either. Before you tumbled me,You promis'd me to wed."He answers:"So would I ha'done, by yonder sun,An thou hadst not come to my bed. Further, as she talks about the various herbs she has gathered, she says that the rue is for her. Wed love to have you back! There are further references to Ophelias father, such as I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died, show Ophelias shattered mental state, as she is constantly fixating on the death of Polonius, so much that everything reminds her of his passing (Shakespeare IV 180-181). With lines like Young fellows will dot on the off chance that they come tot/By Cock, they are to be faulted means a bizarre and maybe angled reference to a wanton or just capricious man who guarantees love (or sex here with chicken) however retreats after a concise time (4.5.59-60). Ophelia exists as a tragic character in Hamlet and one that is entirely pitiable because of unfortunate circumstances that she has been put through. Hamlets madness likely stems from an actual mental illness, most likely a depressive illness. Ophelai is seen as "a cult figure embodying their own turbulent hopes," (Romanska 485). Refine any search. Get your custom essay from professional writers. The evidence suggesting that she is simply mourning her father is obvious, as lines from one of her many songs points towards grieving over an aged relative His beard as white as snow / All flaxen was his poll with flaxen here indicating a white or grayed head of hair (4.5.190-191). Website studydriver.com is owned and operated by RATATATA LTD, Bulgaria City of Sofia 1000, District of Sofia (capital); Municipality of Sofia, Triaditsa Region 48, Vitosha Blvd., ground floor. Your subscription will continue automatically once the free trial period is over. Throughout the early part of the play, Laertes and Polonius warn Ophelia to steer clear of Hamlet. You can get your custom paper by one of our expert writers. What is the Significance of Ophelias Madness?. reserved. Why doesnt Hamlet kill Claudius right away? Ophelias random singing was the first sign of madness when I first read it because instead of trying to save herself from drowning she was just calmly singing and letting the heavy water pile on top of her and her clothing. Ophelia begins her own descent into madness, as her family possesses and oppresses her feelings, and the man she loves declares he did not ever love her. While it is evident that Ophelia is grieving over the death of her father, Polonius, as Horatio says of her "She speaks much of her father, says she hears / There's tricks in the world, and hems, and beats her heart" (4.5.4-5), a secondary cause of Ophelia's madness may be in fact about her failed relationship with Hamlet as well. The audience immediately [], The protagonist of A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche Dubois, is a fallen southern Belle whose troubled life results in the deterioration of her mental health. However, the sexual references in Ophelias songs account for her obsession with the now mad Hamlet, as in promising his love to her earlier in the play and then being scorned, she is doubly heartbroken by his absence alongside the death of her father. Never Hamlet. Hamlet and Ophelia by Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1866. Despite whether or not the cause of her madness is her fathers death or the loss of her boyfriend or something entirely different, Ofelia almost falls into madness. Stop wasting your time searching for samples! Contact us (https://digitalcommons.denison.edu/articulate/vol1/iss1/6/), Gates, S. (2008). Stop wasting your time searching for samples! The content of Ophelia's songs is important in another respect too, though. Instant PDF downloads. They represent deception, she is perhaps referring to Gertrude/Claudius or Hamlet. for. He toys with her emotions throughout the play (e.g., saying he loves her and then immediately denying it in act 3, scene 1) and ultimately kills her father. The fact that the water completely weighs her down and she doesnt even car is shocking because she shouldnt have died but her showing that shows how depressed she was. Once these male influences are removed and these descriptions no longer define Ophelia, she loses her identity and becomes mad. Once her father is dead, she loses a major part of herself. I definitely feel that before Polonius dies she is effected by how Hamlet treats her, which the argument I made in my post. Ophelia is overpowered with her dads passing, as she goes into the room singing gibberish tunes, which depict mental decay. Because Polonius was such a vital figure in her life, she is likely bereaved beyond help and thus does not recognize her brother. Its quite the strain to put on anyones mental state. She has no way to prevent the death of her father, and no way to reason with the loss of Hamlets affection. We use cookies to personalyze your web-site experience. It is clear that Ophelia is grieving over the death of her father, Polonius, when Horatio says She speaks much of her father, says she hears (Shakespeare IV 4-5), but a secondary cause of Ophelias madness may be due to her failed relationship with Hamlet as well. April 30, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 Hamlet accidentally murders Polonius during his first attempt to kill Claudius which leads to Ophelia to become mad herself. Sam, Ophelia ( / fili /) is a character in William Shakespeare 's drama Hamlet (1599-1601). The way the content is organized. Throughout the play, indeed, the appearance of Hamlet's pretended madness is contrasted with the reality of Ophelia's madness. