The Insanity Of Ophelia In Shakespeare's Hamlet

In the beginning of the play, Ophelia was like any other obedient young woman during the time. In Understanding Hamlet, Richard Corum shows that Ophelia is obedient. He writes, "Though Hamlet has been courting her, Ophelia willingly obeys her father when he tells her to discourage the prince's advances" (Corum 26). Ophelia obeys her father's demands because it was expected during that time of women to comply with men's wishes. In Hamlet, Ophelia disregards her own feelings towards Hamlet. Ophelia does as she is told:

Ophelia and Gertrude seldom converse with each other throughout the play; however, they both serve as the only women in Hamlet’s life. They both display the traits of the “subordinate woman” which was expected of women in the seventeenth century (Clarke). Ophelia plays the role of the “good daughter.” She is an inferior of both Polonius and Laertes, and obeys them in all matters, including those of the heart. She also plays the role of a “punching bag” for Hamlet when she simply lets him release his anger onto her. In fact, Ophelia does not act independently until her madness consumes her, and even then, it has been argued that she was subordinate to her insanity (Dane, 420). Gertrude, in contrast, does not need madness to demonstrate

The story of Hamlet is a morbid tale of tragedy, commitment, and manipulation; this is especially evident within the character of Ophelia. Throughout the play, Ophelia is torn between obeying and following the different commitments that she has to men in her life. She is constantly torn between the choice of obeying the decisions and wishes of her family or that of Hamlet. She is a constant subject of manipulation and brain washing from both her father and brother. Ophelia is not only subject to the torture of others using her for their intentions but she is also susceptible to abuse from Hamlet. Both her father and her brother believe that Hamlet is using her to achieve his own personal goals.

           Ophelia allowed herself to become a sort of marionette in Polonius' schemes toward understanding the seemingly mad prince. While her relationship with Hamlet was on the line, she allowed Polonius to commandeer the strings that determined her actions. Polonius was determined that Hamlet's supposed madness stemmed from lovesickness for Ophelia. He convinced Ophelia that her betrayal of Hamlet was a necessary evil and she began to relay all of Hamlet's messages and attempts at communication to him. He told the king and queen:

The character, Ophelia, in William Shakespeare s play, Hamlet, plays a very interesting and important role in the elaboration of the plot. There has been quite a discussion surround the character, Ophelia, in William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. Some believe that she never delves in the realm of insanity. They believe that she just acts out, unhappy with her current life circumstances. However, this is not the case. After everything this woman deals within the play, she does indeed succumb to pure madness. At first, he starts in a healthy mind state. She’s in love with her boyfriend Hamlet, yet controlled by her father regarding their relationship. During the play, she encounters several troubling experiences involving Hamlet, which cause her to become distressed. Near the end, the death of her father leaves Ophelia mentally unstable and in a state of madness. Her madness will eventually lead her to death. Due to all the unfortunate events that take place, Ophelia gradually becomes mad, and in the end, passes away.

Hamlet knows that she is helping her dad, Polonius, spy on him. He accuses Ophelia, and all women, of being a “breeder of sinners” (Shmoop Editorial Team 1). Hamlet orders Ophelia to a nunnery, but she cannot call him out on it because she is not supposed to know what the word means. This is not the only criticism that Hamlet calls out to Ophelia. He says that if Ophelia is to marry a man, she will turn her husband into a monster because she will cheat on him (Shmoop Editorial Team 1). Hamlet: “If thou dost marry, I’ll give thee this plague for thy dowry: be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery, farewell. Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go, and quickly too. Farewell” (3.1.130-134).

Ophelia is the daughter of Polonius, and loves Hamlet, therefore, she is one of the first people that Hamlet convinces that he is mad. When Hamlet first persuades her that he is mad, he convinces her by not using words. This led to her thinking that he is mad because Hamlet always talks to her. Therefore, by not speaking to her, Ophelia is concludes that something is wrong. She came to this conclusion when Hamlet “took [Ophelia] by the wrist and held [her] hard” (2.1.99) and then “raised a sigh so piteous and profound/As it did seem to shatter all his bulk/ And end his being: that done, he lets [her] go” (2.1.106-108).

