Was Hamlet Responsible For The Deaths Of Ophelia

There are a variety of factors that can contribute to one’s demise. In the context of the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare many possibilities can be identified that pertain to Ophelia’s sudden death. Ophelia’s death was triggered by her mental breakdown due to the loss of her father. In the midst of her inner turmoil, her depression worsens as she learns that Hamlet, the man she loves departs to England. When she dies, Gertrude reports her death to Claudius and Laertes. Gertrude, The Queen of Denmark, is responsible for Ophelia’s death. By looking at Gertrude’s over protective relationship with Hamlet, her lack of initiative on the situations around her in a time of tragedy, as well as her vivid account of Ophelia’s death, evidence that

It’s well known that the play Hamlet is a tragedy, and the proof of that is in the deaths of some very innocent characters. Ophelia and Gertrude are some of the most innocent characters in the play. Their deaths are both so tragic

thou know’st ‘tis common, all that lives must die, passing through nature to eternity.” (I. ii. 70). Gertrude is telling hamlet that he cannot grieve his father forever and he must take off his dark clothes and seem happy to have claudius as his new father. Gertrude has already moved on and is not truly grieving her husband’s death. she tells

Also, Gertrude asks Hamlet what she did to deserve such harsh treatment from him (III.iv.40). If she was involved with the plot, she would not have had to ask her son why he was acting strangely and assumed that he knew what happened, especially after the portrayal of the scene by the acting troupe. In addition, Gertrude asks “Ay me, what act, that roars so loud and thunders in the index?” (III.iv.53-54). Gertrude is saying that she does not know what she did that is making Hamlet act madly and what caused such a change in his

This is evident in the play when Gertrude says to Claudius, “I shall obey you” (Shakespeare, 1425), showing complete submission to her husband. Gertrude dies by drinking poison, poison which her husband explicitly warned her to not drink. Perhaps Hamlet’s treatment of Gertrude throughout the play led to her final defiance of her husband, which in turn ended up killing her. Conversely, Hamlet's treatment of Ophelia has a much more detrimental effect on her mentally and emotionally. Hamlets unwarranted yet blatant disrespect toward Ophelia gradually leads her into a state of insanity, which ultimately results in Ophelia drowning herself in the river.

Gertrude puts on an act that she is grieving king hamlet’s death when really she feels no remorse. When her son, Hamlet shows his grief she says, “Good Hamlet cast thy nighted colour off, and let thine eye look like a friend on denmark. do not forever with thy vailèd lids seek for thy noble father in the dust. thou know’st ‘tis common, all that lives must die, passing through nature to eternity” (I. ii. 70). She tells hamlet to stop wearing dark clothes, embrace his new father claudius and to move on from his father’s recent death.

Mueller 1 Zac S. Mueller Ms. Andrusko English 12A 10-8-2014 Shakespeares Hamlet in itself is a very complex literary masterpiece, with many forms of symbolism and endless Archetypes including the loss and destruction of innocence. Hamlet is a very interesting character and a very good subject to analyze. However it is not Hamlets struggle for sanity that is best observed, but rather the downward spiral of the two most neglected characters in the play, Gertrude and Ophelia.

Naturally, the initial reaction of Gertrude was extremely melodramatic, which is portrayed as her being weak and emotional. Hamlet automatically replies to Gertrude’s emotional outburst by accusing her of the “bloody deed” of assisting Claudius with killing the king, who also happens to be Hamlet’s father and Gertrude’s former husband. By saying “almost as bad, good mother, as kill a king and marry with his brother,” Hamlet points out that she acts as if she is such a wonderful mother, while in fact she is a murderer. This shows the categorization of Gertrude that occurs, the assumption that she could only be either a “Mary” or an

Ophelia was Hamlet's lover and the daughter of Polonius. When Ophelia found out that her father was killed, she was so devastated that she drowned herself in the river. Gertrude tells everyone about Ophelia’s death, “But it was only a matter of time before her clothes, heavy with the water they absorbed, pulled the poor thing out of her song, down into the mud at the bottom of the brook.” (4.7.175). Gertrude tells Laertes that his sister killed herself by allowing the weight of her clothes to drown her. The ripple effect of Hamlet killing Polonius has affected Ophelia. Ophelia was an indirect victim of Hamlet's

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.

Someone might wonder whether Gertrude really is concealing some knowledge about a murder, but in Act II, scene 2, there is evidence that Gertrude really hasn't taken part in the plot. Hamlet suspects her of being an accomplice with Claudius in his father's murder. It's too bad, therefore, that Hamlet doesn't hear Gertrude's private conversation with Claudius in which she gives her theory about Hamlet's anger:

When alone, or around Horatio, it is portrayed that Hamlet is very in control of his actions. Ophelia, on the other hand, appears to have lost all sense of self-awareness and it is inconclusive as to whether she drowned intently or by accident. Neither of them may have had serious intentions of ending their lives, but it is still true to say that neither of them did much to avoid their endings.

Hamlet's rant to persuade her that Claudius is a bad man and the murderer of his father depicts his disrespect to his mother. For instance, he tells her, "You go not till I set you up a glass / Where you may see the inmost part of you." (III.iv.20-21) He is threatening his own mother! Later, he addresses her as "thou wretched, rash, intruding fool" (III.iv.32) Even though Gertrude's lust for Claudius aggravates him, Hamlet fails to show even the most fundamental respect to his superior. The relationship is full of disloyalty and distrust from Gertrude's part. First, she appeases, "Be thou assured... I have no life to breathe what thou hast said to me." (III.iv.201-203) It is assumed that she will listen to Hamlet and stay away from Claudius. However, in the next act, she displays her true loyalty to her husband, telling him that Hamlet is "in this brainish apprehension kills / The unseen good old man." (IV.I.12-13) This is partially contributed by her observations of her son talking to a ghost that she doesn't see. Polonius' death causes her to think Hamlet is dangerous, further driving the two apart. Her distrust to her son harms him by further solidifying Claudius' plan to execute him in England because the king sees him as a threat to the throne who is capable of killing. In the end, Hamlet and Gertrude's relationship take a bittersweet ending.

Gertrude fools herself by thinking everything she has done is justified because of Claudius who influenced her thoughts. She needs Hamlet to show her all the wrong she has done, she cannot realize herself. While Hamlet and the Ghost of Hamlet’s father are talking, Hamlet’s father talks about Gertrude,

She also shows compassion for the plight of Ophelia when she loses her mind, and later it is Gertrude who reports the death in some of the most poetic lines in the play. She obviously approved of the affection which existed between Hamlet and Ophelia, but this only becomes apparent after Ophelia's death.