The Insanity Of Ophelia In William Shakespeare's Hamlet

People have mostly seen women inferior to men because women have been thought of as simple-minded and could not take care of themselves. Shakespeare’s Hamlet shows how men treated and thought of women during the 1500s. There was an order most did not interfere with; however, some did. In the 1500s, women were supposed to conform to men’s wishes. Throughout the play, Ophelia first obeyed her father and brother’s wishes, ignored the social norms later, and then went mad, which caused her to never gain her own identity.

  In Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet, the audience finds a docile, manipulated, scolded, victimized young lady named Ophelia. Ophelia is a foil to Hamlet. Plays have foils to help the audience better understand the more important characters in the play.  The character of Ophelia is necessary so that the audience will give Hamlet a chance to get over his madness and follow his heart.

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is one of Shakespeare’s most tragic plays. Most of the characters in this play suffered a heartbreaking death, although, all of the characters faced anger, regret, madness or distress. Madness was a reoccurring theme in this play, two characters portrayed this more than others. Ophelia and Hamlet faced similar fates, with similarities and differences along the way, all to do with their madness.

    Ophelia's downfall continues throughout the play, and her final plunge into the waters of madness and suicide culminate around her father's death. Hamlet, while talking threateningly to his mother, accidentally slays Polonius who was hiding behind the curtain in his mother's room. Hamlet thought it was Claudius he heard coming to his mother's aid when she cried for help and lunged at the curtain with his sword, killing Polonius. "O, I am slain!" were his final words. After Ophelia learns of her father's death at the hands of her estranged lover, she goes

In William Shakespeare’s, “Hamlet”, Hamlet’s love interest and Polonius’ daughter, Ophelia, died a passive and sudden death. While hanging wreaths from a willow tree, Ophelia fell from the tree and drowned in a brook. Although her death was claimed to be accidental, it is unknown if she committed suicide because she made no attempt to save herself. Her death represents the life she lived and the relationships she had with other people like her father and Hamlet. Ophelia’s death symbolizes her life with being controlled by her father, her honor and privilege of being buried in sacred ground, and the sudden termination of the relationship she had with Hamlet.

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the obsession that titular character Hamlet has with the perfection of various aspects of his life leads to chaos and his tragic downfall. Hamlet’s obsession with the perfection of his plan, the perfection of his moral character, and the perfection of feminine sexual purity help contribute to his tragic fall as he started to lose his sanity and control of his life. His obsessions also created conflict with those around him, as his actions when confronted with his obsessions pitted other characters against him.

Great authors can develop the same idea in different ways. Shakespeare introduces the characters of Hamlet and Ophelia to mental illness throughout “Hamlet”. Hamlet a, Depressed and Monomaniacal Psychopath, runs off of the vengeance of his father to kill his uncle, King Claudius. Ophelia A victim of, hysteria and depression, cannot function without the support of her father and lover without this support she can loses the will to live. Shakespeare uses metaphors, gender, tone, and word choice to develop the progression of mental illness in his characters throughout “Hamlet”.

In Hamlet, William Shakespeare leaves many mysteries for the audience to decipher on their own. One such, is the mystery surrounding Ophelia’s death. Harmonie Loberg, in the article, “Queen Gertrude: Monarch, Mother, Murderer,” argues that, “Queen Gertrude is responsible for Ophelia’s death” (60). The Queen’s description of Ophelia’s death is controversial because it is so full of detail, that many believe it must be an eye witness account. Did the Queen kill Ophelia to try and protect Hamlet? The last scene seems to answer this question, as the Queen shares in the same fate that befalls all of the other murderers in the play. Ophelia’s death is suspicious and should not be thought of as a suicide, but instead a calculated murder by an overly

This act starts with the news of Polonius dying roaming around the castle and that it shocks King Claudius about this murder. With this news, he plans to send Hamlet to England immediately because of his madness and how scared he is about Hamlet. Along with this he send Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to get information about where the body is being hidden and Hamlet says that they won’t get anything from him. But before leaving for England, he is brought to the King to hear that it’s for his own safety. Even though, we all know that he is being sent there to be killed and Hamlet knows this as well. Now, we see Ophelia and how mad she has become after this tragedy about his father. She has lost the purpose to live and is dealing with so much grief in this moment. While Laertes comes back to avenge his father’s death but King Claudius tries to calm him down and mourn his loss. Lastly, we find out that Ophelia has drowned and that’s where this act ends.

Between Act IV, Scene V and Act IV, Scene VII of Hamlet, the character of Ophelia drowns, presumably by suicide. Although Gertrude phrases it to make it seem an accident, Ophelia’s appearance of madness and fatalistic attitude directly before the event, suggest that it was in fact suicide. Of the occurrences leading up to the this, the most obvious cause of her suicide would be the murder of her father, Polonius by Hamlet’s hand. Or more accurately, the mental impact of her father being killed.

HAMLET: A LOVE STORY? To die – to sleep, No more; and by a sleep to say we end The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks That flesh is heir to: ‘tis a consummation Devoutly to be wished. (III.i.60-64) Throughout history, death has been an object of humanity’s fascination.

In most of the tragedies written by William Shakespeare there are some characteristics that distinguish it from the others. One is a woman with abnormal mental conditions, such as insanity, others.

In the nunnery scene, Ophelia speaks of her feelings for Hamlet, but his words of anger and distrust lead her to believe that he has gone insane. He turns his love for Ophelia against her, because of the pain his mother has caused him. By marrying his uncle, his mother has betrayed Hamlet and the respect that he has for his true father. The loss of trust in his mother has also changed his perception of other females, so, when he tells Ophelia, “Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?” (III.i.131-132). He has little assurance in women, so, although his heart still belongs to Ophelia, he tells her to go to the nunnery so that she cannot have children and will not bear wicked men like his uncle. Hamlet thinks the nunnery

Madness is usually misinterpreted and misconstrued. Sometimes it is faked, sometimes it is nonsensical. However, that is not always the case. Ophelia’s madness in Shakespeare’s Hamlet is real and of great significance; furthermore, when seen with a discerning eye, Ophelia’s actions might not seem as irrational and without meaning and cause.

Shakespeare dabbles with the human mind in his play, Hamlet. Through Hamlet’s careful planning for the murder of his uncle, he feigns madness as both a cover for his actions and a renewal of his own meticulous personality. Accordingly, this renewal comes with its own consequences, as his new personality corrupts his old relationships. Relationships previously built on love are tainted by this new madness, but even in madness, one’s true emotions are manifested in some fashion. Regarding Hamlet and Ophelia’s relationship, love is intertwined with madness, and the extent of this madness corresponds to the level of love that they possess for the other.