Hamlet: The Controversy of Ophelia Essay

During the Elizabethan period wo hands were non known to have important roles in society. They followed men and devoted their lives to their men . Women didnt have much say or play probatory roles in society. It was mandatory for them to obey a dominant code of ethics that prescribed chaste, silent, and obedient Renaissance women (Pebworth 76). This stereotype stayed consistent for hundreds of years to answer and has carried on through different generations, reaching the point where it has become traditional.In Shakespeares play, critical point, his calibre Ophelia is a victim to this stereotype. M whatever feminist culture this play would disagree with or dislike the executeions of Ophelia, stating that she is much weaker than the real char actioner of a fe staminate. (Ophelia a beautiful young woman who is regularly snarled in conflicts alone doesnt know how to solve them or back up up for herself. ) She continuously turns to men for advice who basically control her lif e and diverge her decisions. Shakespeare makes Ophelia consist of only one strong trait, her beauty.She lacks authority and self-respect because her male influences instruct her life and ultimately drive her insane which e airually leads to her suicide. end-to-end the play, Ophelia has her opinions and statements recast for her by other characters namely, Laertes, settlement, and Polonius who wish her to behave in a manner they deem appropriate. To mention just one ensample, upon hearing from Ophelia that crossroads has been courting her, Polonius recasts Ophelias view of the relationship as one in which small town ruthlessly exploits her naivete so that he may arrogate her sexually,(Peterson 24.)Strangely enough, her brother and father advise her closely her relationship and without any consideration about her own feelings or opinion she follows their advice which is more so instruction. Laertes says, Perhaps he have intercourses you now and now no soil nor cautel doth s ully the virtue of his will but you must fear, his greatness weighed, his will is not his own. , (I,III 14-17. ) Laertes harshly tells Ophelia to not have high expectations for Hamlet because his love will not last since he is at such a high position as Prince. Ophelia listens and obeys her brother.After Laertes leaves, Polonius talks to Ophelia about Prince Hamlet. solidification your entreatments at a higher rate than command to parle for Lord Hamlet believe so much in him that he is young, and with a big tether may he walk than may be habituated you in few Ophelia, do not believe his vows, for they are brokers (I,IV 123-127. ) Polonius overly tells Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet, she replies I shall obey, my lord,(I,IV 135. ) Her brother and father seem to operate a dictatorship to control Ophelias life. She helplessly follows their commands. Hamlet is kinda frustrated at the fact that Ophelia obeys her father.He makes the comparison of Gertrude marrying her slain conse rves brother and Ophelia choosing her fathers side instead of personnel casualty with her instinct. He makes the conclusion that all women are defenseless and worthless. Later in the play, Ophelia suffers from Hamlets act of antic disposition. Hamlet verbally abuses her and sternly hurts her worked uply. According to literary critic, Amanda Mabillard, Ophelia is incapable of defending herself, but through her languid responses we clearly see her intense suffering. Hamlet rudely claims that he neer loved Ophelia. HamletI did love you once. /Ophelia Indeed, my, lord, you made me believe so. / Hamlet You should not have believed me I loved you not. /Ophelia I was the more deceived, (III, 1, 115-120. ) non only does this hurt Ophelia emotionally but Hamlets act of hallucination drastically confuses Ophelia. Polonius believes Hamlet is madly in love with Ophelia but Hamlet admits that he neer loved her at all. Another example concerns Hamlets false folly. Through it, he gives u nrestrained vent to inward pain regarding moral corruption, regardless of the shattering effect of his words on his auditors.Indeed, Ophelia becomes the primary victim of such onslaught, (Levy 53. ) Hamlets act of insanity contradicts the liking of him being in love with Ophelia. Now that Poloniuss assumption has been proven wrong, Ophelia has no one to turn to for advice. Since she was so customary from receiving advice from her brother and father she is lost and nearly clueless about what to do. Ophelia is goaded to more confusion as her conversation with Hamlet proceeds fail thee to a nunnery, why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest ,(III, 1, 122-123.)After Hamlet tells Ophelia he never loved her and wants nothing to with her, he then tells her to go to a nunnery. In further meaning, he doesnt want to be with her but he doesnt want anybody else to have her. This indicates Hamlets true feelings for Ophelia which he is hiding through this act of insanity to side track the citizenry who were told by Claudius to investigate this act. Such as Polonius, Claudius, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern. This leaves Ophelia hurt and puzzled about the situation. At this point Ophelia doesnt know what she wants nor what Hamlet wants.She has no idea why Hamlets behavior has changed so abruptly. Everything that was in her kick upstairs has reversed, causing a state of depression. Later in the play, Hamlet accidently kills Polonius identify him for King Claudius. Ophelias depression drastically increases, she is heartbroken, terrified, and distraught. The man she loves killed the man who was the of import structure of her life. She is completely lost. The tension of these events begin to take a doorbell on Ophelia. Hamlets act of insanity actually creates a sense of insanity within Ophelia.It is clear to see that Hamlet had the close to affect on Ophelia. Later she is enclosed in a blow up room, she sings songs, rhymes, and riddles abo ut death he is out of work and gone lady, he is dead and gone, at his head a grass-green turf, at his heels stone. (IV, 4, 37. ) Ophelia sings and shows signs of joyfulness as a way of mourning her fathers death, instead of being sad. Her madness is very apparent, she is very much insane, she can no longer get away with the rest of society. With no structure and a broken heart, her life goes through a drastic change.She goes from a normal lifestyle to a manifold and emotionally damaged life. She then reaches the point of severe depression and insanity which causes her to enter a different state of mind. The character Ophelia never gains a true identity, she is influenced by the men in her life. The choices she makes reflect their desires. By them do her decisions and criticizing her actions she never actually gets the chance to live her life. She lives accordingly to the men. Later, Ophelia is found dead in a brook. Many will say that this proves her impuissance of traffic wit h adversity.However, her suicide was ultimately caused by the males who she interacts with throughout the play. Their commands and actions cause stress and emotional pain which breaks down who Ophelia is as a person. Frankly she can no longer deal with these circumstances. She is not driven insane because of a weakness in females, Hamlet, Laertes, and Polonius destroy her life, slowly but surely.Works CitedText Roberts V. Edgar, and Jacobs V. Henry. literary works An Introduction to Reading and Writing. New Jersey Pearson Education Inc. , 2007 Electronic Hamlet Ophelias Death. Scribd. 11 Marchhttp//www.scribd.com/doc/33947/Hamlet-Ophelias-Death