The Insanity Of Ophelia In Shakespeare's Hamlet

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Ophelia is one of William Shakespeare’s few three-dimensional female characters, showcased in his masterpiece, Hamlet. The character herself is astonishingly tragic. She faces emotional abuse, societal restrictions, and loss; eventually committing suicide. People today still question if Ophelia is insane, or perhaps just depressed. The very definition of insanity is so abstract philosophically, that it's impossible to know. By a scientific standpoint, however, Ophelia is insane. Her actions and circumstances in the story give major indications of a festering mental illness. Before coming to a consensus, however, one must first understand the plot of Hamlet. In the Kingdom of Denmark, King Hamlet ruled successfully for years with his wife Gertrude and his son, Prince …show more content…
Madness is described legally as the state of having a serious illness, and extensive research by Case Western Reserve University confirms that, “80% - 90% of individuals who die by suicide meet criteria for a psychiatric disorder” (1). Of course there is a chance that Ophelia is a special case, but it isn’t likely. Even the characters in Hamlet speak of how illogical that is. The commonwealth doubts Gertrude’s story, and the priest denies Ophelia full Christian rites. It is much more likely that Ophelia’s death was labeled a mistake due to her noble status.
Ophelia’s demise is the result of a patriarchal society where she is inevitably controlled by masculine authority. As a result, Ophelia has spent her entire life being a puppet, going along the tides of society with no freedom. She is lonely and afraid, simultaneously being tormented by her father’s death and Prince Hamlet’s abuse. The very name Ophelia is greek for “Help”. Ophelia was truly insane, as is expected. She is so dependent upon others that losing them killed her. It is a complexity that still exists in society as we know it, yet to be solved decades after Hamlet was

The Insanity Of Ophelia In Shakespeare's Hamlet

In one of Shakespeare’s most well-known written pieces “Hamlet”, the plot is derived from the main character Hamlet’s insanity. Although, the spotlight is focused on Hamlet, Shakespeare sheds light on other characters throughout the play and hints at the characters relation to Hamlet’s reasoning for going insane. One of the most tragic characters in this play is Ophelia all but having, what seems to be a little love affair, has no relation to Hamlet. Shakespeare gave his audience very little context…

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The Insanity Of Ophelia In William Shakespeare's Hamlet

Throughout Ophelia’s mind was being pulled in two conflicting directions. Ophelia had a strong love for Hamlet and it especially showed in the beginning. However, she was conflicted between her love for Hamlet and her love for her father, Polonius, and for her brother, Laertes. It seemed Ophelia felt the need to define herself by male judgements instead of making decisions for herself. Ophelia showed her love for Hamlet in different ways. When Polonius and Laertes both caution her to Hamlet’s improper…

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Patriarchy Of Ophelia In Hamlet

not new, and it would be unsurprising to find that Dumas takes it from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In Hamlet is the constant theme of women being the key cause of disasters that face Hamlet and other characters. Though much of Shakespeare’s contemporaries probably shared in such sexisms, Hamlet is unique in that it is also rife with commentary on other social hierarchies, such as religion and insanity. Through the character of Ophelia, we can see the intersection of all three of these aspects, and through…

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AP Literature: The Lives Of Hamlet And Ophelia

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…

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Grief In Hamlet

time.” Hamlet is known to be one of Shakespeare’s most tragic plays and is filled with depression, sadness, and insanity. The Hamlet play consists of multiple characters that suffer from insanity. In developing the affects of grief and anger in Hamlet, Ophelia, and Laertes, Shakespeare suggests that the death of a loved…

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hamlet essay

Hamlets Insanity Hamlet ‘s first impression was when he told is father/uncle “A little more than kin and less than kind”(1.2.65) he first comes off as angry. From the beginning Hamlet is brought to the picture due to a bad occasion. Later it is begun to be seen that all the chaos begins to get to him. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet , Hamlet looses his sanity over time for the reason of the multiple incidents that happen consecutively such as: his fathers murder, his mother and uncles marriage…

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Madness And Madness In Hamlet

seeking revenge they often find themselves in the same position as the one they seek to harm. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, motifs of revenge and madness are portrayed through three characters in particular,one of which, because of the acts of revenge, just goes plan mad. Hamlet, wanting to seem weak, acts mad so he can get revenge. Laertes, so enraged by his father’s death, seeks revenge on Hamlet. Lastly is Ophelia who, because of the revenge and madness all around her, was driven to the brink of sanity herself…

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Hamlet Essay

Hamlet Essay Ophelia’s role in William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet is quite confusing. Throughout the play, Ophelia is portrayed as gentle, loyal and obedient, but hides in the background like a supporting actress. She is intended to be Hamlet’s love interest, yet he doesn’t include her in any of his life-changing plans. Ophelia has no major qualities, yet her life and death have an incredible influence on most characters, especially Hamlet. Throughout the entirety of the play, Ophelia…

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Examples Of Insanity In Hamlet

Insanity vs sanity in shakespeare's hamlet is questionable. There's different levels of sane and insane in this productions. There's “fake” crazy that is performed by hamlet, sadness crazy portrayed by ophelia, and guilt crazy portrayed by claudius. Now all this guilt and crazy is surrounded by death or is brought upon by death. Hamlet is going a little crazy over the death of his father and Ophelia the same, but as for claudius is it guilty conscience for killing his brother. Hamlet himself is…

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Hamlet Betrayal Analysis

Shakespeare play, Hamlet. Many of the characters mislead one another as well as disbelieved their own feelings to certain characters, betraying themselves. The mystery and infidelity of Shakespeare’s characters show that the actions of double-crossing, falseness and let down in the appearance of each character. The relational acts of betrayal in Hamlet provides Shakespeare’s theme of the impossibility of certainty. The apparent act of betrayal in Hamlet is the murder of King Hamlet by his brother,…

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