AP Literature: The Lives Of Hamlet And Ophelia

Katie Roscoe November 4, 2014
AP Literature Period 8

Hamlet and Ophelia

Many esteemed literary works feature foils whose complex lives enhance various traits of the protagonist and the overall plot. In Hamlet, minor character Ophelia is often connected to the life of protagonist Hamlet. Ophelia’s father Polonius closely monitors Hamlet’s every move and Ophelia herself has intimate affairs with Hamlet. Ophelia’s presence and relations with Hamlet serve to amplify the plot and further characterize Hamlet throughout the majority of Shakespeare’s work. The intertwined lives of Hamlet and Ophelia are outlined during Hamlet. At the beginning of the play, Laertes warns his sister …show more content…
Upon greeting him, she is verbally assaulted by Hamlet (3.1). This reveals Hamlet’s aggressive nature and frightens Ophelia. Ophelia’s presence and verbal interaction with Hamlet characterizes him as a changed man. Hamlet uses wordplay efficiently and says, “Get thee to a nunnery,” (3.1) insinuating that Ophelia should go to a brothel and leave him alone. He also tells her to marry a fool, because wise men are well aware that she will cheat on them (3.1). This makes Ophelia very upset and leads her to believe that he has lost his mind completely, again portraying the theme of appearance versus reality. During the play’s exposition, Hamlet is portrayed as a well-respected individual that is simply saddened by his father’s murder. Now, Hamlet is depicted as a raging madman that has lost every bit of his innocence after losing his father. Ophelia’s presence in this part of the play helps the audience to gain insight into Hamlet’s metamorphosis and characterizes Hamlet as an aggressive, dangerous man that has become …show more content…
Her insanity portrays how Hamlet’s change has affected people other than himself. Ophelia’s scattered state of mind additionally characterizes Hamlet as a selfish person. His vengeful plot to murder Claudius has now completely ruined his lover’s life. However, no one in Denmark dwells on her madness. The citizens simply feel pity for Ophelia (4.5). This contrasts greatly with Hamlet’s madness, as the public seems to have put a spotlight on all of his words and actions. When Claudius observes Hamlet’s delusions, he immediately believes that Hamlet is dangerous to Denmark and removes him from the country. Conversely, when Ophelia is deemed insane, nothing is done. She is not viewed as a threat to Denmark, and her craziness is not carefully examined. Ophelia is a victim of the terrible plots of Claudius and Hamlet, and she cannot do anything about it due to her limited agency and restricted role as a woman in her society. Ophelia eventually drowns in what appears to be a suicide, which augments the tension between Claudius and Hamlet and shows the audience how serious and hazardous the motives of Hamlet and Claudius are. The usage of Ophelia as a foil in the final scenes of Hamlet intensifies the plot as it highlights Ophelia’s complete innocence to Hamlet’s plan to feign madness and accurately represents the impact that the strife between Claudius and Hamlet has on

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