Hamlet: Ophelia | Character Analysis | CliffsNotes Character Analysis Bookmark this page Manage My Reading List Ophelia is a difficult role to play because her character, like Gertrude 's, is murky. Part of the difficulty is that Shakespeare wrote his female roles for men, and there were always limitations on them that restricted and defined the characterizations devised. In the case of an ingenue like Ophelia, a very young and lovely woman, Shakespeare would have been writing for a boy. The extent to which a boy could grasp subtle nuances might have prevented the playwright from fleshing out the character more fully. We do know that Ophelia is torn between two contradictory poles. Her father and brother believe that Hamlet would use her, that he would take her virginity and throw it away because she could never be his wife. Her heart has convinced her that Hamlet loved her, though he swears he never did. To her father and brother, Ophelia is the eternal virgin, the vessel of morality whose purpose is to be a dutiful wife and steadfast mother. To Hamlet, she is a sexual object, a corrupt and deceitful lover.

With no mother to guide her, she has no way of deciphering the contradictory expectations. Just like Hamlet, the medieval precept that the father's word is unquestionable governs Ophelia. But her Renaissance sense of romantic love also rules her. How can she be obedient to her father and true to her love? When she lies to Hamlet and tells him that Polonius is home when he is concealed in the room eavesdropping, Ophelia proves she cannot live in both worlds. She has chosen one, and her choice seals her fate. The dilemma also forces her into madness. She has no way to reconcile the contradictory selves her men demand that she be and still retain an equilibrium. Ophelia's desperation literally drives her crazy, and she has no means with which to heal herself. Ophelia Opheliaï¿½s Realization, Madness, and Tragedy Shawna Maki Hamlet is a revenge tragedy which focuses primarily on Hamletï¿½s desire and attempt to avenge his fatherï¿½s death. Part of the tragedy of Hamlet revolves around the character Ophelia and his relationship with her.

Usually, critics regard the tragedy of this subplot to stem from Hamletï¿½s loss of love. Elaine Showalter notes that Ophelia is only present in 5 of the 20 scenes in the play and that very little is known about her background. Another scholar, Lee Edwards, adds that ï¿½We can imagine Hamletï¿½s story without Ophelia, but Ophelia literally has no story without Hamletï¿½ (qtd. in Showalter 283). Despite her relative absence, Ophelia still holds much of the readersï¿½ and play goersï¿½ attention. Perhaps she gains so much attention because her character and her circumstances are so tragic. As Annette Wyandotte observes, ï¿½One could argue that Opheliaï¿½s death is the true tragedy of Hamlet.ï¿½ Opheliaï¿½s life certainly seems tragic based on Aristotleï¿½s definition of tragedy. She experiences the reversal of fortune, but in order for her death to be truly tragic, she must experience anagnorisisï¿½a realization of her powerlessness without the men in her life.

In her madness, Ophelia eventually does make this realization and because of her lack of alternatives, she accepts death. Even with only five appearances in the play, the text provides enough support that the audience can come to understand something about Ophelia and her own tragedy. Ophelia has limited options as a woman in a patriarchal society and this is what separates her from Hamlet, who has the freedom to change his own fate. Ophelia needs to be obedient and is not allowed to express herself and her true feelings. What happens in her life is determined by the whims of the men who control her. She is obedient to her father and brother and also to the king, and although she tries to do what is right, she is often pulled along by these men. Unlike Hamlet, who can act according to his own will and speak his mind as he wants, Ophelia must find an alternative to express herself. The only out that she sees is in madness and eventually death. As a mad woman, Ophelia would not be bound by the societal restrictions of women; she could voice herself; however, even in madness she is not free.

Even though she is able to have a voice, she still has no freedom of choice and she is ultimately regarded as nonsensical and her words are taken to be simply mad-talk. Whereas Hamlet has the power and potential to change his fate, Ophelia does not and her death is tragic because the only escape she sees from her oppression is madness and death. Thus, her limited options in a patriarchal society and her realization of those limitations are what make Ophelia's death the true tragedy of Hamlet. As a woman in a society dominated by men, Ophelia has few choices in life. While unmarried she would have to obey her father and once married she would have to obey her husband. It is clear from the text that Ophelia is a proper woman for her time. She obediently does as her father tells her without complaint. Even if she does not want to comply with the rules, when her father gave the order, she obeyed. Her real attitude is clear when she has a conversation about chastity, first with Laertes, her brother, then with Polonius, her father.

After Laertes rather explicitly warns Ophelia to fear losing her virginity, she replies by telling him not to lecture her, ï¿½Whiles, a puffed and reckless libertine, / Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads, / And recks not his own redeï¿½ (1.3.48-50). She is able to rebuke her brother to some extent, but when her father gives her the same lecture and tells her not to accept Hamletï¿½s advances, she simply replies, ï¿½I shall obey, my lordï¿½ (1.3.135). This early scene in the play sets up Opheliaï¿½s frame of mind.

Although Ophelia wants to believe Hamlet is true to her and ï¿½Hath given countenance to his speechï¿½ / With almost all the holy vows of heavenï¿½ (1.3.112-13), her fatherï¿½s word is law and what he says she must follow, for ï¿½if she refuses Polonius, she risks social ostracism and grave insult to the man who capriciously controls her futureï¿½ (Campbell 58). Essentially, Ophelia was the property of her father. Mary Floyd-Wilson explains that ï¿½Poloniusï¿½ application of economic terms to Hamletï¿½s overtures transforms Ophelia into a commodityï¿½The issue of Opheliaï¿½s chastity concerns Polonius as a parent and a politicianï¿½a virginal Ophelia has a better chance of attainting Hamletï¿½s hand in marriageï¿½ (401).

As such, Opheliaï¿½s feelings and desires are suppressed by her inability to freely voice herself in a strict patriarchal society that views her as a sexual object for trade. Although Opheliaï¿½s complacency seems extreme, during the Renaissance, she would have been diagnosed with hysteria. Women of Opheliaï¿½s time had little autonomy and their lives were reduced to the will of their father or husband. In an essay exploring madness and suicide in literature, Erin Campbell explains that ï¿½Ophelia suffers from hysteria, a malady often ascribed to upper class women who bide their time in their fathers' homes while awaiting fulfillment of their culturally mandated roles as wives and mothersï¿½ (53). Hysteria was a common diagnosis for women during the Renaissance. It was believed that women became hysteric because of the movement of their wombs within their bodies. Common symptoms included ï¿½choking and muteness.ï¿½ Opheliaï¿½s muteness, or inability to speak her mind, stems from her repressed desires and wandering womb.

