how does ophelia feel about hamlet

Her father goes to the extent of pressing her to suppress any feelings she has towards Prince Hamlet. The Watergate Scandal: Summary & Significance, The Chimney Sweeper: Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Eric Walters Shattered: Characters & Analysis, Rhetoric Analysis I Want a Wife by Judy Brady, Gender Roles inTriflesby Susan Glaspell, Tone and Point of View in A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner. He commands her to have no further relations with him: I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth,Have you so slander any moment leisure,As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet.Look to't, I charge you: come your ways. He believes Hamlet is not serious with her and is playing around. He tells her despite all the false things happening around them, his love for her was a genuine. (Shakespeare 131). Hamlet has a pressing sexual desire for his mother Gertrude and that is what drives his hatred for women. Ophelia doesn't have a confidante to turn to, and she is caught up in the schemes and acts of deception which ensnare the men in her life. Events such as King Hamlets death, Hamlets mothers expeditious marriage, conflict between Hamlet and Ophelia. Hamlet denies that he had given her anything. God hath given you one face, and you make yourselves another. Shakespeare uses the inauthenticity of painting the face with makeup as an analogy for womens deception, thus Hamlet here is comparing her love for him as something fake. But never doubt that I love (2.2.119). In act 2 of Hamlet, what news does Ophelia bring Polonius? a. Hamlet, Shakespeare: Hamlet & Ophelia: Sex-Obsession - Mara Marietta He feels betrayed and is hurt. Frailty, thy name is woman! Some of her songs seem to be about her father's death, but others, like this one, concern premarital sex. First, she was ridiculed by the grave diggers who were tasked to dig her final resting place. Even in death, the male characters undermine Ophelias rights as a woman. Already a member? They stage a scene for Hamlet to encounter Ophelia as if "twere by accident" so that the two men can spy on the former couple. Ophelia (/ f i l i /) is a character in William Shakespeare's drama Hamlet (1599-1601). The facade of madness caused the rude and almost brutal treatment of Ophelia (Rosenberg 489). Ophelia does this at the instruction of her father, Polonius. Could not with all their quantity of love Polonius was guilty of mistreating Ophelia in the sense that he used his daughter as a means to achieve an end. Tutor and Freelance Writer. When Polonius later speaks to Hamlet, he takes particular note of his constant references to Ophelia and assumes Hamlet is obsessed with her and mentally unstable. Ophelia Character Analysis in Hamlet | SparkNotes Polonius tells Ophelia that she is a "green girl" for believing Hamlet 's declarations of love (1.3.101); in other words, he calls her naive and inexperienced. Article last reviewed: 2022 | St. Rosemary Institution 2010-2023 | Creative Commons 4.0. KING CLAUDIUS:Now, Hamlet, where's Polonius? To die; to sleep Rosencrantz and Guildenstern report to the king that they do not have a substantial reason for Prince Hamlets crazy behavior. 126-129). This also causes him to have many stumbling blocks in his life that causes some emotional pain, What Hamlet loves the most in Hamlet is Ophelia despite it constantly being questioned. In his fumbled plan for revenge, Hamlet accidentally kills Polonius, forces Polonius's son Laertes to seek revenge against him, and drives Ophelia crazy causing her to kill herself. I have not art reckon my groans, but that I love the best, oh, best, believe it. 7 Conclusion Hamlet's genuine love for Ophelia One reason why Hamlet reveals his feelings for Ophelia is that he is genuinely in love with her. Hamlet hasn't been treating her with respect lately, and even Gertrude hopes aloud that Ophelia's beauty is the reason for her son's strange behavior. Prince Hamlet was so filled with hatred towards her mother that he had ridiculed her multiple times throughout the text. Latest answer posted December 19, 2017 at 9:21:46 AM, What is the meaning of the following quote? It is difficult for her to understand Hamlet's inconsistent actions, for he later seeks her attention again, asking to lay his head in her lap during the performance of his playand making sexually suggestive references. Ghosts revelation of truth makes him disgusted. However; in Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet, the protagonist of the play is facing death and has, finally, after a protracted and tedious journey, avenged his fathers death and has sated himself to realize and accept his own personal peace. In the play Hamlet, Polonius reads a later that came from Hamlet that was for Ophelia and the poem said, Doubt thou the stars are fire, doubt that the sun doth move, doubt truth to be a liar, but never doubt I love. . HAMLET: Not where he eats, but where he is eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. The once vibrant young woman is now, suddenly, a shell. "My words fly up, My thoughts remain below. LORD POLONIUSAffection! The other gravedigger responded that the coroner had performed an autopsy and decided that Ophelia deserved a Christian burial. There are many things in Hamlet which are capable of a large number of interpretations and Hamlet-Ophelia relationship is one of them. One could argue that Ophelia would have been so regardless of Hamlet 's difficulties: She was already in . Ophelia is devastated by the news of her fathers death in Hamlet. He is bewildered by Laertes inhumane reaction of hostility towards him. Ophelia - Wikipedia Polonius uses Ophelia to try to determine what the cause of Hamlet's madness is (although Polonius, arrogantly, already assumes he knows that Hamlet is 'mad for [her] love'). One of these characters was Prince Hamlet. At this time, when he encounters the queen and Laertes (Ophelias brother), he realizes who is being buried. A clue to his change can be seen in the first soliloquy: O that this too too sullied flesh would melt Life has its own way of destroying things and we can only feel sorry for them. Prince Hamlet is the main character in the play. Ophelia sings tales of death and of lost love and tells Claudius that she cries when she thinks of the way they have lain her father "i'th' cold ground" (4.5.46). 