Ophelia
In Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the death of a character becomes a frequent event. Although many people lose their lives as a result of their own self-centered wrong-doing, there are others whose deaths are a result of manipulation from other main characters in the tragic play. This is the case of Ophelia, the daughter of Polonius. The real tragedy of Hamlet is not that of Hamlet or his family but of Polonius’ family because their deaths were not the consequence of sinful actions of their own but rather by their innocent involvement in the schemes of Claudius and Hamlet as well as other influences in their lives. Although the first of the Polonius family to die is Polonius himself, Ophelia is the next to die tragically. Ophelia’s death is tragic because of her almost complete innocence in the situation. Ophelia is one of the most manipulated characters in the book, being fooled by her father Polonius, her brother Laertes, and her love interest, Hamlet. The relationship she carries on with these characters in Shakespeare’s book is the real cause of her death. It takes its toll on her leading up to her suicide drowning in the river. Ophelia is frequently misguided by her brother Laertes. Laertes knows that Ophelia . . .
The picture I have included is one of Ophelia floating dead in a river. My lord, as I was sewing in my closet, Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced; No hat upon his head; his stockings foul'd, Ungarter'd, and down-gyved to his ancle; Pale as his shirt; his knees knocking each other; And with a look so piteous in purport As if he had been loosed out of hell To speak of horrors,--he comes before me. Polonius wants to see the reasons behind Hamlet’s troubles and wants to observe Hamlet and Ophelia’s conversation. Ophelia explains to Polonius how Hamlet has scared her, causing Polonius to draw the conclusion that Hamlet has an "antic disposition" and is in love with Ophelia. He knows all the good times they shared in the passed are over. Polonius’ death is the last straw in Ophelia’s fragile state and leads to her eventual death in a river near the castle in Act 4, scene 7. After her father’s death, Ophelia sees her brother for the first time since he went to England and she can’t take advantage of it because of her mental state. In this scene, after Laertes leaves the room, his thoughts are also backed up by Polonius who tells Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet. All this madness in her family causes her to doubt herself and her lover, Hamlet. Ophelia didn’t have to die, but the malicious actions of the characters around her affected her negatively until they broke her. ” Polonius wants to use Ophelia to find out about Hamlet, while Hamlet uses Ophelia to get a statement across to Polonius. One of Ophelia’s most traumatic experiences in the play is when she is given instructions by her father to set up Hamlet in Act 3, Scene 1. An example of how Ophelia is used by Hamlet takes place in Act II, scene I, when Hamlet uses her to convince his family he is mad. ” (page 39) Laertes had no right to leave this imprint in Ophelia’s mind because as her older brother, Ophelia will always remember what he said, whether or not she agrees. A shadow being cast over something is an indication of something out of place or rotten, which is just what Ophelia’s death was.
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