According to Jordon, physicians would have diagnosed marriage as the cure for this malady because it was believed that the womb wandered as a result of ï¿½the cessation of menstruation, due to sexual inactivity. Renaissance physicians believe menstrual fluid is a by-product of sexual intercourse and that lack of sex causes the body to retain rather than release such bloodï¿½ (qtd. in Campbell 54). This would suggest that Ophelia has not had a sexual relationship with Hamlet; although even if she wanted to, she would not be allowed because her father has forbid her from seeking a relationship with Hamlet. Thus, if Ophelia is suffering from a form of hysteria, she has little she can do to solve it. Marriage to the man she loves is not an option because she must obey her father whoï¿½s ï¿½prerogative [is] to arrange his daughterï¿½s marriageï¿½ and to protect ï¿½her reputation and that of her houseï¿½ (Kincaid 104). The patriarchal society that Ophelia lives in associates hysteria with women in order to control them and prevent them from expressing sexual desires.

Although men could also be diagnosed with hysteria, it was generally recognized as a condition that affects women. Men considered madness and hysteria to be womenï¿½s diseases and used them to maintain patriarchal authority over women, who needed to be protected from their own desires. Carol Thomas Neely proposes that "[t]he context of [Ophelia's] disease, like that of hysteria later, is sexual frustration, social helplessness, and enforced control of women's bodies" (qtd. in Campbell 54). Ophelia wants to be able to express herself and her desires, but the patriarchal authority does not allow her to. Because of her obedience, Ophelia is easily manipulated and used by the men in her life. At one point, Hamlet pursues her as a lover. After plotting his revenge, he attempts to use Ophelia in order to maintain an image of madness. Knowing that Ophelia will report to her father, Hamlet appears to her in a dismal state. He goes to her private room ï¿½with a look so piteous in purport / As if he had been loosed out of hell / To speak of horrorsï¿½ (2.1.80-82).

Ophelia, frightened by the ordeal, tells her father. When Polonius hears this he immediately devises a plan of his own. As Cameron Hunt observes, ï¿½Polonius [is] more active than reactive, and his manipulation of Ophelia in order to investigate Hamletï¿½s madness serves a strategic purpose as he vies for favor with the King and Queenï¿½ (14). He sees potential gain for himself if he reveals the cause of Hamletï¿½s madness to the King. He says ï¿½This must be known, which, being kept close, might move / More grief to hide than hate to utter loveï¿½ (2.1.116-17). Before this point, it may have been dangerous for Polonius to suggest that Hamlet loves Ophelia because of her lower social status. Now, Polonius has the opportunity to reveal the affections in hope that the King will favor him or allow the relationship which would also benefit him. Again, Ophelia displays her deference towards her father who does not once ask her how she feels about the situation.

Eventually her need to obey forces her to choose between her father and Hamlet. Because she is unmarried, she chooses to obey her father, as a good daughter should. After all, as Arthur Kincaid explains, ï¿½The fatherï¿½s position in the household was that of a ruler. He was expected to be strictï¿½ (105). In addition, Claudius, the King himself, has requested that Ophelia play her part. Thus, even if Ophelia wanted to object, she could not. Claudius and Polonius set Ophelia up to test Hamlet while they watch in secret; ï¿½Polonius [and Claudius] snoop behind the arras, and she becomes the bait to catch the conscience of the Princeï¿½ (Hunt 15). Some scholars argue that Hamlet overhears this plot to use Ophelia to get to him. For this interpretation, certain stage directions must be givenï¿½Hamlet must enter the stage before he gives his ï¿½To beï¿½ speech.

Unlike other scenes where characters overhear other speeches, this scene does not make it clear whether or not Hamlet has overheard the Kingï¿½s plan. According to Kincaid, ï¿½the device of overhearing or overseeing seems to be one of Shakespeareï¿½s favorite tricks, and the techniques he uses to convey it are invariably clear to the audienceï¿½ (100) and that the characters usually let on that they have overheard a conversation by ï¿½asides commenting directly on what they sayï¿½ (99). Because of this uncertainty, it is difficult to say if Hamletï¿½s harsh speech towards Ophelia is because he knows about the plot to use her against him. Whether or not Hamlet overhears the plan, one question he asks suggests that he feels Opheliaï¿½s loyalty lies with her father; he asks ï¿½Whereï¿½s your father?ï¿½ to which Ophelia replies ï¿½At home, my lordï¿½ (3.1.130-131).

Hamletï¿½s response may indicate that he knows better; ï¿½Let the doors be shut upon him that he may play the fool nowhere but inï¿½s own houseï¿½ (3.1.132). Hamlet knows that Polonius is the meddling sort and even if he doesnï¿½t realize Polonius is there at the moment, he understands that he could be plotting something. Hamlet then rejects Ophelia for choosing her father and the King over himself. In this case, Ophelia was obedient as she should be, but she is punished for it. Another interpretation of Hamletï¿½s attitude toward Ophelia is that his disgust is with his motherï¿½s sexuality and he projects his feelings of Gertrude onto Ophelia. Women had strict codes of conduct they needed to follow and during the time, ï¿½influenced by religious literature, the attitude taken by most writers of deportment manuals reflect the theologiansï¿½ traditional dislike and distrust of womenï¿½ (Kincaid 103).

One of the most famous manuals on womenï¿½s conduct, written by a churchman named Luis Vives, explains that ï¿½Woman is a frayle thinge, and of weake discretion, and that may lightly be deceyued, which thing our fyrste mother Eve showethï¿½ (qtd. in Kincaid 103). Hamlet as the text indicates, was well-read and was probably influenced by the general attitude regarding women of the time. Although there is no indication that Ophelia has broken the codes, Hamlet clearly feels his mother has. He says of Gertrude and her hasty marriage: ï¿½Tis an unweeded garden That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature Possess it merely.that it should come thus, But two months deadï¿½nay, not so much, not two! ï¿½ Let me not think onï¿½t. Frailty, thy name is woman! (1.2.135-138, 146). Hamlet takes out his frustration regarding his mother on Ophelia.

He chastises her for her faults as a woman, even though up to this point, Ophelia has shown the proper traits of a good woman. In his speech, Hamlet also suggests the one possibility in life for all women; the nunnery. It is not made clear whether or not Ophelia has lost her virginity to Hamlet, but either way, Hamlet sees this as her only option. He says ï¿½If thou dost marry, Iï¿½ll give thee this plague for thy dowry: be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunneryï¿½ (3.1.135-37). Even if Ophelia remains pure and chaste, she cannot escape her fate as a woman. She is restricted by the moral codes of the day and is disdained because of the general attitudes which labeled women as distrustful. At this point in the play, Ophelia begins to realize that she cannot always simply trust the men in her life.

