Hamlet's Use Of Ophelia Essay

In the play, Hamlet written by William Shakespeare, Polonius, Hamlet, and Laertes are the people Ophelia loved the most. During the play Hamlet, Ophelia was overlooked, ignored, and taken advantage of by the men she cared the most about. They all used her and disregarded her feelings about the situations that affected her. Not only was Ophelia taken advantage of but she was objectified throughout the whole play. Even though they didn't respect Ophelia, she still did what she was told. The men in her life were more worried about her image and not her as a person. One of the many themes in the play is that being overlooked and taken advantage of by people closest can lead to madness. Ophelia was an obedient child, she always listened to her father and her brother.“Then weigh what loss your honor may sustain, if with too credent ear you listlists songs, or lose your heart, or chaste treasure open to his unmastered importunity” (1.3.30-32).

Hamlet doesn’t look at Ophelia as a modest wife, but someone that would use her husband and turn him into a monster. (3.1.138-141) Lastly, when Hamlet kills Polonius and Ophelia finds out about the death of her father and the way he was buried, she becomes devastated and depressed. Even though Ophelia isn't aware that Hamlet is the reason behind her father’s death, she is still heartbroken that her father didn’t get a proper funeral which is why she went mad. “We must be patient. But I cannot choose but weep to think they should lay him i'th' cold ground.”(4.5.66-68) Although Hamlet says that he did love Ophelia he doesn’t show that to her for most of the play. He only starts to regret how he treated her and for killing her father once he finds out that she is dead. Hamlet was so focused on avenging his father he never thought of how badly he treated Ophelia or how his actions would affect