His madness. Want 100 or more? Ophelia's Madness. It is [], We provide you with original essay samples, perfect formatting and styling. I too wrote about Ophelia, however based it on her heartbreaking death. However, as the question of Hamlets state of mind increasingly dire, Polonius tightens the reins on his daughter. Complete your free account to request a guide. to start your free trial of SparkNotes Plus. In her final moments, Ophelia chooses to ring herself in emblems of all that she was and all that she could have been, had the world around her not shrunken and shriveled her until hardly anything was left. I wonder which had more an effect? With Laertes in France and Hamlet (when her sweetheart transformed into her ex-darling) being angry with her, she lamentably feels alone on the planet, making her swing to death. Well written! The fact that the water completely weighs her down and she doesnt even car is shocking because she shouldnt have died but her showing that shows how depressed she was. Further, he alludes to her being a whore as she should get thee to a nunnery which has a duality, more so than the meaning of a place of the Christian faith, this terminology also stood for brothels. It seems that any time hamlet [], The self is a very difficult subject to favourably describe. However, the sexual references in Ophelias songs account for her obsession with the now mad Hamlet, as in promising his love to her earlier in the play and then being scorned, she is doubly heartbroken by his absence alongside the death of her father. Youve successfully purchased a group discount. This quest for revenge resulted in not only his own death but in the deaths of many other characters in the play as well, including his mother, Gertrude, who drinks the poison that was meant for him. On Ophelia's Madness It is interesting to analyze this scene to see that both her fathers death and Hamlets act led to her madness. poor Ophelia separated from herself and her reasonable judgment, without the which we are pictures, or insignificant brutes; From the Kings perspective and the prior discussion with Polonius, it is comprehended that Polonius and Ophelia have an incredible dad little girl security. You can view our. In the play it is suggested a few times that Ophelia and Hamlet had sex, its not confirmed in the play at all that she actually had sex with Hamlet and a lot of other characters in the play seem to think she did, like her brother. In act 4, scene 5 of Hamlet, in her insanity, Ophelia speaks freely through song. Retrieved May 1, 2023 , from https://studydriver.com/ophelias-madness/, Get in touch with our top writers for a non-plagiarized essays written to satisfy your needs. Please wait while we process your payment. Which also shows how she was actually deflowered, giving flowers away. eNotes Editorial, 3 Nov. 2020, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/in-act-4-of-hamlet-what-do-ophelia-s-songs-imply-1141755. Who does it, then? Hamlet seems to have a lot of opinions about the topic, even her brother Laertes has something to say about it, along with their father. I never picked up on those lines of her song in relation to Hamlet breaking his promise of marrying her. I really liked the points you brought up about Ophelia, I wrote about her in my blog post as well. Throughout the play, indeed, the appearance of Hamlet's pretended madness is contrasted with the reality of Ophelia's madness. The madness of each of these characters ultimately ends in tragedy. Laertes warns Ophelia against losing her heart and her chastity, "her chaste treasure" (1.3.34), to Hamlet. Even though, in the beginning, Hamlet is only feigning madness, he is certainly troubled (to say the least) at the end of the play. Now Hamlet is half right about not wanting to marry Ophelia, now Ophelia wouldnt cheat on Hamlet but how could he trust her when she stays so obedient to her father, lies to Hamlet and tells him that Polonius is home when he is concealed in the room eavesdropping. It is our responsibility to build a world that is not held down by social constructs like gender or class to prevent future deaths of those like Ophelia. "Gender and Identity in Hamlet: A Modern Interpretation of Ophelia." Having a parent like this must be difficult for Ophelia, Polonius controls every part of her life including her love life. As the play continues, Hamlet behaves more and more eccentrically, and neither the audience nor Hamlets other characters can be certain whether Hamlet is pretending or not. Furthermore, Hamlet also uses Ophelia to rant on his hatred for women as a whole, furthering the patriarchal misogyny of the early modern period. Ophelia plays the dutiful sister and daughter and agrees to heed Laertes and Polonius's advice. Want 100 or more? The reactions she provides for Hamlet, bodes well, yet are excessively short and unimportant. They represent deception, she is perhaps referring to Gertrude/Claudius or Hamlet. (IV.ii.2324). Ophelia ( / fili /) is a character in William Shakespeare 's drama Hamlet (1599-1601). (IV.v.). Ophelia goes mad because her father, Polonius, whom she deeply loved, has been killed by Hamlet. Ophelias songs show her slipping into further madness with a lot of bizarre sexually-laced lyrics and while reading this portion of the play I just felt bad for her. His words sound like an example of madness, and his two companions appear to take it as such. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Although she is tragic, she is also used at will with the men around her. Of course, if she were to marry, shed then have to live by her husbands rules. Both texts present archetypical interpretations of gender as [], Throughout scenes 1 and 2 of A Streetcar Named Desire, playwright Tennessee Williams presents Stanley as extremely powerful and authoritative through the use of dialogue as well as stage directions. body. Why else would he ask Ophelia, out of the blue, where Polonius is? Shakespeare, William. Gertrude seems to think that she accidentally falls in the water and then simply neglects to save herself from sinking. On Ophelias Madness. Ophelia is obedient, listens well and doesnt complain. As stated by Brown, because of Ophelias lack of a distinct identity, her identity disappears along with the disappearance of male dominance. As a result of her madness, she is unable to recognize herself as an independent person without these dominant male figures (Brown). I think that youre absolutely right in saying that Ophelias insanity is caused by a combination of Poloniuss death and Hamlets spurning of her, and murder of her father. Everybody in Ophelias life just assume how things are in her life which is another example of how shes so controlled she cant even speak against not having sex with Hamlet. our extensive database of written samples to find the inspiration or research youre looking Maybe if Hamlet wasnt such an ass to her she wouldnt have committed suicide because I think that was truly the last straw for her. Madness is one of the most pervasive themes in Shakespeares Hamlet. Thanks for creating a SparkNotes account! Hamlet Act 4 Scene 5 Flashcards | Quizlet Ophelia understood what Hamlet was doing to her she went basically crazy. And botch the words up fit to their own thoughts, The madness displayed by each of these characters is driven in part by the deaths of their fathers, however, they each portray it in different ways regardless of the similar origins. Even in death, Ophelia is shown as sexy, once again being sexually objectified by sex from her peers. While we can't say with certainty that Ophelia and Hamlet ever slept with one another, it's not hard to see why she might feel betrayed by him. Hamlet says this to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Despite the fact that Ophelia profoundly thinks about Hamlet, she was disallowed to keep seeing and having such chief of naval operations affections towards him by the requests of her dad and sibling. It starts very slowly and unassuming with an idea and before you know . Society references ones personal identity as what makes one the [], Shakespeare's Hamlet has often been considered one of the most intriguing and problematic plays of the English language. Because Polonius was such a vital figure in her life, she is likely bereaved beyond help and thus does not recognize her brother. It would be impossible to tell that it is those social constructs that led her to death without all of the natural references in Gertrudes monologue. However, rue was also used as a way to induce abortion: as Shakespeare never met a pun he didn't like, there is reason to suspect she may be planning to use the rue to try to end a pregnancy. According to Alison A. Chapman, Ophelias ravings display a complex awareness of England's medieval Catholic past. As she descends into grief after losing the men in her life, she begins to make many allusions to medieval Catholic forms of piety: St. James, St. Charity, old lauds, pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham, and other pre-Reformation religious folklore (Chapman). Religious ideas regarding the role of women may have contributed to Ophelias reliance on her father and other men for her sense of self. Ophelia has dependably been viewed as the kind of individual who might tune in and pursue orders, particularly from her dad. Ophelia's madness stems from her lack of identity and her feelings of helplessness regarding her own life. I definitely feel that before Polonius dies she is effected by how Hamlet treats her, which the argument I made in my post. Once these male influences are removed and these descriptions no longer define Ophelia, she loses her identity and becomes mad. Once her father is dead, she loses a major part of herself. Ophelia is sexually repressed, and she becomes weak in the absence of love. Laertes knows exactly what Hamlet wants from Ophelia and scaring her away from him could have saved her. Teachers and parents! We can write you a custom essay that will follow your exact instructions and meet the deadlines. Ophelia in the fourth act ofHamletis demonstrably insane, but the direct cause of her slipped sanity is something that remains debatable. The first half of the sentence may refer to either of these two understandings of body, but the second half seems to refer directly to Polonius, a "king" who's been separated from his body through death. Creating notes and highlights requires a free LitCharts account. (10.1353/sel.2013.0014), Camden, C. (1964).

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