ipl-logo

Ophelia's Identity In Hamlet

729 Words3 Pages

In the play Shakespeare, the three characters introduce their actions by exposing their true identity. As they do, Ophelia and Laertes tend to try and get Hamlet back. Hamlet shows his true colors and he ends up trying to kill Laertes. The theme of this revenge, love, death in this play contributes to Hamlet, Laertes, Ophelia’s personalities and relationships toward each other. Hamlet’s personality and actions towards Laertes are bitter and rude because he loves Ophelia more than he does. Hamlet kills Ophelia’s father thinking that it would change her mind about Hamlet being able to get closer to her. Ophelia had other plans in mind and so did Laertes too. Laertes thought that he could possibly do something for Ophelia to get away from Hamlet. …show more content…

In “Hamlet, prince of Denmark’’ author Foster, Edward E. expresses “After being rejected by Hamlet, her former lover, Ophelia has gone mad and drowned.” (3). She ends up dying because she could not handle being rejected by Hamlet since she really loved him. In the result of Ophelia’s death, Hamlet expresses his love with a great gesture. In Act 5, Scene 1, Hamlet says “Who is the one whose grief is so loud and clear, whose words of sadness make the planets strand still in the heavens as if they’ve been hurt by what they’ve heard?” (Shakespeare 295). This quote shows that Hamlet ends up Jumping into Ophelia’s grave and shows that he’s there for her, shows her love by saying his last words. Hamlet’s words and actions aren’t the only one affected by Ophelia, Laertes was also highly affected. Crisantos 2 Laertes’ personality and actions mostly depend on Hamlet and Ophelia. Laertes’ personality can be described as uncertain. He tries to warn Hamlet to stay away from Ophelia. In Act1, Scene 3, Laertes says “For Hamlet, and the trifling of his favor, Held it a fashion and a toy in blood.” (Shakespeare …show more content…

Laertes tends to fight Hamlet over Ophelia, since they both love her. But Hamlet wasn’t fully truthful to Ophelia and would hurt her even if it wasn’t his true intentions. Both Laertes and Hamlet don’t like each other very much but have a lot in common with one another. Laertes is very brave and passionate. Meanwhile Hamlet is very rude and bold. Both of their fathers are dead so they are miserable. Ophelia’s reaction to her father’s death impacts how her personality and relationships are. Ophelia was not mentally stable after she found out something tragic and meaningful to her. In “Hamlet, prince of Denmark’’ author Foster, Edward E. phrases “Her gentle nature being unable to strand the shock of her father’s death at her lover’s hands, she loses her mind and is drowned.” (2). This quote mainly talks about how Ophelia cannot physically handle her fathers death so she ends up dying. Before she died, she always talked about her father. In Act 4, Scene 5, Ophelia says “I’d give you some violets, flowers of faithfulness, but they all dried up when my father died.” (Shakespeare

Show More
Related
559 Words | 3 Pages

Since Ophelia was in love with Hamlet, she was anguished by his actions. As a result of her misery, Ophelia took her own life which only added grief to Hamlet. After his father’s death Hamlet tells his mother that, “‘Tis not alone my inky cloak, (good) mother,/ Nor windy suspiration of forced breath,/ No, nor the fruitful river in the eye,/ Nor the dejected havior of the visage,/ Together with all forms, moods, shapes of grief” (1. 2. 80-85). Hamlet is describing that his grief goes farther than his outward appearance.

Read More
781 Words | 4 Pages

Her initial denial comes from the rejection of her love by Hamlet, leading to anger and confusion. She then begins to bargain with herself, trying to understand why Hamlet has treated her so coldly. As the play progresses, Ophelia's depression deepens. She becomes overwhelmed by the events around her, ultimately leading to her tragic demise. Ophelia's story shows how grief can be not only a response to loss but also to rejection and disappointment.

Read More
925 Words | 4 Pages

This is evidence of tension between Laertes and Hamlet and foreshadows the later confrontation between them. On the contrary, Hamlet feels romantic love for Ophelia. His love is supposedly so passionate that “Forty thousand brothers/ Could not with all their quantity of love” (V, i, 275-276) care for her as much as he does. Both Laertes and Hamlet carry their love to Ophelia’s grave. While at the grave, Laertes shows his brotherly love for Ophelia once more when he stands inside her grave and exclaims “Hold off the earth awhile,/

Read More
160 Words | 1 Pages

murder, he accidently stabs Polonius in the chest. Ophelia thought that Hamlet didn’t love her, so she jumped off of a bridge. The quote implies here, because it shows Hamlet lost everything, and everyone he loved in the process. Laertes had a brother like relationship with Hamlet. He loved Polonius, and Ophelia a little too much.