234). Both lovers lack trust. In this passage from Act 3 Scene iv, he enumerated to Gertrude the things that he wished she would not do: Let the bloat king tempt you again to bed, Pinch wanton on your cheek, call you his mouse, And let him, for a pair of reechy kisses Or paddling in your neck with his damned fingers Make you to ravel all this matter out (Shakespeare 183). More so, he succeeded the throne and took the king's wife as his own who is Prince Hamlet's mother. It is true that Claudius and Polonius are closely watching them and therefore, they may just be behaving as if they do not love each other yet in reality they do. Though Gertrude suffered under the hands of both her husband and his councillor Polonius, she experienced the most intense abuse and criticism from her own son Prince Hamlet. In fact, Hamlet is a play which imitates reality so closely, that the play retains the mystery of life and hints at its mysterious depth. She is too tender to cope with the volcanic world of Hamlet. He had already made fun of her by making her appear mistaken. Ophelia's oppression by her own family was generally associated with her connection to Prince Hamlet. However, she proved to be another female puppet character of Polonius. However, this could prove the idea that Hamlet genuinely loved Ophelia before all of his resentment towards women grew thus leading to him losing his vision of love and seeing Ophelia dead now brings back his past feeling of love thus triggering his hyperbolic reaction. The monarchs decisions and actions were imposed on her by a councillor of the king. Therefore, although he claims he loves her after her death and even if this was true and he remembered his love for her previously, what he says is only words which he had failed to act upon just like his inaction towards revenge. He ordered, Ophelia, walk you hereread on this book (Shakespeare 125; 127). In her madness, Ophelia eventually does make this realization and because of her lack of alternatives, she accepts death. The male character who subjected her to maltreatment was none other than her second husband, King Claudius. The most direct proof of Hamlets love towards Ophelia is one of the letters that Polonius brings to the king and queen. Hamlet final exam Flashcards | Quizlet Quora - A place to share knowledge and better understand the world "In Hamlet, why did Hamlet reject Ophelia and be unkind to her, and what is her reaction?" She becomes a victim of her father's political ambitions as well as a victim of Hamlet's feigned madness and his bitterness and suspicion toward women. In Hamlet, Ophelia returns Hamlet's letters and presents because she is acting according to the wishes of her father and Claudius. Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. It seemed that he placed greater value on his own pursuits that his own daughter. While Hamlet is speaking to Ophelia, he first talks about how he loved her once then explains to her that he does not love her. 7, Gertrude tells Claudius and Laertes that Ophelia has drowned. Character. Another reason would be the actions of Hamlet when he came to see Ophelia. Hamlet also talks down on her I have heard of your paintings well enough; God hath given you one face, and you make yourselves another: you jig, you amble, and you lisp, you nickname Gods creatures, and make your wantonness your ignorance (III. This confirms that Hamlet is aware that he is being spied upon and much of this anger in this scene towards Ophelia comes from his understanding that Polonius is spying on them therefore him feeling betrayed once again by a woman, and this time Ophelia causing him to lose his feelings of affection for her. Before leaving Denmark, Laertes advises against relations with Hamlet. The confusion that exists is because of Prince Hamlet feigning to be mad. Such comparison is already ridicule towards Gertrude. Latest answer posted November 19, 2020 at 1:33:52 PM. The play also shows his mixed feelings towards Ophelia, which is seen as the play, begins and as it progresses. He probably fell in love with her when he was staying at Ellsinore before his fathers death. Ophelia describes Hamlet's behavior and appearance to Polonius in act 2of Hamlet in a manner that is synonymous with the early modern stereotype of the man driven mad by unrequited love.. Mrs. Jameson describing her character in her book Characteristics of women has observed: The love of Ophelia which she never once confesses is like a secret which we have stolen from her and which ought to die upon our hearts as upon her own. Ophelia brings Hamlet all the previous love letters they have shared; My Lord, I have remembrances of yours. Wallace Field | Certified Educator Share Cite The last time we see Ophelia on stage, prior to her father's murder by Hamlet, is just before the start of the play by which Hamlet hopes to get. Shakespeares characters reveal themselves by what they say and do on the stage. Hamlet, the play and the man, seem to be presented as a puzzle. He used her as bait to witness for himself the madness of Hamlet. If his mom could be so fickle and frail, couldn't any woman be that way? In this letter, Prince Hamlet is so sure that Ophelia is the only recipient of the letter and hence expresses her true and honest feeling. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. She is a daughter, sister, lover and a member of the royal court's entourage. The disgust that Hamlet felt for Gertrude can be summed up in this passage: A bloody deedalmost as bad, good mother,/ As kill a king and marry with his brother (Shakespeare 171).

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