How Does Gertrude Present Ophelia's Death

Ophelia is the most evident victim of this play. With her death, she is released from the suffering and heartache that comes with her life. Her brother leaves her to face her father, her father is murdered by the man whom she loves, and the man she loves leaves her to go to England. Not to mention that she is used as a pawn between people trying to damage each other. The death of this poor girl should be surprising, but with everything she endured, it is a wonder that she did not pass earlier. Ophelia is easily manipulated into being used by others to get what they want and she ends up reaping the repercussions of such actions. When Gertrude describes Ophelia’s death, it seems as though Ophelia has reached her true resting place. Gertrude depicts
This is an almost complete contrast to her earlier state where she had gone completely mad. She suffers from the loss of her father on part of her love, who also leaves her. Her madness is not caused specifically by her brother leaving her, her father dying, or Hamlet going to England, but rather an accumulation of all things going on in her life. Not only is she alone, but she is a woman. This means that any of her own personal desires or feelings are not taken into account when matters are decided. First, her father bans her from ever seeing Hamlet again and then he sets her up to determine if she is the reason for Hamlet’s madness. Like Hamlet, she can never confide in anyone for fear of being judged, but the difference is that she can be used very easily given that she cannot act upon her own desires. She is either being controlled by either her father or Hamlet, and once they both leave, she can easily slip into madness given that she does not know how to control her own life. The men in her life have coerced her into being their little puppet so they can get what they want and not have to suffer the emotional or mental oppression Ophelia has