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. She is used as a ploy by her father to test Hamlets maddness. Perhaps if Ophelia didnt live in a world where social constructs and hierarchies dictated how she had to live her life, she wouldnt have had to find peace only in death. In addition, Hamlet, whom she also loved, has cruelly rejected her. 16 students ordered this very topic and got original papers. Ophelia's light, witty, teasing banter with Hamlet during the "play-within-a-play" in act 3, scene 2 would seem to indicate otherwise, but Ophelia might be hiding some underlying distress. Teachers and parents! I think that throughout Hamlet, madness is exhibited in many forms and Hamlets madness is very different from Ofelias. Ophelai is seen as a cult figure embodying their own turbulent hopes, (Romanska 485). His madness. I definitely feel that before Polonius dies she is effected by how Hamlet treats her, which the argument I made in my post. The audience learns, however, as does Laertes, that Ophelia isn't nearly as innocent and naive as Laertes believes she is when Ophelia turns Laertes's advice back on him. Web. In act 2, scene 2, what use does Hamlet plan to make of the players? In Act One, scene three, where we first meet her, Laertes and Polonius admonish Ophelia not to trust Hamlets expressions of love. (II.ii.31213). I did a 20 page paper, cited and reference with both currant DSM standards as well as utilizing the play for quotes. Being treated like that for your whole life, ever having any type of say was what killed her. She might be referring to Hamlet, possibly believing or imagining that he's dead, because she again seems to refer to her relationship with Hamlet with a somewhat bawdy song, "Tomorrow is Saint Valentine's day" (4.5.54), that implies intimate relations between them. Well written! By signing up you agree to our terms and privacy policy. Further, he alludes to her being a whore as she should get thee to a nunnery which has a duality, more so than the meaning of a place of the Christian faith, this terminology also stood for brothels. Sam, Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. His madness and melancholy drive him to the point of wanting to commit suicide. Hamlet refuses to make straightforward distinctions between madness and sanity, or between reality and pretense. What is the Significance of Ophelias Madness? Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. In the song, the man promises to marry his lover only to discard her once she has slept with him. I do pity her as a character because now she is truly on her own and I feel Hamlet and her family is partially to blame. Latest answer posted December 19, 2017 at 9:21:46 AM, What is the meaning of the following quote? Ophelias madness is perhaps overtaking her so much so that she does not even recognize whom she is talking to in this instanceher brother Laertes. Assembling the Ophelia fragments: gender, genre, and revenge in Hamlet. This madness, in the end, led Ophelia to commit suicide as she had nothing to live for without the men in her life who bestowed her sense of identity upon her. creating and saving your own notes as you read. From early in Shakespeare's Hamlet, Ophelia's brother, Laertes, and her father, Polonius, express concern to Ophelia about her relationship with Hamlet. His need for revenge against the man who murdered his father ended in the further destruction of his own family. Ophelias imaginary flowers tie in with the thematic representation of womens issues throughout the play: Ophelia has had to change so much to survive in the world of men that shes literally driven herself mad. Would she have been more proactive with trying to fight the current of the stream? In the play it is suggested a few times that Ophelia and Hamlet had sex, its not confirmed in the play at all that she actually had sex with Hamlet and a lot of other characters in the play seem to think she did, like her brother. She's likely also upset by Hamlet's sudden departure to England without even a word of goodbye between them, and all of these conflicting feelings are slowly leading Ophelia towards madness. These words also contain a warning. (10.1353/sel.2013.0014), Camden, C. (1964). Unlike Hamlet's madness, Ophelia's madness is unquestionably genuine. The Arena Media Brands, LLC and respective content providers to this website may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Close as far as possible of Act IV, Ophelia goes frantic and is discovered dead, from suffocating, this symbolizes the demise of the kingdom and can be viewed as the corruptness that happens all through the kingdom and symbolizes the disdain inside. Want 100 or more? The problem with being completely obedient is that you cant fight back when you really need to. Latest answer posted November 19, 2020 at 1:33:52 PM. The line shortly after is, You promised me to wed which might claim Hamlet to be a cause of her deteriorating mental state (Shakespeare IV 62-64). Seeing a ghost could indicate that he is already mad. In her madness, Ophelia sings snatches of songs, most of which sound like popular songs of Shakespeares day. In her final moments, Ophelia chooses to ring herself in emblems of all that she was and all that she could have been, had the world around her not shrunken and shriveled her until hardly anything was left. What is the significance of the gravediggers? I think that you did a great job analyzing Ophelias character, and I think that it helpful as a reader to see the different aspects of her character development to understand what she is going through. If you don't see it, please check your spam folder. My final diagnosis was in fact borderline personality disorder with a side of schizo effective disorder brought on by the death of his father. By continuing, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. 16 students ordered this very topic and got original papers. Ophelias madness is driven by the loss of the male influences in her life. You can also use our tools to come up with interesting topics and points to argue in your The reactions she provides for Hamlet, bodes well, yet are excessively short and unimportant. Ophelia is obedient, listens well and doesnt complain. Ophelia first refers to Hamlet, "How should I my true love know" (4.5.26), and then she appears to refer to Polonius, "He is dead and gone, lady" (4.5.32). Renews May 7, 2023 on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% In this tragedy, Shakespeare explores the ways in which Hamlet express his emotions of rage and grief. Shakespeare, William. 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