After Hamlet leaves, she exclaims, ï¿½Oh, woe is me, / Tï¿½have seen what I have seen, see what I seeï¿½ (3.1.159-60). In this remark she reveals that her eyes have been opened. Mark Taylor explores the possible meaning of this line and explains that it could refer to any number of understandings. One possible interpretation is that ï¿½The present perfect tenseï¿½recalls the good old days of their romance before the death of Hamlet's father and then the interference of Polonius, and the present tense announces the broken affair we see in the play along with Hamlet's great mental perturbationsï¿½ (Taylor 5). Before her very eyes she sees the fall of a noble and model man. She trusted Hamletï¿½s word and naively let him pull her along. Hamlet tells her that he did not love her, to which she replies ï¿½I was the more deceivedï¿½ (3.1.121).

Another possibility, one that makes Ophelia seem more sympathetic towards Hamlet, is that ï¿½What she has seen and what she sees have both caused her woeful stateï¿½the former because of the way Hamlet treated her, the latter because of her knowledge of her own involvement, however passive, perhaps even unwilling, in the act of spyingï¿½ (Taylor 6). In this case, Ophelia actually understands her part in the plot and her guilt shows that she wishes she had not been a part of it. She sees the consequences of her blind obedience to her father. She has lost some of her naivety; however, she does not yet realize the extent to which she is dependent upon the men in her life. Even after losing Hamlet, she is able to get along fairly well during the play scene despite his rude comments to her.

He again attacks her in regards to her sexuality and asks ï¿½Lady, shall I lie in your lap?ï¿½ (3.2.105) and follows with suggestive assertions as to what lies between a ladies legsï¿½ï¿½nothing.ï¿½ Showalter explains that in the Elizabethan Era, ï¿½nothingï¿½ was a slang term for the female genitalia (284). During this scene, Ophelia is reminded once again about how she is viewed as a woman in society. She sees that often times, as is this case with Hamlet, women are viewed and valued mainly for what their bodies offer. It is not until she loses her father that Ophelia is finally able to realize how dependent she is on men and how helpless she is without them. Even after her realization of powerlessness, Ophelia maintains composure, but losing her father causes her to crack. At this time, the characters believe that Ophelia has descended into madness.

The Gentleman tells the Queen that: She speaks much of her father, says she hears Thereï¿½s tricks Iï¿½the world, and hems, and beats her heart, Spurns enviously at straws, speaks things in doubt That carry but half sense. Her speech is is nothing. (4.5.4-7) Although the Gentleman says ï¿½her speech is nothing,ï¿½ he also suggests that her speech has meaning. He notes that ï¿½She speaks much of her fatherï¿½ which shows that he was a major influence on her life. Without him, she has trouble making sense of the world, but she is also more aware of what is going on around her. She notices the deceit, feels the troubles of life, and is offended by the trivial things in life she didnï¿½t notice before. Her fatherï¿½s death causes her to see her true station in life, her naivety, and her dependence on men to tell her what to do. Because the other characters believe she is mad, Ophelia is able to express herself and break the strict social conventions that she is bound by as a woman.

When Ophelia starts singing songs and wandering about dreamily, the other characters assume that she is suffering from ï¿½the extremity of her emotions, which in such a frail person led to melancholy and eventual breakdownï¿½ (Teker 114). She is able to speak her mind because she is believed to be mad. Her first speech with the Queen is a shift from her usual, pure, demure attitude, to a more bawdy and sarcastic attitude. As Campbell observes, Ophelia, in her madness, moves outside of time and ï¿½by publicly alluding to sexual experience, Ophelia reveals a deeper understanding of worldly issues than an aristocratic virgin should ever admit, rejecting the essentialized female codes her father dictated to her and blurring the demarcations between innocence and subversionï¿½ (58). While her speech pattern is different from before, it is not random. She tells about the bakerï¿½s daughter who was turned into an owl for not giving bread to a beggar, who was Jesus in disguise. She then says, ï¿½They say the owl was a bakerï¿½s daughter.

Lord, we know what we are, but know not what we may be. God be at your tableï¿½ (4.5.42-44). This may be a question about identity. Ophelia understands what she is and what her role is, but she does not understand her options, what she may be. It may also reflect her recent understanding that people cannot be judged by appearances or station alone. For example, while Hamlet appeared to be noble of character, he ultimately rejected her and lied to her. Her next songs may also reflect her disappointment with Hamlet. These songs are about the loss of virginity. In one song, the man, ï¿½Let in the maid, that out a maid / Never departed moreï¿½ (4.5.54-55). The woman in the next song says, ï¿½Before you tumbled me, / You promised me to wedï¿½ (4.5.62-63). These songs may indicate how Ophelia feels like she was treated by Hamlet. If she lost her virginity to him, she knows that she has lost her value. Maintaining her chastity was something her father taught her to value.

Her songs reflect the fear that was instilled in her by her father and brother regarding losing her virginity. They also reflect her fear of shaming herself and her family. Ophelia was expected to remain virginal until marriage, and was expected to do as her father ordered. She may have wanted to express her feelings to Hamlet and felt he was genuine, but everything falls apart as her father and brother told her it would. Even after death it is possible that her father still greatly influences her thoughts and the lessons he taught her are still heavy on her mind. In her final speech, where she hands out flowers to the people in the court, Ophelia shows that she finally understands the people around her. Each flower has meaning and if given to the right person, this scene shows that Ophelia is too aware to be truly mad. Laertes even makes the comment, ï¿½This nothingï¿½s more than matterï¿½ (4.5.169); that her speech seems like nothing, but it is actually quite moving and revealing. Rosemary, for remembrance, may be intended for King Hamletï¿½they should not forget about his death.

They may also be intended for Laertes, as he is the last to speak before Ophelia. Flowers, during the Renaissance, were often used in the context of funerals, thus Laertes may need to remember his father (Persoon 70). Pansies, for thought, may be given to Hamlet because he is a thinker, not an actor. Also, James Persoon explains that ï¿½Pansies are the same flower that elsewhere in Shakespeare are known as love-in-idelness, called that by maidens because they are ï¿½purple with loveï¿½s woundï¿½ (Midsummer Nightï¿½s Dream.2.1.167-168). Not only are the flowers ï¿½woundedï¿½ purple; maidens like Ophelia are also bruisedï¿½ (70). It is also possible that the rosemary and pansies suggest sexuality.

These flowers were used as ï¿½abortifacients in folk medicine or as inducers of menstruation [and] suggest the mostly unspoken sexual nature of the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia and highlight the many images of sex and pregnancy in Opheliaï¿½s bawdy song fragmentsï¿½ (Persoon 70). Thus, these flowers could be another indication of Ophelia expressing sexual desires in spite of the repressive society. As she continues to give out flowers she shows her understanding of people and of herself. Rue, for repentance, can be given to the Queen and to herself. She says ï¿½you may wear your rue with a differenceï¿½ (4.5.176-77), suggesting that they have different reasons to be repentant. Ophelia may feel that she has failed her duties as a woman and so has the Queen by forgetting her husband or remarrying too quickly.

