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Character of ophelia in hamlet
Relationships and their significance in the play Hamlet
Treatment of female characters in Shakespeare plays
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In every story, a female character always seems to play a significant position. No matter how big or minimal their role is, their impact will be of great importance. More than oftentimes the female character will be portrayed in a depressing manner, overall being weak. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the female protagonist Ophelia’s character is conveyed as an obedient woman who tries to please those around her all the while only displeasing herself and the man she loves leading her to live a tragedy that ends her life. This play focuses on Hamlet striving to avenge his father’s death; ruining his life and those around him because of his choices. Ophelia is the girlfriend that tries to abide by him and make him the happiest man he can be but Hamlet is a man full of doubts and internal dilemmas. In regards to …show more content…
The play centered around Hamlet and him wanting to avenge his father’s death. In a way he let go of everything and lost trust of the people that he surrounded himself with. He was socially aware of the things happening around him, but he only seemed to see what he wanted to se. He wasn’t aware of Ophelia’s conflicts she was going through because of him. His plan on vengeance only backfired when he didn’t kill his father’s murderer and instead other characters and himself ended up lying. Ophelia’s struggle, pain, and misery made up her madness that caused her to put an end to her life. If only Ophelia had been a different kind of person with a stronger attitude then she could’ve spared her life. Polonius is an example of how lies and deceit can be wicked and cause harm. Polonius, Ophelia’s father somewhat tried to protect his daughter by telling her to stay away from Hamlet but with an ulterior motive. Polonius was interested in what Hamlet was behind, but while doing that he hurt his
Ophelia was an object that male characters, i.e. Hamlet, Polonius, Laertes, etc., used to gain more political power or to get what they want. Polonius was greedy, he told his daughter to hold herself to a higher standard than Hamlet. Because Polonius wanted the marriage of Ophelia and Hamlet to happen, he went to the castle in Elsinore, which lead to his death. A connection through marriage to prince would be a huge power for the family. Ophelia was being used to gain more power. Hamlet only used her for sex and affection, which This show how no one really cared for Ophelia other that to use her.
The main plot of Shakespeare's Hamlet centers around Prince Hamlet's desire to repay King Claudius for his evil deeds. Around this central action revolve the stories concerning the minor characters of Polonius and Ophelia. Though they do not motivate Hamlet's actions towards the King, these characters act as forces upon Hamlet himself, trying to spur him to do things he does not want to do. Both Polonius and Ophelia try, unsuccessfully, to manipulate Hamlet into a place of inferiority.
In The Tragedy of Hamlet, Shakespeare developed the story of prince Hamlet, and the murder of his father by the king's brother, Claudius. Hamlet reacted to this event with an internal battle that harmed everyone around him. Ophelia was the character most greatly impacted by Hamlet's feigned and real madness - she first lost her father, her sanity, and then her life. Ophelia, obedient, weak-willed, and no feminist role model, deserves the most pity of any character in the play.
"Motherless and completely circumscribed by the men around her, Ophelia has been shaped to conform to external demands, to reflect other 's desires." (Dane) Through both the misogyny of the time period and the overbearing males in Ophelia 's environment, Shakespeare took a character that could have had some depth and complexity through these environmental factors and flattened her character into this one dimensional, fragile damsel in distress whose sole purpose is to portray Hamlet and the rest of the men in her life as dominant and strong males. Through analyzing her dialogue and actions towards these men it becomes clear that Ophelia isn 't this innocent and naive songbird with a character flaw, and instead a woman who can 't fight against the males in her life, instead just deals with them in a quiet manner.
Hamlet was a hero trying to do the right thing, but his tragic flaws turn everything around when everyone including himself dies. Hamlet goes back and forth throughout the play between pondering and procrastination to sudden acts out of anger and passion. Hamlet is extremely philosophical and contemplative which leads to his over thinking side. It's Hamlet's ability to reason that keeps him from killing Claudius at one of the prime opportunities in the play. And yet it is Hamlet's act of wrath that leads to Polonius' death. Which than later leads to Ophelia’s death. I think the play establishes that revenge is a wrongful act and not only should it be delayed, it should be dismissed. Everyone in the play would have lived if revenge wasn’t an issue .
Ophelia, in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, represents a self-confident and aware female character. She analyzes the world around her and recognizes the multitude of male figures attempting to control her life. Her actions display not only this awareness, but also maturity in her non-confrontational discussions. Though she is demeaned by Laertes, Polonius, and Hamlet, Ophelia exhibits intelligence and independence and ultimately resorts to suicide in order to free herself from the power of the men around her.
