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Hamlet Tragedy Of Ophelia Essay

706 Words3 Pages

Was this really Hamlet 's tragedy, or was it Ophelia 's? Often others are not taken into consideration when choices are being made. Throughout the story of Hamlet readers are able to witness the lies, scandals, and emotional rollercoasters as deep secrets unravel. Through the mystery of death both characters Ophelia and Hamlet are pushed to their breaking point. Self-doubt, depression and confusion are all factors leading to not only the tragedy of Hamlet, but the tragedy of Ophelia. This novel exposes the betrayal amongst family members and the confusion of love all in one. Ophelia has experienced almost as many tragedies and moments of external and internal conflict if not more than Hamlet and Shakespeare demonstrates that early in the …show more content…

Convinced that the love was real, Ophelia is slapped in the face with some harsh reality. "You should not have believed me; for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it. I loved you not" (Hamlet 160) exemplifies the external conflict she is facing and how she had been fooled all this time thinking their love was real. Now she is in conflict with herself because she feels as if she could have conserved her time and maybe listened to her father. Shakespeare includes this encounter to show the readers yet again that the challenges Ophelia is facing is interfering with her. She is being pulled in different directions one minute and the next her thoughts and feelings are getting thrown in her face. Throughout acts three and four the readers begin to see Ophelia deteriorate from the inside out. She has lost her lover in addition to her father and now that she is processing all of that her mind and body cannot physically take it. William Shakespeare utilizes the different situations within the story to show readers the many contributions to her problems. This reveals the many factors that lead to her …show more content…

The tragedy of Ophelia was deeper than the tragedy of Hamlet. Her downfall was the result of inaccurate love in which took a toll on her heart, it was a result of corrupt thinking in which took a toll on her mind, and it was a result of chaos which took a toll on her body. Her body 's physiological response to all the things happening around her was just not strong enough. She has reached her limit and felt as if she could not take it anymore. "Fell in the weeping brook. Her clothes spread wide, and mermaid-like awhile they bore her up, which time she chanted snatches of old tunes" here William Shakespeare shares with the reader the death of dear Ophelia. He has taken Hamlet 's To be or Not to be soliloquy and turned it into reality. Hamlet 's questioning of the value of life has been transitioned to Ophelia. She knew saving herself was an option, but she also knew so was drowning and at that moment and time drowning was her way out, she found her freedom. She was fighting a battle she could not win and as a result of that

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