Polonius reveals, “Marry, I will teach you. Think yourself a baby, That you have ta’en these tenders for true pay, Which are not sterling. Tender yourself more dearly, Or (not to crack the wind of the poor phrase, Running it thus you’ll tender me a fool.” (Shakespeare 47). Ophelia is being compared to a baby by her own father, which is greatly demeaning.

The first instance of Polonius’ overbearing nature is seen in Act 1, scene 3, where Polonius is giving “advice” to his daughter about Hamlet. Once Laertes heads to the ship, Polonius instantly demands Ophelia to tell him what her brother told her. Polonius hears his daughter talk about Hamlet and immediately states her reputation in the eyes of others. He states, “Have of your audience been most free and bounteous…you do not understand you so clearly as it behooves my daughter and your honor,” (Act 1, scene 3, 93-98). He makes it clear that she is making herself very available for Hamlet and not conducting herself in a fashion that is appealing to her name. It’s obvious that Ophelia fancies Hamlet’s romantic advances on her, but Polonius doesn’t care for her independent thinking. He ridicules her calling her a “green girl” a “baby” for thinking that Hamlet’s offers of affection are real (Act I, scene 3, 101-105). The scene ends with Polonius reminding Ophelia that Hamlet’s intentions are not to love, but empty promises sought to advance in sexual acts. Although Ophelia strongly feels love for Hamlet, she listens to her father’s advice and ends the scene with “I shall obey, my lord,” (Act 1, Scene 3, 136).

It would be understandable if she had broken down in that moment after being called a whore by the one she thought she loved, but instead she shows how she can still function without Hamlet. However, Hamlet’s tirade most likely would not have happened if she had instead disobeyed her father’s wishes and had spoken truthfully with Hamlet. The test was to see if Hamlet did truly love Ophelia, so when Ophelia returns all his gifts of love, Hamlet would only be driven further into madness. That was the plan created by her father and royal family, so either she was to meek to point out the flaws in the plan or not smart enough to realize the consequences. Neither option is really great for her as a strong character who doesn’t have to rely on and be told what to do by other

Hamlet is on a mission to avenge his father’s death, and the lunatic nature of his endeavour is evident. Normally, when one seeks to go out on a mission like Hamlet’s, they start to alienate their loved ones and become more irrational. Hamlet demonstrates this with his behaviour with Ophelia. As seen in Act I, he cares for her, but after the ghost tells Hamlet his prophecy, when he does see Ophelia, he is erratic and awkward (I.E grabbing her, but not speaking to her). This is like radicalization of modern day religious extremists.

Ophelia’s father, Polonius, wishes to keep his family’s honor in tact, and fears that Ophelia’s open regard for Hamlet will diminish his honor. Both Polonius and Laertes, Ophelia’s brother, believe that Ophelia’s preference for Hamlet will only end in disgrace for their family, as Hamlet would never marry her due to her lower social standing, therefore, they counsel her to break off any understanding with Hamlet. As a woman, Ophelia realizes her duty to her father and her brother, and therefore decides to disregard her own feelings about Hamlet and do as her father and brother wish.

Polonius’ image and plans take precedence over his daughter’s physical and mental wellbeing. This leaves her vulnerable and in danger in regards to Hamlet. When Ophelia describes Hamlet accosting her, Polonius’ reacts by saying:

In the play of Hamlet by William Shakespeare we can see that many characters play a significant role, but when referring to Ophelia we can see that she has a special role in the play itself. Ophelia is revealed in the play to be Hamlets girlfriend that he is in love with at the beginning of the play. But throughout the play we can see that Hamlet begins to turn away from her in the since that he can no longer trust her because Hamlet believes she is to loyal to her father and would go back and tell him everything. We can see this in act 3 scene 1 when Ophelia and Hamlet are having a conversation he ask her “are you honest” and she tries to get around the question. Ophelia is a complicated character because she wants to be loyal to so many

Ophelia was in a bad situation throughout the play, leaving her without much control of her life. She was not able to fix things between her and Hamlet because Polonius, her father, prohibited her from seeing him. She was subject to the rule of her father above all else. This contributes to Hamlets “act” of being crazy. She blames herself for Hamlet's