Ophelia's character has always been a complex one to discuss. She might seem just a simple supporting character in William Shakespeare's Hamlet but her personality as a woman suffering all the consequences of the male characters' wrongdoings in the play makes her an extremely important one. Her character alone symbolizes the inner struggles of women as a victim of oppression and at the same time a victim of the world's sociological structure at the time itself.
Mostly, men are the ones included in the dialogue while rarely women were allowed to make their own decisions in this play. Hamlet by William Shakespeare shows that females are often looked down upon and mistreated, this is shown through the two female characters Ophelia and Gertrude. Often, women are looked at as objects; this happens to Ophelia when she returns love letters to Hamlet. In act three, Ophelia tries to give Hamlet his love letters that he had written for her back.
In the play Hamlet Ophelia is portrayed as an innocent young woman who does not have a say in anything. All the men control Hamlet, her father Polonius, and her brother Laertes. She is portrayed as inferior to all of them and lets herself be pushed around by them. She is unable to convey her opinions or emotions throughout the play. The men dominate her thoughts and behaviors. In Hamlet, Ophelia’s obedience to her father and brother, along with her dismissal by Hamlet, reveals that women were not allowed to assert their opinions, emotions, or desires in a courtly setting.
William Shakespeare incorporates many themes and ideas into his play, Hamlet. Of the multiple important ideas, one potentially overlooked is the role of women. Only two of the characters in the play are female. Their lines are scarce, but hold huge importance in relation to the progression and plot of the play. Ophelia, the implied lover of Prince Hamlet, and Queen Gertrude, his mother, do not appear significant, but their actions and characters allow for other events to unfold. Gertrude and Ophelia are manipulated and belittled. In their weak will, they end up betraying Hamlet. Observing their manipulation by other people, Hamlet is able to justify and go through with his actions.
For many years, in the older eras, women had always been categorized as insignificant, and worthless. Because of this, women were forced to conform to the stereotype of depending on men, and were subjected to what the men said. William Shakespeare demonstrates this in the play Hamlet. The women are portrayed to deserve their fate because of their inability to be independent and their ability to be easily influenced. In the play, Shakespeare demonstrates that both Gertrude and Ophelia deserve their fate.
Ophelia doesn’t have much of an assertive voice throughout the play, but still here character still largely influences the play. Ophelia is used by Polonius to spy on Hamlet, and prove that he is mad. Ophelia never stands up for herself, and assumes the role of a typical woman during the time period. She does as she is expected to , obey. She never defends herself from Hamlet’s harsh remarks either. She shows no defiance from her fathers order, Ophelia just acts as she is expected to. Ophelia is especially significant in the scene where Hamlet insults her and all women. In this scene Hamlet seems to know that Polonius is watching, and using Ophelia to spy on him. So Hamlet uses Ophelia, much like Polonius. Hamlet talks to Ophelia in such a way in this scene that he seems to insinuate things. Hamlet is able to insinuate that Ophelia perhaps isn’t pure, and may be pregnant with Hamlet’s child. During this scene is also the first time it is suggested that Hamlet knows about the death of the king. Ophelia appeared flawless up to this point. But now Ophelia is essentially like a battleground for Hamlet and Polonius. They both utilize her to say what they want to one another, and prove what they want. Both use her to their advantage. Hamlet also uses Ophelia to get the word out that he mad, after seeing Ophelia and acting crazy. Ophelia serves a tool for both Polonius and Hamlet...
For many years in the past women played a small role socially, economically, and politically. As a result of this many works in literature were reflective of this diminutive role of women. In Elizabethan theatres small boys dressed and played the roles of women. In contrast to this trend, in Shakespeare's Hamlet the women in the play are driving factors for the actions of many other characters. Both Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, and Ophelia, Hamlet's love, affected many of the decisions and actions done by Hamlet.
In Shakespeare’s dramatic works there is no room for the heroic or the strong woman, and therefore many of his plays can be perceived as being antifeminist. Often he portrays women as weak, mad, sexual, and as even witches. Hamlet is no exception. The only women in the play, Ophelia and Queen Gertrude, are given confined and limited roles. These roles are from a male-dominated viewpoint and only add focus to the male characters instead of incorporating the insight and the impact of the women as well.
Women in Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet”. Throughout Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet” women are used as a method for men to get what they want. The men in Hamlet, either directly or indirectly, continuously use women to acquire something from other men. The only two women in the entire play are Gertrude and Ophelia, who are consistently used by the current king, Claudius, Polonius, and Hamlet.