In a world full of hopelessness and horror, Ophelia represents a diming beacon of hope in Hamlet’s life. It is clear from the beginning that Ophelia's love for Hamlet is real and reciprocated in strength. Even after Laertes and Polonius try and convince her that even if Hamlet’s feelings for her were real, things between them could never work out, Ophelia insists that he “hath given countenance to his speech, [...] with almost all the holy vows of heaven” (11). She is convinced that Hamlet’s love for her is so real his feelings couldn’t be faked. Reluctantly Ophelia agrees to call things off with Hamlet at her father’s request even if it means pretending she doesn’t love him. From the beginning Hamlet conveys his dismal attitude towards the world through his devaluation of life; but Ophelia’s presence represents a light in Hamlet’s never ending darkness. …show more content…
She finds him alone one day and returns to him the “remembrances, that [she] had long to redeliver”. Upon receiving his own love letters back, Hamlet responds with “No, not I. I never gave you aught” (32). Hamlet tries to protect himself by denying that he ever even sent those letters; and, with enough badgering, falsely confesses to Ophelia that “[he] loved [her] not” (33). Ophelia's betrayal of Hamlet hits him in his already vulnerable heart. As their interaction follows his most famous soliloquy in which he again denounces living, Hamlet is in a most unstable state. He yells to Ophelia “get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sins?” (33). Hamlet loves Ophelia. He once wanted to marry her and presumable have children with her. But the tole life has taken on him and the final beating from Ophelia's words is enough to mark the ending of hope for
“Pretty Ophelia,” as Claudius calls her, is the most innocent victim of Hamlet’s revenge in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. Hamlet has fallen in love with Ophelia after the death of his father. Ophelia “sucked the honey of his music vows” and returned Hamlet’s affection. But when her father had challenged Hamlet’s true intentions, Ophelia could only say: “I do not know, my lord, what I should think.” Ophelia was used to relying on her father’s directions and she was also brought up to be obedient. This allowed her to only accept her father’s views that Hamlet’s attention towards her was only to take advantage of her and to obey her father’s orders not to permit Hamlet to see her again.
While Hamlet may still be feeling depressed Hamlet moves into the stage of denial and isolation. Hamlet feels the effects of denial and isolation mostly due to his love, Ophelia. Both Hamlet’s grief and his task constrain him from realizing this love, but Ophelia’s own behavior clearly intensifies his frustration and anguish. By keeping the worldly and disbelieving advice of her brother and father as “watchmen” to her “heart” (I.iii.46), she denies the heart’s affection not only in Hamlet, but in herself; and both denials add immeasurably to Hamlet’s sense of loneliness and loss—and anger. Her rejection of him echoes his mother’s inconstancy and denies him the possibility even of imagining the experience of loving an...
Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet” is full of intrigue. Is there really a ghost? Does Hamlet truly go mad? And where in the world did the pirates come from? Yet, even with all these questions, the most compelling is whether Hamlet truly loves Ophelia. One of the most iconic romantic relationship ever to be penned, and the love is still questionable. Does he really love her? Before the argument can be continued, the definition of romantic love which is used throughout must first be defined. It is a simple beauty— Love is caring for someone more than yourself. If held to this standard, Hamlet does not truly love Ophelia by the end of the play, though he may have loved her a some point. By the end of the play, where once existed some form of love for
In the play Hamlet, Ophelia’s downfall is dependent on love. Being one of the two women in the play, Ophelia lives in a very male dominated society. When the ties are broken between her relationships with the significant men in her life, it breaks Ophelia to
From the beginning of Hamlet Ophelia was a pure, genuine, happy person and had found her true love. Ophelia’s brother warns her to stay away from Hamlet because he is just going to hurt her and that he is never going to really love her, she is to be obedient and follow what they say,
As for Act III, Scene I, this scene starts off in a room within the castle, where King Claudius, Queen Gertrude, Polonius, Ophelia, Rosencrantz, and Guildenstern are in play. To start thinking off, King Claudius had asked Rosencrantz and Guildenstern if they had found any sort of information that they can use to find out what is wrong with Hamlet. Though gentlemanly, the two sadly did not have much information to figure out what is wrong with Hamlet, due to his cryptic questions and answers. If anything, they do know now that he is truly insane. However, they were able to reveal that when he was told about the players’ arrival, he felt excited, and actually wishes to the King and Queen come to the play, in which they would. After that, the
The tragedy Hamlet, one of the most renown Shakespearean shows, displays an impressive amount of ambiguity. The show is well loved by many because the ambiguity allows people to relate to Hamlet in ways not often seen in literature. One of the biggest ambiguities in the tragedy has to do with Hamlet’s love interest, Ophelia. At the beginning of the show it is revealed that Ophelia is receiving love letters from Hamlet and is advised by her father not to reciprocate as Hamlet is far above her station and could easily break her heart and ruin her reputation. Later we see Ophelia play the role of the spy and check up on Hamlet under the orders of Claudius and her father. Finally, after the death of her father, we see Ophelia break. She is considered
Ophelia is one of the main characters in the play, Hamlet, as the daughter of the chief counsellor of the king, Polonius, the sister of Laertes and the romantic interest of Hamlet. Ophelia is one of the very few female characters in the play and Ophelia and Queen Gertrude are both used to be contrasted. Ophelia is a loyal character, which the opposite of Queen Gertrude because Gertrude betrayed her husband, King Hamlet, by poisoning him and marrying his brother, now King Claudius. She is a loyal character and the prime example is shown by the way she acts with her father. She clearly has so much respect for him and values whatever he says to her. For instance, in Act One, Scene 3, when Ophelia was talking to Laertes about Hamlet, and then their father comes in, Polonius tells Ophelia: “For Lord Hamlet, Believe so much in him that he is young, And with a larger tether may he walk than may be given you. In few, Ophelia, Do not believe his vows, for they are brokers not of that dye which their investments show, but mere implorators of unholy suits, breathing like sanctified and pious bawds, and the better to beguile. This is for all: I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth, have you so slander any moment leisure, as to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet. Look to’t, I charge you. Come your ways”. (Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3, 24-35) Then, to which Ophelia replies: “I shall obey, my lord.”(Act 1, Scene 3, 36) She is clearly obeying her father when he tells her that she should not be seeing Hamlet ever again. It can also be inferred that she is naïve because throughout the entire part of their conversation, she thought that Hamlet was being totally honest with her and she never considered what kind of person Hamlet might ...