Ophelia probably remembers her fatherï¿½s advice to ï¿½Tender yourself more dearly, / Orï¿½not to crack the wind of poor phrase, / Wronging it thusï¿½youï¿½ll tender me a foolï¿½ (1.3.106-8). If her earlier flowers suggested sexuality, then Ophelia knows she has shamed her family and self and needs to repent. The daisy, for dissemblance, may be given to the King, who, after the play scene, shows that he may be hiding something. She says that violets, for faithfulness, withered when her father died. She still loves her father and believes he did what was best for her. Although the text does not make it clear who Ophelia gives each flower to, it still shows that she has some awareness that each flower symbolizes something. If she were truly mad she would not be able to understand the deeper meaning of giving someone these flowers. Opheliaï¿½s final song before her death shows that she is conscious of what death means and that she feels the people around her may all have reason to repent.

She sings: And will ï¿½a not come again? No, no, he is dead, Go to thy deathbed, He never will come again. ï¿½ God haï¿½ mercy on his soul And of all Christiansï¿½ souls. God be wiï¿½you (4.5.184-93). Ophelia knows that death is the place ï¿½from whose bourn / no traveler returnsï¿½ (3.1.80-81). Her father is gone forever; he will never be there to guide her and she will always feel guilty for letting him down. Also, asks God to have mercy on all souls, perhaps showing that she sees corruption everywhere and that everyone needs Godï¿½s mercy. Although Ophelia is free to speak in her madness, she is still not able to change her fate. Because the other characters believe she is mad, they do not chastise her for her speech, but they also do not take her seriously.

Although Laertes initially claimed Opheliaï¿½s flower speech had meaning, after she finishes he remarks, ï¿½Thought and afflictions, passions, hell itself / She turns to favor and to prettinessï¿½ (4.5.181-82). Even in madness, Ophelia is a feminine object, she is pretty and pitiable. Even though Opheliaï¿½s speeches are deeply revealing about herself and the society that surrounds her, everyone is able to ignore her truths because they can simply claim she is mad and that there is ï¿½nothingï¿½ in her speech. The evils of which she speaks are made pretty because she is a woman and in madness she is almost adored even more.

Many critics have also felt this way; for example, William Hazzlitt states that Ophelia is "a character almost too exquisitely touching to be dwelt upon" and called her "a flower too soon fadedï¿½ and another critic, Strachey, adds that "in the study of Ophelia's character [ï¿½] there [was] more to be felt than to be said [...] because she [was] a creation of such perfectly feminine proportions and beauty" (qtd. in Teker 113). Thus, Ophelia is nothing more than a beautiful, mad maiden who the characters pity, but do not take seriously. Ophelia understands that it is her madness that allows her to freely express herself, and she also realizes that she has few options left for herself. Her father is dead, Hamlet has rejected her, and her brother is preoccupied with revenge. She has no one to turn to and everyone believes she is mad. Although Ophelia may not have actively sought out her death, when she accidently falls into the water, she accepts it.

Gertrude explains that Ophelia fell into the water, at ï¿½Which time she chanted snatches of old lauds, / As on incapable of her own distressï¿½ (5.1.176-77). Even though she is not capable of making a choice of whether or not save herself, she is at peace. She accepts the fact that she is unable to act without someone to tell her what to do. Some critics have argued that Ophelia did not kill herself; she was killed by Gertrude. Scholars assert that Gertrude knew the details too well and left too many questions unanswered, such as why she did not try to save Ophelia (Loberg 59). With no clear answer to these questions, many have argued that Gertrude killed Ophelia; however, the queenï¿½s failure to save her may have resulted from her realization of Opheliaï¿½s tragedy. Gertrude and Ophelia had many similar dilemmas regarding their sexuality and their ability to express it.

Gertrudeï¿½s witnessing of Opheliaï¿½s death may show that she understands what Ophelia has gone through and knows the realities of their patriarchal society. The queen does not help, because like Ophelia, she knows that there is no other escape; she is free in madness, but still has no autonomy or power. One explanation for Opheliaï¿½s suicide is that she overheard Hamletï¿½s ï¿½To beï¿½ speech, and was then able to contemplate the subject of life and death herself. In her essay exploring Opheliaï¿½s madness and death, Magda Romanska remarks, ï¿½With Ophelia absent from ï¿½to be or not to be,ï¿½ her madness and subsequent death comes somewhat randomly and inexplicably.

We are prone to assume, following Claudiusï¿½ oversimplification, that ï¿½itï¿½s the poison of deep griefï¿½ over the death of her father that pushes her over the edgeï¿½ and ï¿½She becomes a character whose thinking we cannot follow: an empty space of inexplicable and irrational drives prompted by a somewhat unfounded emotional breakdownï¿½ (492-93). Opheliaï¿½s earlier speeches indicate that her grief extends beyond the loss of her father. Also, it seems possible that Ophelia could have overheard Hamletï¿½s speech. As Romanska observes, the stage directions of the different versions of the play do not have Ophelia exit the stage. In the Second Quarto direction reads, ï¿½Enter Hamlet. [Ophelia pretends to read.].ï¿½ As she pretends to read, she could be listening to Hamletï¿½s speech. Hearing the speech ï¿½gives an intellectual dimension and existential awareness to her character.

By listening to Hamlet, she does participate in manï¿½s, or rather, the human existential tragedy and commits a very conscious act of ending her own life as an alternative to the philosopherï¿½s heaviest questionï¿½ (493). Ophelia may have become conscious of some of the evils of the world as she listened to Hamletï¿½s speech and after seeing his conduct and losing her father, she understands ï¿½The heartache and the thousand natural shocks/ that flesh is heir toï¿½ (3.1.63-4). Ophelia, then chooses for the peaceful death Hamlet describes, ï¿½To die, to sleepï¿½/ No moreï¿½ (3.1.61-2). Because of the restrictions on women by society, Ophelia is limited in the actions she can take to change her situation. Without a man to attach herself to she has no power and no word. She can choose to live a powerless, essentially ï¿½deadï¿½ existence, or to actually die and be free from the will of society.

