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Character Analysis: OPHELIA
Character Profile – At a Glance
Role: Daughter of Polonius; sister of Laertes; the object of Hamlet's affections.
Key Traits: Innocent, obedient, dutiful, gentle, and emotionally vulnerable.
The Core Conflict: Torn between her love for Hamlet and her duty to her father and brother. She is manipulated and used as a pawn by all the men in her life.
Key Actions: Obeys her father's command to reject Hamlet, is used to spy on Hamlet in the "Nunnery Scene," descends into madness after her father's death, and drowns.
Famous Quote: "I shall obey, my lord." (Act 1, Scene 3).
The Outcome: Driven mad by grief and trauma, she drowns in the river, a tragic victim of the corruption in Elsinore.
Innocence and Obedience: A Life Controlled
Ophelia is the most tragic and innocent victim of the corruption in Elsinore. Her character is defined by her lack of agency and her complete dependence on the men in her life. In a rigid patriarchal society, her identity is entirely shaped by her roles as daughter, sister, and potential wife.
From her first appearance (Act 1, Scene 3), Ophelia is subjected to control and lectures regarding her sexuality and her relationship with Hamlet. Both her brother, Laertes, and her father, Polonius, warn her against trusting Hamlet's affections, emphasising the need to protect her virtue (her "chaste treasure").
While she gently challenges Laertes to practice what he preaches, she ultimately submits completely to her father's authority when he forbids her from seeing Hamlet.
Original:
I do not know, my lord, what I should think. (Ophelia to Polonius – Act 1, Scene 3)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
My lord, I really don’t know what to think.
Her response, "I shall obey, my lord," encapsulates her character—dutiful, passive, and ultimately powerless.
The Relationship with Hamlet: Cruelty and Rejection
Ophelia's relationship with Hamlet is characterised by confusion and emotional trauma. While it appears their affection was once genuine, the pressures of the court destroy it.
Ophelia becomes a casualty of Hamlet's generalised misogyny, stemming from his disillusionment with his mother. Furthermore, she is cynically used as a pawn by Polonius and Claudius to spy on Hamlet, forcing her into a position of deceit.
The climax of this trauma occurs in the "Nunnery Scene" (Act 3, Scene 1). Knowing they are being watched, Hamlet unleashes a torrent of verbal abuse, attacking her virtue, criticising female nature, and brutally ordering her to a nunnery.
Original:
Get thee to a nunnery: why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest; but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me. (Hamlet to Ophelia – Act 3, Scene 1)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
Resettle in a convent! Why become a mother of more sinners? I’m quite honest but yet I could accuse myself of sins so bad it better I had not been born.
Ophelia is devastated by this rejection and the apparent collapse of Hamlet's "noble mind." She is left isolated and bewildered, having betrayed her lover at her father's command, only to be brutally rejected by the lover.
Madness: The Voice of the Silenced
Ophelia's descent into madness is triggered by the accumulated trauma of Hamlet's rejection and, crucially, the murder of her father by Hamlet (Act 3, Scene 4). With the patriarchal structures that defined her identity shattered, her sanity collapses.
Unlike Hamlet's strategic "antic disposition," Ophelia's madness is genuine, emotional, and fragmented. It is characterized by the singing of disjointed songs and the distribution of flowers (Act 4, Scene 5).
“For many feminist theorists, the madwoman is a heroine, a powerful figure who rebels against the family and the social order; and the hysteric who refuses to speak the language of the patriarchal order, who speaks otherwise, is a sister.”
Crucially, madness gives Ophelia a voice she was denied in sanity. Her songs are laden with themes of death, grief, and sexual betrayal—topics she was forbidden to discuss openly. Her madness becomes a form of subconscious rebellion against the silence imposed upon her.
The Ambiguity of Death
Ophelia's death by drowning (Act 4, Scene 7) is shrouded in ambiguity. Gertrude's description of the event is poetic and lyrical, portraying Ophelia as merging with nature, surrounded by flowers, seemingly unaware of her danger.
Original:
There, on the pendent boughs her coronet weeds
Clambering to hang, an envious sliver broke;
When down her weedy trophies and herself
Fell in the weeping brook. (Gertrude – Act 4, Scene 7)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
There, climbing on an overhanging branch
To hang her wreaths, a weakened branch snapped off,
And so, she and her floral ornaments
Fell in the weeping brook.
The text leaves open whether her death was an accident caused by her madness or an intentional suicide. The gravediggers debate this issue (Act 5, Scene 1), highlighting the religious implications of self-slaughter. Her death is the ultimate symbol of her victimisation—a tragic end for a character who never had control over her own life.
Key Quotes by Ophelia
Quote 1:
Original:
But, good my brother,
Do not, as some ungracious pastors do,
Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,
Whiles, like a puff'd and reckless libertine,
Himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,
And recks not his own rede. (Ophelia to Laertes – Act 1, Scene 3)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
But listen up, dear brother,
Don’t be like one of those immoral priests
Who preach the virtuous path to get to heaven,
Whilst all the while philandering and letching
Along a path of sleaziness where you
Don’t practise what you preach.
Quote 2:
Original:
No, my good lord; but, as you did command,
I did repel his letters and denied
His access to me. (Ophelia to Polonius – Act 2, Scene 1)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
Oh no, my lord, but as you have instructed,
I sent his letters back and wouldn’t let him
Have access to me.
