Hamlet Act 1 Scene 1

While Laertes and Ophelia are talking, their father, Polonius, enters the room, and after some words of advice to his son, not the least of which is to be true to himself, Polonius bids him farewell. Polonius then turns to Ophelia and asks what it is that Laertes has said to her (1.3.57-89). Ophelia tells her father that Laertes has spoken to her of Hamlet, and Polonius responds that he has been informed of the time she spends

In the life of Ophelia, it can be seen that she is very dependant on Polonius. She obeys him, even if she doesn’t want to. When she is told by Polonius, “I would not, in plain terms, from

Even though Ophelia has a fondness for Hamlet, she listens to her father when he tells her to leave Hamlet alone. Conclusion.

Ophelia’s father, Polonius, wishes to keep his family’s honor in tact, and fears that Ophelia’s open regard for Hamlet will diminish his honor. Both Polonius and Laertes, Ophelia’s brother, believe that Ophelia’s preference for Hamlet will only end in disgrace for their family, as Hamlet would never marry her due to her lower social standing, therefore, they counsel her to break off any understanding with Hamlet. As a woman, Ophelia realizes her duty to her father and her brother, and therefore decides to disregard her own feelings about Hamlet and do as her father and brother wish.

Polonius is one of the most corrupt characters of the play. However, we can see that his corruption is in his nature and not caused only by the murder of King Hamlet. In his speech to his son, Leartes (I.iii), he opposes the virtue of being close-mouthed and discrete. Polonius later instructs his servant Renyaldo to spy on Laetes in Paris. This is very hypocritical of him as he is doing exactly what he condemned earlier. He also meddles into the relationship of Ophelia and Hamlet, without taking into account their feelings, and is only willing to satisfy his own goals. He does not want to offend the king or make it seem like he is pushing his daughter to marry Hamlet. Hamlet views Ophelia as someone pure, cares deeply about her and does not take into consideration their difference in stature. Unfortunately, Polonius manages to corrupt their innocent relationship. After Polonius spies on Hamlet, to prove his insanity to the king, Hamlet suspects Ophelia of being involved in the spying and plotting that has been occurring. He tells her that “God has given [her] one face, and [she] make [herself] another”(III.i.144-145). He tells her that she is an inconsistent and fickle

Laertes acts much like his father in taking a position of authority over Ophelia. He feels free to tell Ophelia what she has to do with her love life and expects she will oblige his demand. Like his father, he too tells her to break off her relationship with Hamlet. However, his reasoning is not selfish; he is worrying about her virginity, her reputation, and the

Ophelia and Laertes also had a very important relationship as brother and sister. Although they didn’t get to see each other all of the time they both played a big role in each other’s lives. In Act

When individuals lack the ability to defend their ideas and personal preferences to others, with confidence they will lose their identity and sense of self as they allow others to control their opinions and thoughts. Ophelia’s lack of confidence in herself solidifies both Laertes and Polonius into occupying a dominant role expected of men in the 16th century. Polonius assures Ophelia that her obedience is the best thing for her, and creates this illusion of himself as a crutch she needs to respond to competing demands. Subsequently, when Ophelia finds herself torn between two loyalties – her love for Hamlet, and her father’s expectations, Polonius sways her to compliance with his ideas. “I shall obey, my lord.” (I, iv, 145 )This complete obedience of her father ultimately eliminates Ophelia’s self-preservation that would ensure her best outcome. It is clear her father’s requests of her are not out of love and concern for Ophelia but for his own issues of vanity and securing his status. This can be seen in misalignments in Polonius’ claims, and the condescension in his words to Ophelia. As Laertes prepares to leave, Polonius grants him with advice, “This above all: to thine own self be true.” (I, iii, 84). He contradicts

Laertes in Ophelia's grave. Hamlet tells her that he never loved her when she returns his

A more noteworthy comparison between Hamlet and Laertes would be each man’s intense relationship with Ophelia, the former’s love interest and the latter’s sister. Both men are passionately preoccupied with Ophelia’s actions, mainly those pertaining to her sexuality, but in different ways. Prior to the events in the play Hamlet actively pursues a romance with Ophelia, but during his staged madness he violently criticizes her for acting at all interested in his advances. As the play progresses Hamlet flips back and forth between sneering at Ophelia and declaring his love for her, but in either case he shows an obvious devotion to the girl. Laertes holds the same amount of devotion, but towards protecting her from Hamlet and anything else that may compromise her virtue. When he is told of her descent into

Furthermore, Laertes continues to micromanage Ophelia and Hamlet’s relationship as he warns her to fear Hamlet’s actions. Laertes tells Ophelia, “Be wary then; best safety lies in fear” (1.3.42). Laertes’s repeated attempts to assert his control over his sister exposes his belief that Ophelia cannot and should not be trusted with complete power over her life. Although it can be assumed that Ophelia does not appreciate this lack of control, societal expectations have been inculcated into her everyday actions, and she is deeply aware of her social roles. As a result of this awareness, she promises Laertes that she will follow his advice: “I shall the effect of this good lesson keep as watchman to my heart” (1.3.44-45). In order to maintain peace within her society, Ophelia is forced to conform to societal expectations. However, as

           Ophelia allowed herself to become a sort of marionette in Polonius' schemes toward understanding the seemingly mad prince. While her relationship with Hamlet was on the line, she allowed Polonius to commandeer the strings that determined her actions. Polonius was determined that Hamlet's supposed madness stemmed from lovesickness for Ophelia. He convinced Ophelia that her betrayal of Hamlet was a necessary evil and she began to relay all of Hamlet's messages and attempts at communication to him. He told the king and queen:

 In similar fashion does Ophelia manifest great familial affection, agreeing to comply with the advice of her brother Laertes: “I shall the effect of this good lesson keep / As watchman to my heart.”  When her father, Polonius, makes inquiry regarding the “private time” which Hamlet has been giving to Ophelia, she replies unreservedly, “He hath, my lord, of late made many tenders / Of his affection to me,” and elaborates mightily on the subject. Polonius insists that she “from this time forth” not “give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet,” and Ophelia dutifully complies with his wishes: “I shall obey, my lord.” She later even gives him her love-letters from Hamlet. When she acts as a decoy so that Polonius and Claudius can observe the prince, resulting in Ophelia’s chastisement by the protagonist, she nevertheless keeps him as the main focus in her life: “O, what a noble mind is here o'erthrown!” Her love for brother, father, boyfriend, and others generally, override her love of self. Her respect for the opinions of immediate family is greater than her respect for her own opinions even in the matter of her courtship.

Ophelia gave into her state of madness to easily. The Queen who first gives the news, "One woe doth tread upon another's heel, So fast they follow. Your sister's drowned, Laertes." (4,7,187-88) This throws more fuel on the ever growing fire burning within Laertes. The Queen hasn't realized how true her statement really is. Laertes now has the burden of carrying out is revenge, put forth by Claudius to rid himself of Hamlet. Laertes has sealed his fate by so obviously falling into Claudius' trap. When Laertes is dying he speaks off his treachery most clearly," Why as a woodcock to mine own springe,...I am justly killed with mine own treachery." (5,2, 336-37)I felt sorry for Laertes when he died. His death could have been easily prevented by either taking time to calm down or speak to Hamlet about murdering his father. Laertes, just like most other mend jumped straight into bloodshed and ultimately he deserves what happened to him.

Laertes and Polonius both were warning Ophelia about her relationship with prince Hamlet. Laertes was advising Ophelia to be aware