She tried to do what was expected of her; she obeyed her father despite her own feelings and desires, but she ultimately suffered for it. She loved Hamlet, but she could not be with him because her father would not allow it. Hamlet rejects Ophelia either because she chooses her father over him or because of his perceived view of her sexuality. In a world dominated by men, Ophelia has little influence or power. She cannot express herself except in madness, and even then she is still a feminine object. Opheliaï¿½s death is tragic because she is not allowed to take control of her own fate. Hamlet has the means to set his life straightï¿½he is a man and furthermore, he is a prince. He spends his time contemplating whether or not to act, but Ophelia does not even have the choice to act, which is why her character is more tragic than Hamletï¿½s. She starts well off, loved by her family and by Hamlet, and then she loses everyone. Her brother leaves, Hamlet abandons her, and her father is killed. Throughout her life she has been pulled along by men and the expectations of society.

Unlike Hamlet, she is unable to change her fate even after she realizes what is happening to her. This realization and powerlessness to fix her life are what make Opheliaï¿½s death the true tragedy of Hamlet. Works Cited Campbell, Erin E. "Sad Generations Seeking Water": The Social Construction Of Madness In O(Phelia) And Q(Uentin Compson)." Faulkner Journal 20.1/2 (2004): 53-70. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. Floyd-Wilson, Mary. "Ophelia And Femininity In The Eighteenth Century: `Dangerous Conjectures In Ill-Breeding Minds'." Women's Studies 21.4 (1992): 397. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. Hunt, Cameron. "Jephthah's Daughter's Daughter: Ophelia." Anq 22.4 (2009): 13-16. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. Kincaid, Arthur Noel.

"Hamlet's Cue For Passion In The Nunnery Scene." Shakespeare Studies 10.(1977): 99. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. Loberg, Harmonie. "Queen Gertrude: Monarch, Mother, Murderer." Atenea 24.1 (2004): 59-71. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. Persoon, James. "Shakespeare's Hamlet." Explicator 55.2 (1997): 70. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. Romanska, Magda. "Ontology And Eroticism: Two Bodies Of Ophelia." Women's Studies 34.6 (2005): 485-513. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York: WW Norton &, 1011. Print. Showalter, Elaine.

ï¿½Representing Ophelia: Women, Madness, and the Responsibilities of Feminist Criticism.ï¿½ Hamlet. 281-297. Print. Taylor, Mark. "Shakespeare's HAMLET." Explicator 65.1 (2006): 4-7. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. Teker, Gulsen Sayin. "Empowered By Madness: Ophelia In The Films Of Kozintsev, Zeffirelli, And Branagh." Literature Film Quarterly 34.2 (2006): 113-119. Academic Search Premier. Web. 5 Dec. 2012. SparkNotes: Hamlet: Character List Character List Plot Overview Analysis of Major Characters Hamlet - The Prince of Denmark, the title character, and the protagonist. About thirty years old at the start of the play, Hamlet is the son of Queen Gertrude and the late King Hamlet, and the nephew of the present king, Claudius.

Hamlet is melancholy, bitter, and cynical, full of hatred for his uncle’s scheming and disgust for his mother’s sexuality. A reflective and thoughtful young man who has studied at the University of Wittenberg, Hamlet is often indecisive and hesitant, but at other times prone to rash and impulsive acts. Read an in-depth analysis of Hamlet. Claudius - The King of Denmark, Hamlet’s uncle, and the play’s antagonist. The villain of the play, Claudius is a calculating, ambitious politician, driven by his sexual appetites and his lust for power, but he occasionally shows signs of guilt and human feeling—his love for Gertrude, for instance, seems sincere. Read an in-depth analysis of Gertrude. Polonius - The Lord Chamberlain of Claudius’s court, a pompous, conniving old man. Polonius is the father of Laertes and Ophelia. Horatio - Hamlet’s close friend, who studied with the prince at the university in Wittenberg. Horatio is loyal and helpful to Hamlet throughout the play. After Hamlet’s death, Horatio remains alive to tell Hamlet’s story.

Ophelia - Polonius’s daughter, a beautiful young woman with whom Hamlet has been in love. Ophelia is a sweet and innocent young girl, who obeys her father and her brother, Laertes. Dependent on men to tell her how to behave, she gives in to Polonius’s schemes to spy on Hamlet. Even in her lapse into madness and death, she remains maidenly, singing songs about flowers and finally drowning in the river amid the flower garlands she had gathered. Laertes - Polonius’s son and Ophelia’s brother, a young man who spends much of the play in France. Passionate and quick to action, Laertes is clearly a foil for the reflective Hamlet. Fortinbras - The young Prince of Norway, whose father the king (also named Fortinbras) was killed by Hamlet’s father (also named Hamlet). Now Fortinbras wishes to attack Denmark to avenge his father’s honor, making him another foil for Prince Hamlet. The Ghost - The specter of Hamlet’s recently deceased father. The ghost, who claims to have been murdered by Claudius, calls upon Hamlet to avenge him.

However, it is not entirely certain whether the ghost is what it appears to be, or whether it is something else. Hamlet speculates that the ghost might be a devil sent to deceive him and tempt him into murder, and the question of what the ghost is or where it comes from is never definitively resolved. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern - Two slightly bumbling courtiers, former friends of Hamlet from Wittenberg, who are summoned by Claudius and Gertrude to discover the cause of Hamlet’s strange behavior. Osric - The foolish courtier who summons Hamlet to his duel with Laertes. Voltimand and Cornelius - Courtiers whom Claudius sends to Norway to persuade the king to prevent Fortinbras from attacking. Marcellus and Bernardo - The officers who first see the ghost walking the ramparts of Elsinore and who summon Horatio to witness it. Marcellus is present when Hamlet first encounters the ghost. Francisco - A soldier and guardsman at Elsinore. Reynaldo - Polonius’s servant, who is sent to France by Polonius to check up on and spy on Laertes.

No Fear Shakespeare: Hamlet: Characters No Fear Shakespeare Act 1, Scene 1 Hamlet The prince of Denmark, and a student at the University of Wittenberg. At the beginning of the play, Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet, has recently died, and his mother, Queen Gertrude, has married the new king, Hamlet’s uncle Claudius. Hamlet is melancholy, bitter, and cynical, full of hatred for his uncle and disgust at his mother for marrying him. When the ghost of Hamlet’s father appears and claims to have been murdered by Claudius, Hamlet becomes obsessed with avenging his father’s death but keeps thinking of reasons why he should wait before killing Claudius—then chastizes himself for failing to act boldly. Hamlet is a character of contradictions. He admires characters like Fortinbras and the Player King, who behave passionately and even violently for no good reason, but is himself thoughtful, reflective, and philosophical. At times Hamlet is indecisive and hesitant, but at other times he is prone to rash and impulsive acts of violence. Claudius The king of Denmark, Hamlet’s uncle.

