This essay will examine Ophelia's downward spiral from a chaste maiden to nervous wreck. ” However, Ophelia (daughter of Polonius, King of Denmark) begins to go mad, as well, after Hamlet kills her father, and the other numerous tragedies that plague her like a black cloud hovering about until her untimely death. Is sicklied o'ver with the pale cast of thought, And enterprises of great pitch and moment The Death of Polonius and its Impact on Hamlet's Character From The System of Shakespeare's dramas. Hamlet recognises death as an impartial equaliser when he says to the king that to death “ your fat king and your lean beggar is but variable service—two dishes, but to one table. Multiple cases of these effects can be found in the tragedy Hamlet, like how Ophelia and Hamlet find their own ways to grieve. how does Ophelia's death affect Hamlet is there any quotes in the play that support this? Ophelia could be very much the feminine side of Hamlet. Hamlet’s revenge is delayed in three significant ways. Include at least one plot event that causes Ophelia to change. This paper deals with the relationship between the characters of Hamlet and Ophelia. Ophelia is introduced in the play with her brother giving her his opinion about the affections of Hamlet and how he could deceive her. Madness is conveyed through Hamlet’s character 2. Describe what hamlet does when he enters Ophelia’s room. The demise of other characters—Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, for example—is not afforded the same degree of moral heft. In the midst of her inner turmoil, her depression worsens as she learns that Hamlet, the man she loves departs to England. Why, do you suppose, hamlet chose Ophelia to be the first person to whom he reveals his new, strange behavior? To cut his throat i’ th’ church. How does madness affect him and how does it make him ... we start to see Ophelia also lose a bit of her sanity before her death. – Hamlet didn’t no Ophelia died. How does hamlet re-act to Ophelias Death??? Laertes and Hamlet decide to let their longing for Ophelia turn the funeral into bedlam. She becomes confused and starts behaving strangely. Hamlet is tired of life, but fears what might be waiting for him in death. Queen Gertrude's Account of the Death of Ophelia From Shakespeare's Hamlet: A New Commentary by Wilbraham Fitzjohn Trench. In her gullibility, Ophelia demonstrates the unfortunate fact that those who are the most loving and campassionate often suffer the most. He grabs Ophelia’s wrist and stares at her face without speaking for a long time. From the beginning of the play, in Act I Scene iii, Laertes and Polonius are trying to convince her that Hamlet does not love her and only is interested in her so he can sleep with her. Ophelia's Contribution in Hamlet One thing critics of Hamlet can agree on is that Ophelia, though brief in appearance, enamored readers and audiences because of her cryptic death and her symbol of innocence in the play. The death of Polonius has given great difficulty, and even offense; its object should be fully comprehended, for it not only illustrates the character of Hamlet, but also is one of the leading motives of the play. When she dies, Gertrude reports her death to Claudius and Laertes. Explain. 1, lines 89-111: How does Ophelia's action affect the tone of Hamlet's response? When Claudius storms out during the performance, Hamlet … Click to see full answer Also to know is, how does Hamlet find out about Ophelia's death? Hamlet genuinely loved her before his father’s death, and this is shown by the love letters they have from before. The significance of Ophelia’s madness is to signify her losing two of the most important men in her life, Polonius and Hamlet. Most of the religion references in the book connect back to Ophelia, and her untimely death. Ophelia is in love with Hamlet and she may know or suspect that her father's death was an accident. In Act 4, following the death of Polonius, his daughter Ophelia goes mad. Hamlet and Ophelia’s relationship is very complicated, and many critics have questioned whether Hamlet genuinely loved Ophelia. Ophelia doesn’t love Hamlet with enough strength to discard what her brother and father impose upon her. Then, Hamlet's erratic behavior and Polonius's death cause Ophelia to go mad. Home Hamlet Q & A Act 3, Sc. Like Hamlet, many of us grieve and seek retribution, and sometimes even in a maddening way. Laertes blames nobody for Ophelia's death nor does he respond to it by dreaming up a 4th, 5th and 6th way to kill Hamlet. Ophelia-Due to Hamlets killing of Polonius, Ophelia goes mad /crazy and kills herself. How Hamlet's Revenge is Delayed . Louis: G. T. Jones and Company. Ophelia is the only truly innocent victim in Hamlet. The difference in who Ophelia is more heart-broken over can only be found in the script, and as a theatre artist you have to decide if key turning moment in the script for Ophelia’s instability is when she comes to her father and the king upset over Hamlet or if it happens somewhere offstage when she finds out about the death of her father. While the death of Hamlet’s father made him angry enough to want revenge, Ophelia internalized the death of her father as a loss of personal identity. In his reckless pursuit of revenge, Hamlet accidentally strikes Polonius, mistaking him for Claudius. At the beginning of the play, Ophelia is dutiful and polite; she does exactly what her family tells her to do. This scene marks a major shift for Hamlets view of morality, and by seeing his childhood jester he seems to more comfortable with the thought of death but is offset with the thought of committing suicide. ...Thus conscience does makes cowards of us all, And thus the native hue of resolution. 