Ophelia: In living color
Women throughout history have constantly been analyzed more than men. Their every move can be used to stereotype a sub-culture of people. This is especially true for women in literature. It is here that a woman becomes more than a solitary being. No longer distinguishable from other women she becomes a symbol of the motivations and desires behind the female mind. It is interesting then to take a gander at William Shakespeare's timeless plays. While it is clear that Shakespeare alluded to the influential qualities of the female persuasion, the attributes that he instilled in his irrational heroines are less than flattering. In Hamlet, Shakespeare creates a seemingly insignificant female whose only worth and literary merit stem from her questionable relationship with Hamlet. Ophelia is purposely portrayed ambiguously to allow the reader to focus their attention on the Price of Denmark's motivations. Despite Ophelia's apparent lack of stage time, her dubious relationship with Hamlet, and her symbolic portrayal of female insanity, Ophelia remains a prominent woman in literature. One thing is certain Shakespeare did not intend for the play to be centered around a love affair. Thus Ophelia and Ha
"As one medical historian has observed, we could provide a manual of female insanity by chronicling the illustrations of Ophelia; This is so because the illustrations of Ophelia have played a major role in theoretical construction of female insanity. Ophelia's lack of depth as a character, makes her that much more important in the play. That is to say in any tragedy the reader starts off at the beginning of the end. " (Persoon) Ophelia like other women in her time was forced to be what was considered a dutiful daughter. " (Holland 69) However the reader must keep in mind, that we are witnessing this relationship at the brink of a canyon. She becomes the key to open the door, the first person to jump into the canyon. Aside from this rather generalized note on decorum not much can be inferred about how much time Ophelia has spent with Hamlet. Ophelia is first understood to be a young girl without a mother and utterly dependent on her father and brother. The ambiguousness of her character will always allow for conflicting opinions, which in the great scheme of things is what determines the mettle of a character. It is in her death that Ophelia has her strongest influence over Hamlet. "Her flowers suggest the discordant double images of female sexuality as both innocent blossoming and whorish contamination, who in giving away her flowers and herbs, is symbolically deflowering herself. Therefore her death is the next logical step in the tragedy. Shakespeare may not have intended to make such a controversial character when he created Ophelia. Therefore if Ophelia's madness comes from the fact that her father was murdered, then her madness becomes one that makes her a victim. Thus what we see in love between Hamlet and Ophelia is undoubtedly towards the end of their relationship.
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Acceptance Essays
