A grieving widow is desolate. An African American slave is tortured. A concubine is mistreated. These three victims of circumstances that they could not control are pitied. So are there any foundations based on whether one should pity another? The Oxford Dictionary defines pity as the sorrow for another's suffering or misfortune. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Ophelia rouses the pity of the audience because she is controlled, manipulated, abandoned, driven to insanity, which eventually leads to her atrocious death.
             Ophelia was completely controlled, flagrantly used, and verbally abused by the dominant men in her life: Polonius, Laertes, and Hamlet. Laertes was blatantly unsympathetic towards her relationship with Hamlet. He gravely advised her to protect herself and to not take Hamlet's display of affections as a promise of marriage. Polonius took a more forceful approach. He forbid Ophelia to see Hamlet again and also told her that she was foolish for thinking that Hamlet was sincerely in love with her: "you speak like a green girl," (Hamlet 1.3 101). Hamlet treated Ophelia like a possesion and made several inappropriate sexual remarks towards her. "Lady, shall I lie in your lap?" (Hamlet 3.2 114). He also verbally abused Ophelia with phrases that attacked her pride and dignity. "Get thee to a nunnery: why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?" (Hamlet 3.1 121-122). He also accused her of living a facade. "I have heard of your paintings too...and make your wantonness your ignorance." (Hamlet 3.1 144-148). During the Medieval times, the hierarchy was "man over woman". Therefore, the three men spoke down to her. She was the pawn in every relationship.
             She lacked independence and the self-confidence to think for herself. "I do not know, my lord, what I should think." (Hamlet 1.3. 104). In this segment, she reponded to P
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