Of all the pivotal characters in Hamlet, Ophelia is the most static and one-dimensional. She has the potential to become a tragic heroine; to overcome the adversities inflicted upon her, but she instead crumbles into insanity, becoming merely tragic. This is because Ophelia herself is not as important as her representation of the duel nature of women in the play. Ophelia serves a distinct purpose: to show at once Hamlet's warped view of women as callous sexual predators, and the innocence and virtue of women.
Two of Ophelia’s difficulties arise from her father and brother. They believe that Hamlet is using her to take her virginity and throw it away because Ophelia will never be his wife. Her heart believes that Hamlet loves her although he promises he never has (“Hamlet” 1). Hamlet: “Ay, truly, for the power of beauty will sooner transform honesty from what it is to a bawd than the force of honesty can translate beauty into his likeness. This was sometime a paradox, but not the time gives it proof. I did love you once.” Ophelia: “Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so.” Hamlet: “You should not have believed me, for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock ...
“I do think, with submission, that the love of Hamlet for Ophelia is deep, is real, and is precisely the kind of love which such a man as Hamlet would feel for such a woman as Ophelia”.
Hamlet put pressure on Ophelia by expecting her to surpass his mother's shortcomings and be an epitome of womankind. He searched her innocent face for some sign of loving truth that might restore his faith in her. He took her mute terror for a sign of her guilt and found her to be a false person, like his mother. In his letter to her, he addressed the letter to "the most beautified Ophelia" and he terminated the letter with "I love thee best, O most best, believe it" (II, ii). He used the word "beautified" to display a sincere tribute, and it is apparent he still loves her. His attempts to win her affection are not triumphant. Ophelia is still too much under the influence of her father to question his wisdom or authority, and she has no mind of her own to understand how much she has made her lover suffer. No matter how much it pained her to not see Hamlet, all she could see in his present behavior is the madness that terrified her.
In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia is complex, leaving many to wonder if Hamlet did indeed love her. Throughout the play, as Hamlet sets out to avenge the murder of his father, his character’s love for Ophelia is questioned; sometimes casting doubt to Hamlet’s sincerity of love for Ophelia. However, the words and actions of both Hamlet and Ophelia are evidence and proof that his love for her is genuine.
Another significant female character is Ophelia, Hamlet's love. Hamlet's quest for revenge interferes with his relationship with Ophelia. There is much evidence to show that Hamlet loved her a great deal, but his pretense of madness drove her to her death. Ophelia drowned not knowing what was happening to her. This can be deduced by the fact that she flowed down the river singing and happy when in truth she was heartbroken. Ophelia was very much afraid when she saw Hamlet "with his doublet all unbraced; No hat upon his head; his stockings foul'd, Ungarter'd, and down-gyved to his ancle" (Act #. Scene #. Line #). She described him as being "loosed out of hell" (Act #. Scene #. Line #). In addition to that he scared her when he left the room with his eyes still fixed on her. She is especially hurt when Hamlet tells her that he no longer loves her and that he is opposed to marriage. He advises her to go to a nunnery and avoid marriage if she can.
... cannot make up his mind if he loved her or never loved her, “Hamlet: I did love you once. Ophelia: Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so. Hamlet: You should not have believ'd me, for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it. I lov'd you not. Ophelia: I was the more deceiv'd.” Even though Hamlet cannot make up his mind about Ophelia he betrays her by tagging her long with the he plays with girls by showing affection for her and telling her all this sweet things. Hamlet’s gets Ophelia caught up in her emotions but then tell her that of course he lied and she should have caught on to what he was doing to her. One moment he confesses he did love her then completely changes his mind to not loving her at all and obviously lied straight to Ophelia’s face. Ophelia truly believed he loved her but she discovered the lies buried beneath his story.