The Insanity Of Ophelia In William Shakespeare's Hamlet

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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 intent and advise her to stay away, she makes them believe she will keep their words in mind. Nevertheless, Ophelia is still convinced Hamlet only has good intentions and she tries to convince her father and brother of it. When Polonius still expresses disbelief that Hamlet is capable of good and pure intent, she tries to convince …show more content…
Still, Hamlet made Ophelia fear him, though she still felt guilty because of the possibility that she could be the cause of his insanity. Ophelia is then used by Polonius and Hamlet’s uncle, King Claudius, as an implement to spy on Hamlet, to confirm whether or not she is the reason he has gone mad. This then leads Ophelia to almost ultimately be devoted to her father, with no intentions of showing her love to Hamlet ever again. In Act lll, scene i Hamlet acts hateful towards Ophelia because by instruction from Polonius, she asks to return the remembrances Hamlet has given her. However, Hamlet knows Ophelia is acting and he knows Polonius and Claudius are eavesdropping, so he acts mad to make them believe he’s gone mental because of Ophelia’s neglection towards him.. Hamlet then tells Ophelia women are two-faced and cannot be trusted, that they all deserve to be cast aside.After he has left, Ophelia mourns the man she once thought him to be and sees the man which she now considers as completely driven by

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