Conception Deception: Hamlet

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As many know in the play Hamlet written by William Shakespeare the play is dominated by the male role and the need of always being in power and in charge. But as intended by Shakespeare Hamlet is threaded through with many subplots propelling the storyline forward with not only background information but also foreshadowing of the events to come. Given this the audience takes Ophelia at face value as just a character of great misfortune who also grieves at the lost of losing Hamlet as her love. Inside her perceived madness the question is raised of this hysteria is due to a hormonal imbalance resulting from Ophelia carrying Hamlet’s child. This bridges the gap of why she acts so crazy when he rejects her.
Ophelia grieves at the loss of her love Hamlet by singing songs whenever she is around people but what the audience fails to realize there is a deeper meaning to the songs.
Tomorrow is Saint Valentine’s day,
All in the morning betime
And I a maid at your window,
To be your Valentine.
Then up he rose and donned his clothes
And dupped the chamber door,
Let in the maid, that out a maid
Never departed more. (4.5 53-60)
When Ophelia sings she is referencing to her and her relationship with Hamlet of how she was a maiden then Hamlet took her maiden hood and then swept her out as if nothing had happened. Given this it is understandable why she is so upset over being put out because she felt used with nothing for her in return but a damaged reputation. Which in her case is a very real thing to hide. Many women of the time period were ruined due to pregnancy out of wedlock. So given this it was perfectly understandable why Ophelia would hide she is actually pregnant.
References to Ophelia’s pregnancy by the way Polonius and Laerte...

... middle of paper ...

...vivid suggestions that he did intend for it, and therefore they also take Ophelia to be a very round and glowing adolescent caught in the midst of a very troubled situation.

Works Cited

Beyond Despair: The Drowned Woman in Victorian Literature and Art." scholarship.utm.edu. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. .
Epstein, Alex. “By The Way, Ophelia Is Pregnant.” craftyscreenwriting.com. n.d. Web. 08 March 2008.
"Pregnant with Madness—." benz.nchu.edu.tw. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Dec. 2013. .
Shakespeare, William. The tragedy of Hamlet, prince of Denmark. New Folger's ed. New York: Washington Square Press/Pocket Books, 1992. Print.
Soon, Adi. The Sexual Ophelia. Geocities. Web. 22 Feb. 2011.
Weller, Philip. Shakespeare Navigators. Eastern Washington University

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