The villain of the play, Claudius is a calculating, ambitious politician, adept at manipulating others for his own ends and willing to execute, assassinate, or murder to stay in power. He doesn’t understand Hamlet or Hamlet’s motives, but he is quick to perceive Hamlet as a threat and take decisive action against him. Claudius does occasionally show signs of remorse and human feeling—his affection for Gertrude, for instance, seems sincere. Gertrude The queen of Denmark, Hamlet’s mother, recently married to Claudius. We never get to observe Gertrude on her own, so we know much more about how Hamlet feels about her than about how she sees herself. She seems clearly to love Hamlet, but Hamlet sees her as a weak, even depraved, woman motivated wholly by lust. Hamlet has such strong feelings about her sex life that he becomes momentarily distracted from his revenge quest, urging her toward a life of chastity. Polonius The Lord Chamberlain of Claudius’s court, and the father of Laertes and Ophelia. Polonius has good intentions, but he tends to be somewhat conniving and underhanded.

He frequently leaps to the wrong conclusions, and his speeches are comically pompous and long-winded. He is completely incapable of figuring out what Hamlet is up to. Horatio Hamlet’s close friend, who studied with the prince at the University of Wittenberg. Hamlet trusts Horatio above any of the other characters, valuing him for his even temper and equanimity—qualities that Hamlet seems to despise in himself. Horatio is loyal and helpful to Hamlet throughout the play. After Hamlet’s death, Horatio remains alive to tell Hamlet’s story. Ophelia Polonius’s daughter, a beautiful young woman with whom Hamlet has been in love. A sweet and innocent young girl, Ophelia dutifully strives to obey her father and her brother, Laertes, allowing Polonius to use her in his scheme to spy on Hamlet. When her father dies, her sanity unravels, and in her madness she paints a scathing picture of young men as sexually exploitative and unfaithful, and her mad speeches about flowers conceal implied condemnations of Claudius and Gertrude.

Laertes Polonius’s son and Ophelia’s brother, a young man who spends much of the play in France. Passionate and quick to action, Laertes is a foil for the reflective and agonized Hamlet. Fortinbras The young prince of Norway, whose father the king (also named Fortinbras) was killed by Hamlet’s father (also named Hamlet). Now Fortinbras wishes to attack Denmark to avenge his father’s honor, making him another foil for Prince Hamlet. Hamlet admires Fortinbras for his willingness to fight for no good reason. The Ghost The specter of Hamlet’s recently deceased father. The ghost, who claims to have been murdered by Claudius, calls upon Hamlet to avenge him. However, it is not entirely certain whether the ghost is what it appears to be. Hamlet speculates that the ghost might be a devil sent to deceive him and tempt him into murder, and the question of what the ghost is or where it comes from is never definitively resolved.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Two slightly bumbling courtiers, former friends of Hamlet from Wittenberg, who are summoned by Claudius and Gertrude to discover the cause of Hamlet’s strange behavior. Osric The foolish courtier who summons Hamlet to his duel with Laertes. His speeches are pretentious and difficult to understand. Voltimand and Cornelius Courtiers whom Claudius sends to Norway to persuade the king to prevent Fortinbras from attacking. Marcellus and Barnardo The officers who first see the ghost walking the ramparts of Elsinore and who summon Horatio to witness it. Marcellus is present when Hamlet first encounters the ghost. Francisco A soldier and guardsman at Elsinore. Reynaldo Ophelia - Hamlet Hamlet Works Cited Ophelia Status: Secondary character in the play. Daughter of the King’s Advisor, Polonius and sister to Laertes. Somewhat high social hierarchical status. Main Purpose: No real “purpose” however her motivations come from her father and Hamlet. Analysis: - Ophelia is powerless and obedient.

These characteristics are actually not unique in any form for a young woman in the late 16th and 17th centuries. Essentially, she is expected to obey her father unquestionably until she is married; only then the husband would replace the father’s role of establishing the rules. This is perfectly demonstrated when her father demands that she stop seeing Hamlet, and she complies despite her love for him: “I shall obey my Lord" (1.4.10). What’s more, is the fact that she is forced to act as bait under Polonius’ rules in order to spy on Hamlet, and yet it is she who unfairly receives Hamlet’s rage and insults. Ophelia is torn between patriarchal pressures that cause her to have no control over her body, relationships, and choices. - Ophelia is innocent and beautiful. Ophelia is described by Hamlet, Gertrude, and even Laertes both directly, and indirectly as quite beautiful and attractive. Hamlet describes her as beautiful in a speech addressed to her yet it is because of this beauty that she cannot truly be good (the latter is not important).

Likewise, Gertrude describes her as “mermaid like” as she was gently ebbing down the brook to her death. Similarly, Laertes also metaphorically compares her to a flower when insisting she keep her chastity. In Shakespeare’s play, Ophelia is the symbolic icon for beauty and innocence and is very much represented in this way in many films/ plays. Perhaps what Ophelia so beautiful is in fact her innocence, as if the two were inseparable yet a part of the same entity. Ophelia is regarded as innocent because she is perhaps (for a one of the more central characters in the play) the least involved in the disastrous affairs of Hamlet and Claudius, and is seen as someone who does not wish any harm upon anybody. Shakespeare’s portrayl of Ophelia is incredibly sympathetic and seems to register the unfairness of the way Ophelia is treated. Her most tragic demise is a result of the extreme patriarchal pressures and circumstances (out of her control) that cause her mental breakdown. - Ophelia is emotional and fragile.

Due to the fact that women in this age were extremely dependent on men, Ophelia likewise heavily relies and depends upon the men of her life (Polonius and Hamlet). Similarly, Ophelia is insecure and emotional partly in due to her young age (picture teenage girl) and partly in due to a society that disables her from being independent and strong. This is seen when Ophelia is devastated by Hamlet’s striking insults and how she seeks comfort from her father, Polonius (who is too self-centered to properly tend to her daughter’s feelings). As such, having a selfish father who is then murdered by her verbally abusive boyfriend who seems to have gone mad, causes her to break down mentally. Her fragility is best shown when she falls into the brook, and neglects to save herself but simply lets herself go with the flow of the brook (suicide). However, her death is so fitting to her personality and admittedly beautiful in the sense that one can picture the scene: She is gently ebbing down the brook with her overflowing dress, fully extended so that she looks like an angel, and she is surrounded by flowers while singing a sweet melody pending her death.

