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Hamlet analysis by Shakespeare
Summary of hamlet by othello
Summary of hamlet by othello
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Hamlet analysis by Shakespeare
Summary of hamlet by othello
Summary of hamlet by othello
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Gertrude reveals that Ophelia drowned while climbing in a willow tree above a brook, where she subsequently fell. Gertrude observed Ophelia crafting garlands “of crowflowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples” (scene vii, line 187). The tree Ophelia scaled and the flowers she plucked have symbolic meanings that characterize Ophelia. Willow trees’ drooping branches symbolize depression and mourning, which is befitting of Ophelia’s character as she fails to cope with the murder of her father and Hamlet’s rejection of her. Each of the flowers also has a meaning attached.
Her use of scenic imagery helps to contrast Ophelia’s actions with the beauty around her while also distracting the reader from the somber events taking place. The “willow [that] grows askaunt the brook,/ That shows his hoary leaves in the glassy stream” portrays an almost dream-like reality, tinting everything with a touch of fantasy while minimizing the harsh pain of the real world (166-167). The willows drooping branches creates an image of demure sadness and, paired with the glassy stream, helps to create the physical embodiment of Ophelia’s sorrow. Gertrude’s use of excessive detail and imagery depicts Ophelia in a positive light despite her madness. This continues as Gertrude describes the flowers Ophelia picked for the “fantastic garlands” she made for her father’s funeral (168).
Hamlet has come to see his mother, Queen Gertrude, and ends up stabbing Lord Polonius, which ultimately leads to his death. Lord Polonius’ final words include “O, I am slain!” Even though this provides a slight amount of comic relief to the reader, it has a reverse effect on Ophelia’s mental state. Her father’s death seems to be the potent punch in this fight because she officially goes mad after this final event. This is apparent in Scene IV Act I, when Laertes has come back to visit his sister and check on her well being.
When Ophelia returns all his letters and gifts he tells her that he has never loved her and that she should “get thyself to a nunnery.” This is one example how his mood changes throughout the play. Then after all this her father, Polinous, is murdered by Hamlet. The Hamlet is sent away to England All of these actions result in her feeling such stress that she becomes insane in the end.
Ophelia goes mad throughout the story. She is overwhelmed by the loss of her father and the rejection of Hamlet. Her character is seen spiraling down a dark path that also ends in death. Ophelia is depicted as not having control over her actions; speaking and acting erratically. While Hamlet is speaking erratically and behaving oddly, he still maintains control over his actions and movement throughout the story.
During this scene, we see Ophelia literally melting into Larates arms, this helps show the intent by showing how truly upset she is about her fathers death, and that she's not crazy she just needs time to grief. A version that did not do as well of showing this is the Branagh version. In the Branagh version Ophelia was talking about the flowers, but there was nothing there making her seem delusional, this did not fit well because the setting and context just don't fit with the character
Sometimes in life people do not portray things how the really mean to. Sometimes people treat the people they truly love harshly. Sort of like how in the play of Hamlet, Hamlet acts like he does not really love Ophelia. But, in the tragedy of Hamlet, the protagonist, Hamlet, really did love Ophelia. This can be seen through his actions toward her before he found out about his father’s death being a murder, pretending to be crazy simply to prove to the king and Polonius, and by his actions after Ophelia 's death.
For the duration of the play, Ophelia was portrayed as a naïve and submissive woman. Her passivity and powerlessness reinforce the voicelessness of women during the Elizabethan era. For example, “I shall obey, my lord” (I.iii.134) shows that Ophelia concedes to her father’s will, even though she believes Hamlet’s love is genuine. She is willing and expected to obey her father despite the fact that she still loves Hamlet, which emphasizes her character’s submissive nature. Furthermore, in Act I Laertes warns Ophelia that it would be shameful of her to love Hamlet, and she responds with “I shall the effect of this good lesson keep as a watchman to my heart” (I.iii.45).
This is where we first see Ophelia deteriorating a person. The next thing that drove her off a cliff was her father being murdered. Claudius said “O, this is the poison of deep grief;
Throughout the play, Ophelia acts as a very honest person in the beginning, willing to tell Laertes and Polonius anything. She then receives mistreated love from Hamlet that leads her to drowning herself in a river. The true face and actions from Ophelia, Laertes, Polonius, Queen Gertrude, King Claudius, and particularly Hamlet lead to their deaths. The end result leads to unfortunate events, including death. The love throughout the kingdom of Denmark becomes toxic, killing all who lives
This provokes him to say that god gives women one face, but they use make up to paint on another one. This quote suggest that Hamlet sees woman as naive and gullible creatures, as he sees Ophelia as nothing but an object that is owned by her father, as she is helping him with all of his dirty work. Hamlet believes that woman cannot be trusted as they have are deceiving. He also sees Ophelia as a grown women who is unable to make her own decisions. Hamlet is utterly disgusted by how feeble Ophelia is as she was following her father's scheme.
Ophelia is grieving the loss of her father after Hamlet kills him. Ophelia doesn't know that Hamlet killed her father. But Ophelia has gone mad from learning about her father's death. Also, after Hamlet telling Ophelia that she needs to go to a nunnery, Ophelia is a little bit discouraged. She is discouraged because Hamlet had told her before that if Ophelia would sleep with him that they would get married.
In The Tragedy of Hamlet, Hamlet has a unique relationship with Ophelia. Throughout the beginning of the play you learn very little about their relationship. Their relationship was referenced however. In the beginning of the play, Laertes warns Ophelia about Hamlet, claiming he does not actually love Ophelia. Throughout the play it is implied that Hamlet and Ophelia were involved with one another, but never showed the details of their "love."
In “Hamlet” a tragedy written by William Shakespeare, the death of a character is an occurring event. William Shakespeare uses imagery and allusion to demonstrate the result of manipulation from other characters upon Ophelia, daughter of Polonius, and leading up to her death. Her death was not the consequence of disgraceful actions of her own, but rather by the involvement of others and their influence on her life. Hamlet’s apparent rejection of her love and her father’s personal vindictive leads up to her simple-minded state, entering a world of madness. She has now gone mad, singings nonsense songs and giving people flowers that she has picked from the garden.
William Shakespeare was a master of his craft, as he managed to write countless of classic plays that are more complex than most today. In Hamlet, Shakespeare used the mental and psychological events to create a sense of excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated with external action. The play very much centers around Hamlet’s mental state, making the audience question whether or not the protagonist is actually losing his mind. With this psychological-centered story, a lot of the suspense and excitement comes from questioning Hamlet’s state of mind. Although, Hamlet’s mind isn’t the only source of intrigue, as almost every character has some important psychological event or problem that creates more suspense in the story.