Laertes And Ophelia Character Analysis

By exploring the responses Ophelia and Laertes had to their father’s death, other aspects of human nature are revealed. Their responses to

Thesis Statement: The origin of Ophelia’s madness is rendered through examination of her relationships with her father Polonius, her brother, Laertes, and her lover Hamlet.

The word “love” is a powerful one, both in real life, and in Shakespeare's play Hamlet. It is often a confusing concept, made even harder to grasp when one of the lovers repeatedly changes his/her mind (Hanson, 16). In Hamlet's case, his feelings towards Ophelia veer from love, to never loved, to always love. This cycle of emotions is due to Hamlet feigning

Laertes displays more concern for their name and reputation tarnishing rather than Ophelia’s feelings. Like Ophelia, When Lucy acted very much like her friend Mina, who acted like a “good Victorian women” and suppresses her urge for sexuality and “anticipate dependence and submission when they are joined with the masculine.”(Howes 109)

Laertes voices his concern of Hamlet's true intentions towards Ophelia and advises her to be wary of Hamlet's love. Laertes impresses upon Ophelia that Hamlet is a prince who, most likely, will have an arranged marriage. Hamlet's strong love for Ophelia withers after she rejects his affinity. Hamlet's extensive love for Ophelia resulted in grave suffering for Hamlet once his affection was rejected. Hamlet's appearance decays due to the rejection of his love for Ophelia "Pale as his shirt, his knees knocking each other" (Act 2, Scene 1, line 82). The loss of Ophelia's love for Hamlet causes Polonius to believe it has caused Hamlet to revert to antic disposition. Once Laertes learns of the death of his sister, he is afflicted with sadness. In the same way, Hamlet is shocked and enraged over Ophelia's demise. Both Hamlet and Laertes are so profoundly distressed at the death of Ophelia, they jump into her grave and fight each other.

Have you ever heard of the song “What is Love?” by Haddaway? The one that’s then followed by the line “Baby don’t hurt me! Don’t hurt me!” Well, in the movie Reviving Ophelia, Elizabeth has just gotten into her first “serious” relationship. The way she describes her new relationship with a boy from school, Mark, is as if she was discovering for the first time in her life what it means to truly have love. However, this quickly turned for her an illusion of an amazing relationship into one of an abusive relationship.

Hamlet and Laertes share a different but deep love and concern for Ophelia. Before his leave to France, Laertes provides lengthy advice to Ophelia pertaining to her relationship with Hamlet. Laertes voices his concern of Hamlet's true intentions towards Ophelia and advices her to be some what wary of his love. Laertes tells Ophelia

 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

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

In the wake of Polonius’s death, her behavior meets criteria for detecting PTSD. Because of this conditions unique origin outside the mind, she’s wildly crazy but within the reach of others’ help. Instead of being an irrational madwoman, Ophelia becomes fully human, a teenager of conflicting emotions who cracks under stress and trauma. She talks back to her brother, exchanges love letters with a boy, and argues with her father. However, details of her life and background exhibit factors associated with a high possibility for developing PTSD. Her mother is notably missing from the play and has likely passed away. Not one character mentions a maternal figure, giving the audience the impression that the family avoids speaking about her as one might do after losing a loved one. Since Ophelia is only a teenager, her mother’s death could only have happened recently or in her childhood. As research reveals, such an early experience “of separation and loss [seems] to push the subject toward

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

Ophelia’s interactions with the male characters of the play reveal her limited agency. As Ophelia tells her brother about her relationship with Hamlet, Laertes responds, “For Hamlet, and the trifling of his favor, hold it a fashion and a toy in blood, a violet in the youth of primy nature, forward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting, the perfume and suppliance of a minute, no more” (1.3.5-10). By instructing Ophelia on how to behave in her relationship with Hamlet, Laertes implies that he does not trust Ophelia’s judgement and she needs guidance with her personal affairs.

   When reading Shakespeare's Hamlet, one becomes involved with a number of relationships involving Hamlet (the tragic protagonist) and the main characters supporting the play. The characters involved include, but are not limited to, Hamlet (the ghost), former King of Denmark and deceased father to the protagonist; Horatio, friend to Hamlet; Gertrude, Queen of Denmark and mother to Hamlet; and Ophelia, daughter of Polonius and romantic interest to Hamlet. Although all of the relationships are complex, encompassing a wide range of varying emotions as the plot advances, there is a recurring theme of love threaded throughout the play. This theme of love takes on a number of faces which we may observe through the

After Lavinia and Marshall return to Tall Oaks, Marshall transforms into an unpredictable and violent person when he begins abusing his position of master of the plantation. Marshall is sexually abused when he is a child by his English tutor, Mr. Waters. Subsequently, Marshall metamorphoses into an emotionally disturbed, alcohol addicted, and violent adult. Marshall’s abusiveness is evident when he assaults Lavinia when he is drunk. One morning, Lavinia gathers up the courage to confront Marshall about his affair with Beattie and demands him that he stop seeing her. Marshall becomes angry at Lavinia’s outburst by shoving Lavinia into a room: “Beattie’s eyes were wide with fright as she watched Marshall pull me out and into his bedroom. I could

Queen Gertrude enters the room, where Laertes has just disclosed his method to dispatch Hamlet for the death of his father, Polonius, to King Claudius. Gertrude, Interrupts the conversation to announce the accidental downing of Laertes sister, Ophelia. Moreover, the Queen conveys a story of his sister, who drowned after falling out of a tree and into a brook below. Nonetheless, it’s now Laertes who is led out on the limb and apparently stunned by another loss, but one does not seem to be given much