Indeed, her death is symbolic of how she lives her life - that being “going with the flow”. Symbolic Representation: A flower. See "Flowers" in Imagery tab. Create a free website SparkNotes: Hamlet: Plot Overview Plot Overview Context Character List On a dark winter night, a ghost walks the ramparts of Elsinore Castle in Denmark. Discovered first by a pair of watchmen, then by the scholar Horatio, the ghost resembles the recently deceased King Hamlet, whose brother Claudius has inherited the throne and married the king’s widow, Queen Gertrude. When Horatio and the watchmen bring Prince Hamlet, the son of Gertrude and the dead king, to see the ghost, it speaks to him, declaring ominously that it is indeed his father’s spirit, and that he was murdered by none other than Claudius. Ordering Hamlet to seek revenge on the man who usurped his throne and married his wife, the ghost disappears with the dawn. Prince Hamlet devotes himself to avenging his father’s death, but, because he is contemplative and thoughtful by nature, he delays, entering into a deep melancholy and even apparent madness.

Claudius and Gertrude worry about the prince’s erratic behavior and attempt to discover its cause. They employ a pair of Hamlet’s friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to watch him. When Polonius, the pompous Lord Chamberlain, suggests that Hamlet may be mad with love for his daughter, Ophelia, Claudius agrees to spy on Hamlet in conversation with the girl. But though Hamlet certainly seems mad, he does not seem to love Ophelia: he orders her to enter a nunnery and declares that he wishes to ban marriages. A group of traveling actors comes to Elsinore, and Hamlet seizes upon an idea to test his uncle’s guilt. He will have the players perform a scene closely resembling the sequence by which Hamlet imagines his uncle to have murdered his father, so that if Claudius is guilty, he will surely react. When the moment of the murder arrives in the theater, Claudius leaps up and leaves the room. Hamlet and Horatio agree that this proves his guilt. Hamlet goes to kill Claudius but finds him praying.

Since he believes that killing Claudius while in prayer would send Claudius’s soul to heaven, Hamlet considers that it would be an inadequate revenge and decides to wait. Claudius, now frightened of Hamlet’s madness and fearing for his own safety, orders that Hamlet be sent to England at once. Hamlet goes to confront his mother, in whose bedchamber Polonius has hidden behind a tapestry. Hearing a noise from behind the tapestry, Hamlet believes the king is hiding there. He draws his sword and stabs through the fabric, killing Polonius. For this crime, he is immediately dispatched to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. However, Claudius’s plan for Hamlet includes more than banishment, as he has given Rosencrantz and Guildenstern sealed orders for the King of England demanding that Hamlet be put to death. In the aftermath of her father’s death, Ophelia goes mad with grief and drowns in the river. Polonius’s son, Laertes, who has been staying in France, returns to Denmark in a rage. Claudius convinces him that Hamlet is to blame for his father’s and sister’s deaths.

When Horatio and the king receive letters from Hamlet indicating that the prince has returned to Denmark after pirates attacked his ship en route to England, Claudius concocts a plan to use Laertes’ desire for revenge to secure Hamlet’s death. Laertes will fence with Hamlet in innocent sport, but Claudius will poison Laertes’ blade so that if he draws blood, Hamlet will die. As a backup plan, the king decides to poison a goblet, which he will give Hamlet to drink should Hamlet score the first or second hits of the match. Hamlet returns to the vicinity of Elsinore just as Ophelia’s funeral is taking place. Stricken with grief, he attacks Laertes and declares that he had in fact always loved Ophelia. Back at the castle, he tells Horatio that he believes one must be prepared to die, since death can come at any moment. A foolish courtier named Osric arrives on Claudius’s orders to arrange the fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes. The sword-fighting begins. Hamlet scores the first hit, but declines to drink from the king’s proffered goblet.

Instead, Gertrude takes a drink from it and is swiftly killed by the poison. Laertes succeeds in wounding Hamlet, though Hamlet does not die of the poison immediately. First, Laertes is cut by his own sword’s blade, and, after revealing to Hamlet that Claudius is responsible for the queen’s death, he dies from the blade’s poison. Hamlet then stabs Claudius through with the poisoned sword and forces him to drink down the rest of the poisoned wine. Claudius dies, and Hamlet dies immediately after achieving his revenge. At this moment, a Norwegian prince named Fortinbras, who has led an army to Denmark and attacked Poland earlier in the play, enters with ambassadors from England, who report that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead. Fortinbras is stunned by the gruesome sight of the entire royal family lying sprawled on the floor dead. He moves to take power of the kingdom. Horatio, fulfilling Hamlet’s last request, tells him Hamlet’s tragic story. Fortinbras orders that Hamlet be carried away in a manner befitting a fallen soldier.

More Help Hamlet Summary - eNotes.com Hamlet Summary William Shakespeare Hamlet Summary Hamlet dramatizes Prince Hamlet's gradual descent into madness. Early in the play, the Ghost appears to Hamlet and informs him that Hamlet's father, the King of Denmark, was murdered by Hamlet's uncle, Claudius. Hamlet isn't sure that he believes the Ghost and sets about uncovering the truth. Hamlet makes himself appear crazy to deflect suspicion. He later rejects his sweetheart Ophelia and convinces players to enact the scene of the murder in front of Claudius, who reacts suspiciously. Hamlet’s attempt to kill Claudius results in the death of Ophelia’s father Polonius. Claudius sends Hamlet to England, expecting him to be killed upon arrival, but Hamlet cleverly escapes and stumbles upon Ophelia’s funeral. Claudius arranges a duel between Hamlet and Ophelia’s angry brother Laertes. Gertrude drinks from a poisoned goblet that was intended for Hamlet, and Laertes and Hamlet each deal poisoned blows to the other. In the end, Hamlet kills Claudius, avenging his father.

Download Study Guide Start Free Trial Start your free trial with eNotes to access more than 30,000 study guides. Get help with any book. link Link Prince Hamlet of Denmark is urged by his father’s Ghost to avenge his murder at the hands of the dead king’s brother, now King Claudius; to make matters worse, Claudius has married the widow, Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude. Denmark is under threat of invasion from young Fortinbras, who seeks to regain lands lost to Hamlet’s father by Fortinbras’s father. Claudius sends word to the King of Norway (Fortinbras’s uncle) to curb Fortinbras’s aggression. In the meantime, Hamlet feigns madness with his family and friends, including his beloved, Ophelia, sister to Laertes and daughter to Polonius. Both Polonius and Laertes warn Ophelia against Hamlet’s amorous advances. Polonius believes Hamlet’s “madness” to be love sickness. Laertes is given permission to return to his studies in Paris.

Claudius directs Gertrude to try to learn the cause of Hamlet’s odd behavior; they suspect it is the old king’s death and their own recent marriage. Meantime, Claudius and Polonius eavesdrop on Ophelia and Hamlet, who spurns her and appears mad. The King reveals to Polonius his plan to send Hamlet to England with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Hamlet seizes the opportunity presented by a traveling troupe of players to expose the King’s guilt with a “play within a play.” Soon after, Hamlet delays killing Claudius because the King is at prayer, and Hamlet does not wish to send him to heaven instead of hell. When Gertrude meets with Hamlet as Claudius has directed, Polonius hides behind the arras in Gertrude’s room to eavesdrop on the conversation. Hamlet, suspecting the interloper is Claudius, stabs and kills Polonius.

