how does ophelia feel about hamlet

KING CLAUDIUS: At supper! Claudius mistreats Gertrude through the false display of affection because in reality she was being controlled for his own ends. When hamlet found out his father was murdered, he was even more upset and mad. Ophelia is obviously unnerved about his ranting and calls upon the powers of heaven to restore him. Basically, he's saying that a pretty woman (like his mom) will attract a lot of guys and is . How does the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia change throughout the play? How does the character of Ophelia evolve in Hamlet? There is a lot of dramatizing in his reactions to conceal what he really feels. Hamlet was not the only character in the play who ridiculed Ophelia. c. He is unhappy about his father's death and his mother's remarriage. Ophelia's interactions with the male characters of the play reveal her limited agency. She was also made fun of by strangers when she died. He ordered, Ophelia, walk you hereread on this book (Shakespeare 125; 127). He used her as bait to witness for himself the madness of Hamlet. How does Hamlet Feel about Ophelia? - Free essays samples for college But in the tragic world of Hamlet there are many casualties caused by the corruption of evil and Ophelia is one of them. 1)Why the guards are extra active. Though some interpret this as Hamlet questioning her chastity, Hamlet is likely questioning her allegiance. Ophelia Character Analysis in Hamlet | LitCharts Ophelias death is confirmed by the doctor when he says He obsequies have been as far enlarged as we have warranty. In William Shakespeares Hamlet, Shakespeare uses range of literary techniques such as soliloquies to express Hamlets depression and anger. Ophelia Character Analysis - eNotes.com He then tells her he doesnt love her, but it can be assumed that he said so because Hamlet knew they were being watched by Pulonious, asking Ophelia where her father was. She is the daughter of Polonius, the sister of Laertes, and up until the beginning of the play's events, she has also been romantically involved with Hamlet. But never doubt that I love (2.2.119). Though Gertrude suffered under the hands of both her husband and his councillor Polonius, she experienced the most intense abuse and criticism from her own son Prince Hamlet. In this case, affection can be treated as a means of maltreatment. In the beginning of Act 1, Scene 3, we find Laertes advising his sister Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet. Moreover, Shakespeare shows Hamlets and Ophelias relationship and love before Old Hamlets death in the nunnery scene. How does Ophelia describe Hamlet's behavior to Polonius in Act 2 of Readers know Hamlet wrote love letters to Ophelia because she shows them to Polonius. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? This analogy further shows Hamlets mistrust of women now after Ophelias rejection of him and his mothers betrayal leading to his lack of love towards Ophelia and using her for his own good. Furthermore, when Polonius reads a love letter written by Hamlet to Ophelia in front of Gertrude and Claudius, the letter shows Hamlets genuine love for Ophelia previously. Latest answer posted November 19, 2020 at 1:33:52 PM. All he has focused on was Ophelia and his Father. This confirms Hamlet's bitterness towards women; here was Ophelia, a woman, rejecting him and being wishy-washy. According to Muir, Hamlets hatred towards women had prompted him to desire the end of marriage and child bearing (82). He does not think of her romantically neither does he act upon his love but instead he spurns her and abuses her emotionally. More so, he succeeded the throne and took the kings wife as his own who is Prince Hamlets mother. Evil seems wholly external, and the turning point of the speech, the 'rub' that deflects Hamlet's thoughts from the happiness of death to 'the respect that makes calamity of so long life,' must be inferred by the audience: To sleep, perchance to dreamaye, there's the rub: For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, While Hamlet is speaking to Ophelia, he first talks about how he loved her once then explains to her that he does not love her. The death of Polonius is a catalyst to Ophelia's speedy mental decline. Ophelia was remarkably oppressed by both her brother Laertes and her father Polonius. Hamlet's Emotions Towards Ophelia - 567 Words - Internet Public Library Hamlet loses all faith in women after having discovered his mother's abominable marriage. Ophelia doesn't know that Hamlet killed her father. Frailty, thy name is woman! Another instance is when he quotes never doubt I love (II.ii.127). The king declares that they will try the plan. What's the meaning of this quote from Hamlet: "We're oft to blame and this is just too much proved that with devotion's visage and pious action we do sugar o'er the Devil himself"? Such comment can be analyzed from two different perspectives. Tutor and Freelance Writer. He is somewhat incredulous that. Then the priest again ridiculed Ophelia by saying that by giving her a Christian burial, they profane the service of the dead (Shakespeare 253). When Polonius later speaks to Hamlet, he takes particular note of his constant references to Ophelia and assumes Hamlet is obsessed with her and mentally unstable. She would be justified by anyone's standards. Throughout the play, Ophelia is described as sweet and chaste, the ideal daughter who obeys her father . Hamlet thinks that the reason real love does not exist is because of the female gender. What is the function of "fish" and "king" here? He wrote love poems telling her "Doubt thou the stars are fire; / Doubt that the sun doth move; / Doubt truth to be a liar; / But never doubt I love." This is written to her and intended for the. Hamlet genuinely loved her before his fathers death, and this is shown by the love letters they have from before. We can therefore conclude that he truly loves Ophelia but his behavior and reactions are being complicated by his familys background. Neitherreally sees the other, and both are too fixated on their own situations to reach out and support the other. They agree that all is not well with the young prince. When Ophelia enters, she sings nonsensical songs that seem to conflate her recollection of being loved by and loving Hamlet with her love for her now dead father. So, he is hating all women, and Ophelia comes up to him and gives him all of his presents that he had given her back. He cannot hold it anymore but he appears to be a victim of circumstances. RALPH: Ophelia lists all of Hamlet's good qualities a courtier's tongue courtiers should speak well a scholar's eye, and a soldier's sword. The emotion of love has drawn Ophelia to kill herself. Latest answer posted November 19, 2020 at 1:33:52 PM. At this time, when he encounters the queen and Laertes (Ophelias brother), he realizes who is being buried. Hamlet's insane behavior is a significant part of the story because it is supposedly part of his revenge plan, but also because of the additional problems, it creates. The degree of love that human beings have for each other can never be measured empirically or otherwise because these are matters of the heart, which we cannot be able to test. In Hamlet, why does Ophelia return the letter and presents Hamlet gave her? Ophelia asserts that Hamlet knows that he did gift her these items and sweet letters, but they are now meaningless to her: Take these again, for to the noble mindRich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind.There, my lord. But she can't call him out on his language, because, as a good girl, she can't admit that she knows what it means. Hamlet hasn't filled her in on his plans to find out the true nature of the King, and he has given her every reason to think that his love isn't to be trusted. He had already made fun of her by making her appear mistaken. They feel that Hamlet can't be serious about her because of their differences in station. He spreads his anger out over all women, not just his mother, and unfortunately, that includes Ophelia. Evidence of his love for her is shown massively by how he responds to learning of about her unfortunate death. Log in here. Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. This for the Elizabethan audience would seem normal as male behaviors in love and relationships were often ignored, however, womens actions such as Ophelias were focused on, and they were supposed to be given advice regarding matters like these. The use of the pun here suggests his source of anger accusing the whole world of being filled with sinful and debased creatures. It seems as if Ophelia eitherlost all hope andchose to die, or that she was incapable, in her mental state, to understand the danger and therefore made no attempt to save herself. However, she proved to be another female puppet character of Polonius. She is used as a pawn by her father, who asks her to spy on Hamlet to learn of his true intentions, and by Hamlet, who insults her and tells her that he never really loved her. We are also aware that Hamlet has trouble with his own happiness and this probably reflects on the way we feels towards people mostly women. Describe Opheliaand her desires in Hamlet. eNotes Editorial, 13 Apr. The gravediggers showed no respect for the dead by continually questioning if she deserved to receive proper burial or not. Throughout the beginning of the play you learn very little about their relationship. But they do not ignore her. First, she was ridiculed by the grave diggers who were tasked to dig her final resting place. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare uses character and rhetoric to display how ones hatred and anger are impulsively taken out upon woman, from this the reader learns how misogyny is difficult to acknowledge, but rather easy to practice. There are many things in Hamlet which are capable of a large number of interpretations and Hamlet-Ophelia relationship is one of them. Ophelia too tells Polonius that Hamlet had importuned her with love in honorable fashion and had given countenance to his speech with almost all the vows of heaven. He is angry at Laertes, and he is hot with fury like the sun. She is discouraged because Hamlet had told her before that if Ophelia would sleep with him that they would get married. Thaw and resolve itself into a dew. In Act V, it is revealed that Ophelia had drowned herself, later in the act, Hamlet discovers the truth. How does Hamlet Feel about Ophelia? 2023 eNotes.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Framing Ophelia: Representation and the Pictorial Tradition, Grinning Death's-Head: Hamlet and the Vision of the Grotesque, Mourning and Misogyny: Hamlet, The Revenger's Tragedy, and the Final Progress of Elizabeth I, 1600-1607, Nobler in the Mind: The Dialect in Hamlet, The 'Heart of My Mystery': Hamlet and Secrets, The First Quarto of Hamlet: Reforming Widow Gertred. The Hamlet is sent away to England All of these actions result in her feeling such stress that she becomes insane in the end.

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how does ophelia feel about hamlet