia is beginning to be viewed just like the other women, in that she is no longer being viewed as his love interest, but as his evil temptation. “Get thee to a nunnery” is one of the most well-known lines that Hamlet throws at Ophelia during his blind rage (3.1.121). Ophelia does not immediately show signs of offense to these words but rather she dramatically calls out to beyond by saying; “O, help him, you sweet heavens!” which shows her religious affiliations and innocence as a character to the audience (3.1.133). After Hamlet exits the scene, Ophelia gives a short speech that reveals her truly shaken state of mind and being; “And I, of ladies most deject and wretched, that sucked the honey and musicked vows” (3.1.154-55). Ophelia is just not beginning to realize that she been deceived and that Hamlet never truly loved her. But, the question then becomes, did Hamlet truly never love her or is he feigning madness to draw out the king? The words that Ophelia