Ophelia Character Analysis

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In William Shakespeare’s famous play, Hamlet, he uses Ophelia to depict different themes: obedience and rebellion. Although Ophelia is not present in the majority of the play and there is little background information on her, she still plays a critical role in the play. Ophelia’s character is centered on her relationships with her father, Polonius, her brother, Laertes, her lover Hamlet, and Hamlet’s mother Gertrude. Through Ophelia’s interactions with the main characters the reader can get a better understanding of their personalities. Ophelia is an innocent and naive girl faced with a problem: she must decide whether to obey her father and brother or to rebel and continue to fall in love with Hamlet.
Ophelia’s interactions with her brother, Laertes, in Act I, Scene III, clearly portray Ophelia’s obedience to the men in her life. Before he departs, he gives Ophelia some advice regarding her relationship with Hamlet. He warns her that Hamlet’s affection for her is “The perfume and suppliance of a minute,/ No more” (I.iii.10-11). Laertes is warning her that even though Hamlet’s affections might be sincere now, they will not last. He also warns her that Hamlet may not be free to make his own choices regarding who he takes as his wife because “he himself is subject to his birth” (I.iii.21). Hamlet was born above Ophelia, and therefore, he must marry above her. It is apparent that Laertes feels affection for his innocent young sister and is trying to protect her. Ophelia listens to everything that he says and tells him that she will contemplate everything he has told her. Although Ophelia takes the words of her brother to heart, Laertes does not do the same when Ophelia attempts to lecture him. Ophelia advises him not to “Show me th...

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...tting it be known that she feels that her Polonius was a good and honorable man (Eriksson). She is also declaring that no one else possesses faithfulness. It is apparent in this scene that Ophelia has a good understanding of the people around her and herself. She has lost her innocence.
Throughout the play, Shakespeare has uses Ophelia to bring out the feminine nature of women in the society of Europe. The men in Ophelia’s life control and use her for their own agendas. The audience is able to see Ophelia change from an innocent young girl who is loved into a woman that has lost her sanity. Losing the love of Hamlet and the death of her father push Ophelia over the edge. In the end, she even loses her life. She is associated with the main characters in the play to show the theme of love, obedience, male dominance, faithfulness, and the role of women in society.

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