Read More
987 Words | 4 Pages

3. 6-11). Clearly, “by stating such powerfully dismissive words, Laertes exhibits his objectification of Ophelia” (Olivas, 2015, p. 13). He rejects Hamlet’s affection towards her as false and short-lived before ordering that they end their relationship. However, despite this outwardly cruel manipulation of his sister to benefit his personal reputation “Laertes thinks that Hamlet will eventually hurt Ophelia” and thus his warning does truly look out for her genuine wellbeing (Tovsen, 2012, p. 8).

Read More
876 Words | 4 Pages

Meanwhile, he receives support from many citizens while Hamlet just has about one or two loyal people who try to help him. The actions of Laertes reveal that he is calm because he doesn’t kill Claudius right away even though he hears many rumors before on the way to Denmark. Another similar point between these two people is that they both love Ophelia, but in different ways. Laertes loves Ophelia as a brother, so he gives many suggestions to Ophelia when he knows that Hamlet shows affection toward Ophelia; he keeps telling her that Hamlet is a young prince that his affection is not permanently, which alludes that he is really concerned about the future if Ophelia agrees to be with Hamlet. Hamlet loves Ophelia as a man since he writes a long letter showing his feelings toward Ophelia.

Read More
732 Words | 3 Pages

Laertes believes Hamlet is to blame not only for his father’s death, but also for Ophelia’s death because the death of her father is ultimately what drove her to killing herself. Once Laertes returns, he asks King Claudius who is responsible for the death of his father and is informed that Hamlet is the one to blame. Ophelia enters and reveals to everyone that she has gone crazy and ends up killing herself. Hamlet returns to Denmark and is surprised to find out that Ophelia has died. Laertes and Hamlet start fighting at her burial service and Hamlet says he wants to be

Read More
645 Words | 3 Pages

One primary example which proves the insanity behind Hamlet’s loss of love for Ophelia is when he berates her for being a pawn of her father. During his encounter with Ophelia, Hamlet states that, “If thou dost marry, I’ll give thee this plague for thy dowry. Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery, go. Farewell” (x).

Read More
637 Words | 3 Pages

He says, “ O thou vile king, give me my father! That drop of blood that’s calm proclaims me bastard, Cries “cuckold” to my father, brands the harlot even here between the chaste unsmirchèd brow of my true mother.” This furious and erratic behavior contradicts the way he is introduced in his first appearance and is important because it shows how Laertes is capable of murdering someone he has known his whole life. In his first scene, Laertes approaches his concern about Ophelia's relationship with Hamlet in a calm manner. However, from his actions later on in Act 4 scene 5 it is obvious that his head did not keep its cool like it had before.

Read More
965 Words | 4 Pages

In the exposition, Laertes is introduced as the brother to the beautiful Ophelia, the girl to whom Hamlet secretly loves. As a “loving” friend and relative, they both share a common bond in wanting to care for Ophelia, but the future shows differently than what they intended. When Ophelia died towards the end, that common bond they shared for her grew stronger and added to the fire that ultimately drew them to go against one another. Hamlet became rejectful of the news and anger soon took over. When confronted by Laertes and challenged by his feeling for

Read More
937 Words | 4 Pages

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

Read More
1389 Words | 6 Pages

Saying this, Hamlet’s behavior towards Ophelia is crude, rough, and full of anger. Despite Hamlet’s harsh treatment towards Ophelia, he really did love her, but because she was not his main focus, the

Read More
796 Words | 4 Pages

He is Hamlet’s love interest’s brother who implicates Hamlet’s success through conflict. Hamlet sparks the rivalry between the two families by killing some of the family members. By executing Laertes father and Polonius, this causes Polonius’ son, Laertes, to seek vengeance for his father. Consequently, Hamlet’s family goes against him and his love, Ophelia, kills herself. This demonstrates that family ties, even if not blood related, have serious impacts on Hamlet’s life which causes misery to overwhelm his life; this misery prohibits his success.

Read More
745 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
1427 Words | 6 Pages

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.

Read More

More about Ophelia's Identity In Hamlet

Related Topics

Open Document