How Does Hamlet Present Ophelia

Ada VanderSloot Mrs. Kigar AP Literature 25 March 2024 Ophelia: The Gaslighter Centered upon betrayal, revenge, death, and madness, Hamlet follows the price of Denmark's quest for revenge against his father’s murderer, King Claudius. During his quest for revenge, Hamlet engages in what he thinks to be an intimate relationship with Ophelia, the daughter of Lord Polonius. Though less commonly discussed, the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia is crucial to each character’s development. Ophelia reflects “the cult of true womanhood; she could be pure and chaste, obedient and submissive, and her madness and death could evoke images of sublime beauty” (Derrick). These characteristics contribute to Ophelia’s misinterpretation of her feelings towards

The Ophelia’s first sentence concerning their relationship involves how Hamlet portrays his affection towards her. Ophelia’s main focus being Hamlet’s portrayal of affection supports the idea that she seeks validation in her relationship with Hamlet. Ophelia’s main means of communication and attention come from her sexual appeal to men. Andreea Serhan claims that Ophelia's defining traits are her submissiveness and her erotic sensuality, reducing her to “the object of Hamlet’s male desire” (Showalter). For the duration of the novel, Ophelia is acutely aware of her body and the effects it has on men. For instance, in Act 1, Scene 3 when Laertes and Polonius warn Ophelia not to give up her precious virginity to Hamlet. Ophelia, aware of Hamlet’s manly desires, refrains from sleeping with him to maintain their current relationship and the protection it provides her. Throughout her life, Ophelia remains submissive and obedient to maintain her safety. According to Oscar Firkins, Ophelia is someone who “‘submits rather than succumbs; she obeys with decision; she keeps her heart, if not her will, in her own custody’” (Derrick). Ophelia’s submissive nature is proven when she claims “I shall obey, my Lord”

Ophelia’s submission towards her father and other male figures comes from her desire for protection and safety - something she cannot attain on her own due to her “frailty” as a woman. Contrary to what some literary critics believe, Ophelia is an intellectually attractive woman. In the novel, Ophelia is smarter than she lets go. Patty S. Derrick’s reasoning behind her hidden intelligence is that “Ophelia would have to be a strong, well-poised woman to hold such a man, no whining and piping ingenue, no women of ordinary attainments.” Her intelligence gives her the confidence to obtain and control what she desperately wants - the attention Hamlet can provide her. Though, this is not to say Ophelia is exploiting Hamlet. Ophelia’s character illustrates someone “innocent and childlike, in need of masculine protection” (Serhan). These attributes prove that Ophelia is unaware of her swindling. Though Ophelia possesses a high level of intelligence, it is rarely exhibited on account of the ‘Ophelia Complex’ that Shauna Pomerantz explains as a situation in which “the ‘authentic’ and happy self of the prepubescent girl is tragically transformed into the ‘inauthentic’ self of the pubescent girl, who loses her own voice when she inevitably succumbs to media and peer pressure.” In the play, Ophelia is pressured by the standards by which women of the 1500s were