1, lines 89-111: How ... Hamlet Act 3, Sc. The next day, at Ophelia's funeral, Laertes curses Hamlet (although not naming him) for killing his father and thus being the indirect cause of Ophelia's madness. More specifically, it tries to find an answer to the question whether or not Hamlet loves Ophelia and how this is connected with his actions throughout the play that ultimately lead to her death. – Ophelia’s death made Hamlet confront King Claudius and Laertes. The cause of Ophelia’s death … Asked by charlotte b #472137 on 10/18/2015 3:55 PM Last updated by Aslan on 10/18/2015 4:02 PM Answers 1 Add Yours. In Hamlet, Shakespeare makes it clear that Prince Hamlet is insane or at least on the verge of “madness. Hamlet. Although Ophelia (in Hamlet) is one of the least fully-realised female characters in Shakespeare she is probably the most interesting and relevant regarding current gender relations.At a time when Western women struggle to establish their position in this part of the 21st century, Ophelia speaks quite directly to our generation of their plight, which still has not been resolved. Laertes (hamlet)1,5,29-31. Gertrude, The Queen of Denmark, is responsible for Ophelia's death. During this section, the longest, most involved sentence is a question. Ophelia 's fragile sensitivity is shown once again when Hamlet kills her father. Hamlet is apparently treating her with great affection at this point but her brother does not appear to trust his sister's judgment and … Hamlet picks up a skull, and the gravedigger tells him that the skull belonged to Yorick, King Hamlet's jester.Hamlet tells Horatio that as a child he knew Yorick and is appalled at the sight of the skull. Ophelia’s father had recently been killed by Hamlet in a terrible accident, and she has now gone mad, singing nonsense songs and giving people flowers that she has picked from the garden. Her grave has been dug and as they are about to close it up forever. Answered by Aslan on 10/18/2015 4:02 PM Hamlet gets pretty shaken up. Date The Symbolism of Ophelia’s Character The name Ophelia has been most commonly associated with William Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, where she is referred to as the title character's mad lover. Also in the graveyard are Claudius, Gertrude, and Laertes, mourning the death of Ophelia. London: John Murray. He nods his head three times and sighs heavily. In act II of the play, Hamlet decides to put on his ?antic disposition?. Linda Wagner claims she "is pictured as the epitome of unsophistication and of purity" (Wagner 94). The fact that a question dominates his soliloquy serves to show that he is stuck in a dilemma, weighing the possibilities of life and death. And in what way does Hamlet’s struggle with himself affect Ophelia? by Denton Jaques Snider.St. Ophelia is one such character, but, as I discuss elsewhere, the gendered dimensions of her psychic undoing make her death a point of shame in the play (“something is rotten in the state of Denmark [1.4.67]). It is also important to mention that the death of Ophelia paves the way to Hamlet?s death in the final scene in the play. As Ophelia is laid in the earth, Hamlet realizes it is she who has died. After a loved one’s passing, it can affect a person physically, psychologically, and socially. sample response: At the beginning of the play, Ophelia is dutiful and polite; she does exactly what her family tells her to do. Polonius’ death deranges Ophelia and activates Laertes. … However, Hamlet plays the role of a mad man while Ophelia really goes mad. Then, Hamlet's erratic behavior and Polonius's death cause Ophelia to go mad. Ultimately, her madness leads to her death. By Hamlet seeing how death looks, seeing how carelessly the grave diggers work, and later seeing how suicide takes the life of Ophelia, he no longer gives another thought to suicide. Hamlet is actually away from Denmark when Ophelia dies. Hamlet does not have motivation to continue living. Ophelia’s madness stems from her lack of identity and her feelings of helplessness regarding her own life. However, after Hamlet’s father’s death, he develops trust issues and resentment especially towards women after his mother’s haste… Hamlet and Horatio are hiding behind some bushes watching the funeral procession. Ophelia, the character in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, was a young woman with whom Hamlet was in love with. First, he must establish Claudius’ guilt, which he does in Act 3, Scene 2 by presenting the murder of his father in a play. – Ophelia’s death also gave Laertes another and a greater reason to kill hamlet. Choose either Hamlet or Ophelia and examine how their madness ... it comes after he had avenged his father’s death. Although we don’t see Ophelia’s death on stage, we hear of it from Gertrude, and she leaves us wondering if the young girl’s death was an accident or an act of suicide. She is believed to have killed herself out of madness by drowning herself in a river. 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