When Polonius’s body is discovered, Claudius summons Hamlet and tells him he must sail to England for his own safety; Rosencrantz and Guildenstern accompany Hamlet, carrying letters to the English, threatening war unless they kill Hamlet. Hamlet eventually escapes, returns to Denmark, and is met by Horatio. Ophelia has gone insane after Hamlet’s departure and her father’s death. Laertes returns and vows to avenge Polonius’s death. Claudius contrives a fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes, during which Hamlet is to be injured with a poisoned sword tip and poisoned with a drink, thus assuring his death. When news arrives that Ophelia has drowned herself, Laertes is grief stricken. Hamlet and Horatio happen upon the burial site and funeral cortege; Hamlet tries to fight Laertes but is restrained. Hamlet tells Horatio that he rewrote the papers carried by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and that the letters now call for their own deaths. Osric invites Hamlet to the duel with Laertes; Claudius has supposedly bet on Hamlet to win.

Gertrude mistakenly drinks from the cup poisoned by Claudius for Hamlet, and dies; Laertes wounds Hamlet with the poisoned sword, and then Hamlet wounds Laertes when they accidentally exchange swords. When Laertes reveals the conspiracy, Hamlet wounds the King and forces the poisoned drink upon him. Laertes and Hamlet reconcile, and Laertes dies; Hamlet prevents Horatio from drinking the poison so that he can live to tell the truth. Hamlet names as his successor young Fortinbras, who arrives and orders Hamlet buried with all dignity. Estimated Reading Time Given a text with abundant and helpful footnotes, an average student should expect to spend at least an hour per act on the first read through; subsequent readings should take less time, as the language becomes more familiar. Certainly a five-hour stretch is not advised; probably a few scenes at a time, or perhaps an entire act, would be a comfortable portion for an average reader. Since there are five acts with a total of twenty scenes, the student could expect to spend at least five hours in perhaps six to eight sessions. Related Content (hide) link Link There is little debate that Shakespeare is the greatest Renaissance tragedian, and that King Lear (pr.

c. 1605-1606, pb. 1608) and Hamlet, Prince of Denmark are the best examples of his work in that genre. Since its first production at the beginning of the seventeenth century, Hamlet has been the subject of intense critical inquiry, and the figure of Hamlet has been among the most intensely studied of any of Shakespeare’s creations. Intellectual, self-reflective, alienated, and seemingly paralyzed by doubts about both himself and the circumstance in which he is called upon to act as an agent of revenge, Hamlet has come to be considered the quintessential modern hero. For the subject of his drama, Shakespeare turned to a story already popular in English theaters; at least two earlier productions of the sad tale of the Danish prince had appeared in London playhouses. In many ways, Hamlet is typical of a subgenre immensely popular in Shakespeare’s time: the revenge play. Most of these were bloody spectacles in which almost every character dies in the final act.

The body-strewn stage in act 5 of Hamlet continues this tradition, as does the central action of the drama: the need for the young Hamlet to avenge the death of his father, the king, whose ghost informs Hamlet early in the play that he (the king) had been poisoned by Hamlet’s Uncle Claudius so Claudius could become king and marry Hamlet’s mother, the queen Gertrude. The central dramatic interest in the play is the character of its hero. Hamlet sees himself as the “scourge and minister” of some higher order, returned from school in Germany to set right the disorder in his realm caused by his uncle’s murderous action. Unfortunately, the sensitive prince is not callous enough to ignore the doubts he has about the exact cause of his father’s death. He has been told by his father’s ghost that Claudius committed murder; other hints to that effect abound. The prince feels he must delay his revenge, however, until he is certain Claudius is guilty. Compounding Hamlet’s problem is the fact that his mother, whom he loves dearly, has married his uncle soon after the old king has died.

It is not at all clear to Hamlet whether his mother has had a hand in the murder, whether she is simply unaware of Claudius’s treachery, or whether she believes Claudius is innocent. Much is made of the mother-son relationship; Hamlet spends considerable time trying to convince his mother that she has made a mistake in marrying Claudius. Only when she finally comes to accept his view that the new king is somehow guilty does Hamlet decide to act. His decision is precipitated by several other actions as well, most notably the efforts of his supposed friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to have him killed. Many critics have observed that Hamlet is really too sensitive to effect the revenge that he intends. He is by nature melancholic, possessing a fatalistic disposition that borders on the suicidal. His most famous soliloquy focuses on the virtue of ending his life. “To be, or not to be,” he begins his musings; that is, indeed, a central question for him, since he sees little benefit in continuing to live in a world where injustice reigns. Nevertheless, he decides to act to avenge his father’s murder—once he is certain he knows who has been involved in the plot to kill him.

Viewing the world as a place where things are seldom as they seem, he spends a good portion of his time trying to sort appearance from reality. He invents various devices to help illuminate the truth, such as his elaborate arrangement for a dumb show that will re-create the murder of his father in the presence of Claudius to try to make the king reveal his guilt. Hamlet is not satisfied simply to take vengeance on his uncle clandestinely; he wants Claudius to admit his guilt. For centuries, scholars have debated Hamlet’s inability to act even when he has the opportunity to do so. Early in the play, his inactivity can be attributed to his lack of assurance that Claudius is guilty. Were he to kill the new king without justification, he would be seen as no better than a murderer himself, and no good would come of his action. Nevertheless, when he does appear to have sufficient evidence of Claudius’s role in his father’s murder, the prince still seems paralyzed. In a crucial scene after Claudius has seen the dumb show and left the room visibly upset, Hamlet finds his uncle praying in the castle’s chapel.

It is a perfect chance to slay the king, but Hamlet refrains because he says he does not want to send his uncle’s soul to heaven. Such casuistry has been reason for several critics to claim that Shakespeare is simply drawing out the drama until the final catastrophe. By the final act, Hamlet has become totally fatalistic. Having killed Polonius accidentally, he has already bloodied his hands; he accepts the challenge of Polonius’s son, Laertes, with resignation, knowing that he will probably be killed himself. In the final scene, all of the principals meet their end—and almost all by some mischance of fate. Despite the resounding encomium pronounced over the body of the slain prince, the bleak ending offers little encouragement for an audience who has witnessed this great tragedy. Surprisingly, however, the ending seems justified, in that order has been restored to the Danish kingdom, although won at a terrible price. Such is the lesson of most great tragedies, and Hamlet ranks with the very best examples of the genre.

Question: Who was the father of Ophelia?
Answer: Polonius