Hamlet Ophelia

1163 Words3 Pages

Many Shakespearean plays feature the intricate relationships that exist between lovers: Romeo and Juliet, Beatrice and Benedick, Anthony and Cleopatra, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth, Kate and Petruchio. However, the relationship that exists between Hamlet and Ophelia is much more complex and arduous to recognize than those that exist in most of Shakespeare’s other plays. The unique relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia paired with the tragic events that occur in the final scene pose this idea of what could’ve been had Ophelia and Hamlet engaged in an intimate and meaningful relationship, saving them both from their internal struggles which led them to eventual madness. Despite the fact that Ophelia and Hamlet’s relationship is not the typical …show more content…

The obviously distraught Hamlet exists in an interesting sense in regard to his relationship with women. Not only is he struggling with the act of avenging his father’s death, but he is also pained by, what he feels to be, betrayal by his mother Gertrude’s relationship with King Claudius. This lack of love leads to his insecurity regarding feminine relationships, portraying his internal conflict. He lacks maternal love from the one person who is supposed to love him the most and so consequently he searches for that love in somebody else. For Hamlet, that somebody else is Ophelia. However, Ophelia is forced to turn down Hamlet by her brother and father and in response, Hamlet denies his love for her, admitting that it was “... sometime a paradox… I did love you once.” This implies that he did love her, but not anymore, proving his struggle and insecurity. Because he lies …show more content…

The tragedies that unfold in the latter half of the play could have been avoided and most could have been saved if Ophelia and Hamlet had indulged themselves with a relationship between the two of them. Hamlet is first driven to madness because he feels denied of female love and so consequently he is forced to focus on hs path to revenge, losing touch with himself and killing Polonius in a moment of lunacy and anger. The internal struggles Hamlet faces in the play are ones that could have been talked out or discusses but because he has to deal with revenge, betrayal, and lovelessness by himself, he gets driven to madness. Ophelia, on the other hand, is driven mad because of her father’s death and her hyper dependency upon masculine figures. Had Hamlet been saved by her, she would have been saved as well because her father would not have been killed and she would be in a relationship with Hamlet which would have gone against her father’s wishes, shattering her hyper dependency and leading to the creation of a more independent

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