Quote 3:
Original:
O, what a noble mind is here o'erthrown!
The courtier's, soldier's, scholar's, eye, tongue, sword;
The expectancy and rose of the fair state...
And I, of ladies most deject and wretched,
That suck'd the honey of his music vows... (Ophelia – Act 3, Scene 1)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
Oh no, his gracious mind is now bewitched,
Confusing strengths of prince, soldier and scholar!
He is our cherished heir to rule our country…
And I, the most dejected of all ladies
Who heard sweet words pour from his honeyed vows…
Quote 4:
Original:
There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray, love, remember: and there is pansies, that’s for thoughts. (Ophelia – Act 4, Scene 5)Shakespeare Retold (Modern Verse):
There's rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray love, remember. And there are pansies: they’re for thoughts.
Key Takeaways
Ophelia is the primary symbol of innocence destroyed by the corruption and political maneuvering of Elsinore.
Her character highlights the oppressive nature of the patriarchal society, as she is constantly controlled and silenced by the men in her life.
Her descent into madness is a direct result of accumulated trauma, particularly Hamlet's rejection and her father's death.
Ophelia's madness provides her with a voice to express the grief and sexual betrayal she could not articulate when sane.
Study Questions and Analysis
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Ophelia’s madness is a genuine psychological breakdown caused by accumulated trauma and the oppressive patriarchal structures surrounding her. It is not a single event, but a combination of overwhelming pressures.
The primary catalyst is the death of her father, Polonius, murdered by the man she loves, Hamlet (Act 3, Scene 4). This event removes the dominant male authority that defined her identity. Compounding this grief is Hamlet's brutal rejection of her in the "Nunnery Scene" (Act 3, Scene 1), where he attacks her virtue and denies his love. Having been completely obedient to the men in her life, she is left without agency or a stable identity when those structures collapse.
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The text deliberately leaves the nature of Ophelia's death ambiguous. Gertrude's description (Act 4, Scene 7) suggests an accident, where Ophelia fell into the brook while gathering flowers and, due to her madness, was "incapable of her own distress," making no effort to save herself.
However, the possibility of suicide is strongly implied. The gravediggers debate whether she deserves a Christian burial (Act 5, Scene 1), and the Priest confirms her rites were "maimed." Given her profound grief and mental breakdown, suicide remains a strong interpretation, reflecting her ultimate inability to cope with the world of Elsinore.
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The extent of Hamlet's love for Ophelia is debated. There is evidence of genuine affection: Ophelia describes his "music vows" (Act 3, Scene 1), and his letters (read by Polonius in Act 2, Scene 2) express deep love. Furthermore, his outburst at her funeral, declaring "I loved Ophelia; forty thousand brothers / Could not... make up my sum" (Act 5, Scene 1), seems sincere.
However, his treatment of her during the play is erratic and cruel. He uses her to vent his misogyny and as part of his "antic disposition," brutally rejecting her. Ultimately, his mission of revenge and his disillusionment with women override his love for her.
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Ophelia is central to the theme of gender, illustrating the destructive impact of a patriarchal society that denies women agency. Her life is entirely controlled by men (Polonius, Laertes, Hamlet) who police her behaviour and sexuality while denying her independent agency.
She is consistently silenced and forced to obey. Her value is tied to her virtue and her obedience. When she is traumatised by the actions of these men, her resulting madness is interpreted through a gendered lens—as emotional fragility rather than a reaction to profound trauma. Her tragedy highlights the vulnerability of women in a world where they are treated as political pawns.
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In her madness (Act 4, Scene 5), Ophelia distributes real or imaginary flowers to the court, a moment rich in symbolism. The flowers she chooses are traditional symbols that offer a veiled commentary on the corruption and characters of Elsinore.
She gives Rosemary (remembrance) and Pansies (thoughts) to Laertes. To Claudius, she offers Fennel (flattery and deceit) and Columbines (infidelity). To Gertrude, she offers Rue (repentance and bitterness). This act demonstrates that even in her madness, there is a "method" or subconscious understanding of the truths the court tries to conceal. It is a moment where the silenced Ophelia finally speaks truth to power.
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The madness of Hamlet and Ophelia serve as crucial foils. Hamlet’s madness is (at least initially) strategic, intellectual, and performative. He consciously adopts an "antic disposition" (Act 1, Scene 5) as a tool to manipulate others.
Ophelia’s madness, in contrast, is genuine, emotional, and tragic. It is triggered by external trauma—the loss of her father and rejection by Hamlet. Her madness is characterised by fragmented songs and non-sequiturs (Act 4, Scene 5). While Hamlet uses madness as a weapon, Ophelia is destroyed by it, highlighting her lack of agency.
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Ophelia's obedience is a reflection of the rigid patriarchal expectations of the Elizabethan era. As an unmarried noblewoman, her life and reputation were entirely under the control of her male relatives. Disobedience would have been a serious transgression, risking social ruin.
Her identity is defined by her duty to her father. When Polonius commands her to reject Hamlet, she replies, "I shall obey, my lord" (Act 1, Scene 3). This obedience is not necessarily a sign of weak character, but a demonstration of the societal constraints placed upon her. Tragically, this obedience leads her to betray her own feelings and ultimately contributes to her downfall.