How Does Shakespeare Present Ophelia's Madness In Hamlet

In Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, the character Ophelia is very controversial due to the fact that Shakespeare places her as the focus inside the minds of all the men in her life such as Polonius, Laertes, and Hamlet. Although Ophelia may appear to just be a beautiful, weak girl, she has the ability to gain power and attention over all of the men in her life. Throughout the play, Ophelia does not have much of a voice while also being mistreated and emotionally abused by her boyfriend Hamlet. Although Ophelia does not express her opinions and emotions publicly, she propels the plot along by influencing major events. Ophelia’s weak, indecisive, and obedient personality allows her to progress the plot by Shakespeare making her the focus of the men in

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The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is one of Shakespeare’s most tragic plays. Most of the characters in this play suffered a heartbreaking death, although, all of the characters faced anger, regret, madness or distress. Madness was a reoccurring theme in this play, two characters portrayed this more than others. Ophelia and Hamlet faced similar fates, with similarities and differences along the way, all to do with their madness.

How does the use of comic relief best contrast the tragedy of Hamlet? In great works of literature a comic relief is used as contrast to a serious scene to intensify the overall tragic nature of the play or to relieve tension. As illustrated in Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, intense scenes are joined with character’s banter and vacuous actions as to add a comic relief. In Hamlet, Polonius acts as a comic relief by his dull and windy personality, Hamlet uses his intelligence and his negativity toward the king and queen to create humor, while on the other hand Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are a comic relief by their senseless actions and naïve natures. Polonius, Hamlet, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are all used as a comic relief to

In Elizabethan times, Ophelia is restricted as a woman. She is obedient to the commands of the men in her life although she often attempts to do the right thing. Polonius, Laertes, and Hamlet all have a grasp on Ophelia and who she is. She does not have the freedom to change her fate as Hamlet does.

Hamlet is the prince of Denmark, whose uncle and mother betray him. Ophelia, a pure figure in the play, loves Hamlet, but he and her mind betray her. Through conflicts between their minds, and interactions with others, the madness of Ophelia and Hamlet progressed into something more than they could handle. With a lack of support given by their families, or peers, they only spiraled deeper into themselves. In the play, Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, the author uses the characterization of Hamlet and Ophelia’s insanity to further illustrate how madness is a vehicle to truth.

In The Tragedy of Hamlet, Shakespeare developed the story of prince Hamlet, and the murder of his father by the king's brother, Claudius. Hamlet reacted to this event with an internal battle that harmed everyone around him. Ophelia was the character most greatly impacted by Hamlet's feigned and real madness - she first lost her father, her sanity, and then her life. Ophelia, obedient, weak-willed, and no feminist role model, deserves the most pity of any character in the play.

When you think of William Shakespeare, Hamlet is the first thing most people think of, as his work. Hamlet is also a classic example of a tragedy. In all tragedies the hero suffers, and usually dies at the end. All good pieces of literature written way back when, are usually tragedies.

Elbert Hubbard, who is an American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher, once said, “There is no failure except in no longer trying.” Hubbard’s idea rings true for Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. She should have known this before she let go of something important in her life. Ophelia had a love for Hamlet that she thought was true, but a series of events that took place have broken that love. In the end, she was driven insane from her grief. Ophelia has the fatal flaw of being a stereotypical girl during the time period this book was written. She is obedient, unable to take action, and excessively dramatic. While these traits may be beneficial at times, they led to her insanity and, consequently, her death.

On the other hand, although Ophelia expresses shock towards her father’s death, there is limited evidence to prove that he actually caused her to go mad or even attributed to her madness at all. Scholars note that, “Ophelia’s personality is shaped by her father... Despite his neglect of her psychological needs, Ophelia regards Polonius as a wise protector and moral compass who demands for submission and compliance...” (Smith 97) When Ophelia is first introduced in Hamlet, she is a very submissive, obedient daughter who will dutifully follow any order her father gives her. As stated previously, Ophelia is naive and unaware that her father is depriving her psychologically by prohibiting her from making her own decisions.

Overwhelmed by outside forces and her repressed love for Hamlet, Ophelia is truly a sad and remorseful character in this play, an innocent victim with little essence or depth. An evident victimized woman, ruled by her Renaissance sense of romantic love, it can further be argued that Ophelia was extremely ambiguous. She was too incompetent to decide what she really desired in life. Because she falls in love with Hamlet at a very young age she cannot truly comprehend what love is all about, even though there is strong evidence that Ophelia had sexual relations with Hamlet. Hamlet emphasizes the hypocrisy of his words

When one thinks of madness in the play Hamlet, the sweet Ophelia may be the first character to come to mind.  Ophelia is suffering from a tragic case of depression.   Although she does not speak in soliloquies, Shakespeare conveys her emotions by song.  

Much could be said about the role madness plays in William Shakespeare's Hamlet. We can see this madness play out in two separate ways. The madness displayed by both Hamlet and Ophelia is driven by the deaths of their fathers, but they each portray madness in different ways. Both character's gender, in addition, helped to play a role in their descent into madness.

as these lines relate back to the development of Ophelia’s character, as well as play an important role in the plot of the play, and a major conflict that is portrayed.

One interpretation of Ophelia concerns her being an insignificant, minor role. Jacques Lacan believes that Ophelia is just part of Hamlet’s exterior; she is simply just one of Hamlet’s accessories. She is weak and mad, but interesting in what she tells us about Hamlet. Usually, critics barely even touch on Ophelia’s role. Her character is so insignificant to some that even those who try to advocate for her do so in embarrassment. Although she may be insignificant, this criticism has caused Ophelia to be one of Shakespeare’s most recognized female characters.