What is Ophelia a victim of?

She has been hurt both mentally and physically by three men in her life who are Laertes

Laertes

Polonius is a character in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. He is chief counsellor of the play's ultimate villain, Claudius, and the father of Laertes and Ophelia.

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Polonius - Wikipedia

, her brother, Polonius, her father and Hamlet her one and only “true” love. Ophelia is a victim of the male dominated society she is surrounded by.

What did Ophelia suffer from?

Their particular form of madness was more related to hysteria -- an affliction which was considered to be particularly feminine. Clinically speaking, Ophelia's behavior and appearance are characteristic of the malady the Elizabethans would have diagnosed as female love-melancholy, or erotomania.

Is Ophelia an innocent victim in Hamlet?

In the play Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare, Ophelia, the daughter of Polonius and the love interest of Hamlet, is depicted as a young and beautiful woman who is innocent, virtuous, and loyal. Ophelia is the innocent victim in Hamlet and the specific attributes that she has lead to her tragic death.

Why did Hamlet abuse Ophelia?

Hamlet is cruel to Ophelia because he has transferred his anger at Gertrude's marriage to Claudius onto Ophelia. In fact, Hamlet's words suggest that he transfers his rage and disgust for his mother onto all women. He says to Ophelia, “God has given you one face and you make yourselves another.

Who is the true victim in Hamlet?

Poor Ophelia, she lost her lover, her father, her mind, and, posthumously, her brother. Ophelia is the only truly innocent victim in Hamlet. This essay will examine Ophelia's downward spiral from a chaste maiden to nervous wreck.

Hamlet Character Analysis - Ophelia

Does Hamlet abuse Ophelia?

Hamlet uses Ophelia for his own personal gain, he toys with her emotions by making to seem as though she is the cause of his madness. Hamlet emotionally abuses Ophelia with no regard for her psychological well-being.

What does Ophelia symbolize in Hamlet?

Her character in the play represents femininity and fragility. She also seems to serves as a way for Hamlet to express the aggression, which he feels toward his mother. Ophelia is an important character in Hamlet because she shows the audience a frail heart.

Who caused Ophelia's madness?

Hamlet accidentally murders Polonius during his first attempt to kill Claudius which leads to Ophelia to become mad herself.

Was Ophelia's death an accident?

Some see Ophelia's death as an accident; others see it as a suicide resulting from the accumulation of a series of unfortunate events: her rejection by her boyfriend, her father's murder, and her possible pregnancy.

What is Ophelia's tragic flaw in Hamlet?

Tragic flaw: Ophelia has no control over her mind, body, and relationships, she doesn't think for herself.

How is Ophelia abused?

She is a constant subject of manipulation and brain washing from both her father and brother. Ophelia is not only subject to the torture of others using her for their intentions but she is also susceptible to abuse from Hamlet.

Does Ophelia get pregnant in Hamlet?

Laertes must have been clued in to Ophelia's pregnancy. Polonius inadvertently admits to such a claim. Polonius's knowledge is revealed when Hamlet discloses that he knows Ophelia, his lady love might be pregnant. Check out the words that Hamlet uses when he confronts Polonious.

How is Ophelia a victim of a patriarchal society?

She has followed her father and brother's power unconsciously since her childhood. Also, Ophelia can never feel her love; her love, as her life, has been forbidden by the males. Power of patriarchy steals her pure love from her like her life and victimizes her for the sake of canons of society.

How did Ophelia drown herself?

Had she the license to think for herself, Ophelia might have reasoned through her dilemma, but, caught as she is between her father's and brother's restrictive instructions and Hamlet's crushing demands, trapped as she is in a choice-less existence, Ophelia has no alternative but to throw herself into the river to ...

What were Ophelia's last words?

Ophelia's final words are addressed to either Hamlet, or her father, or even herself and her lost innocence: “And will a not come again? / No, no, he is dead, / Go to thy death-bed, / He never will come again. / … / God a mercy on his soul. And of all Christian souls. God buy you.” Next, she drowns herself.

Who is at fault for Ophelia's death?

Gertrude, The Queen of Denmark, is responsible for Ophelia's death. By looking at Gertrude's over protective relationship with Hamlet, her lack of initiative on the situations around her in a time of tragedy, as well as her vivid account of Ophelia's death, evidence that…show more content…

Who betrayed Ophelia?

Hamlet betrays Ophelia by refusing his love for her and being the cause of her madness with words such as “I loved you not” (III. I. 119) and “get thee to a nunnery” (III.

How does Ophelia show her madness?

On the stage, Ophelia was costumed in virginal white to contrast with Hamlet's scholarly black, and in her mad scene she entered with dishevelled hair, singing bawdy songs, and giving away her flowers, symbolically deflowering herself. Drowning, too, was a symbolically feminine death.

What does Hamlet accuse Ophelia of?

In the Protestant Elizabethan world, people used the word "nunnery" as a euphemism for "brothel." Knowing that she is working for her father and Claudius, Hamlet accuses Ophelia of prostitution.

What is the message of Ophelia?

In the painting, Ophelia is surrounded by colorful flowers and plants, symbols of life and continuity, and her body seems to be one with the water; this signifies the concept of returning to the earth when one dies.

Did Hamlet love Ophelia?

After Ophelia's death in the gravedigger scene, Hamlet reconfirms his love for Ophelia stating that he had always loved her and says after finding out that she's dead that “Forty thousand brothers, could not, with all their quantity of love, make up my sum.”

What kills Ophelia in Hamlet?

In Act 4 Scene 7, Queen Gertrude reports that Ophelia had climbed into a willow tree (There is a willow grows aslant the brook), and that the branch had broken and dropped Ophelia into the brook, where she drowned.

Is Desdemona a victim of patriarchal society?

Desdemona is a strong and independent woman. She spoke for her herself, refused to be crushed under the feet of patriarchy. However, her position as a woman made her vulnerable. Though she asserted her individual personality but under the impact of a male dominant society she could not exercise her freedom.

How is Hamlet misogynistic towards Ophelia?

During an angry tirade against Ophelia, Hamlet blames his madness on women, particularly on what he sees as women's habit of disguising themselves with make-up and feminine behavior. Hamlet often struggles with the difficulty of separating disguises from reality, but he also seems obsessed with female sexuality.

How is Ophelia objectified in Hamlet?

As Laertes's mock-daughter, Ophelia is objectified as a play-thing for Laertes to act out his future patriarchal duties. For Polonius, objectifying his daughter as a pawn for his political pursuits is just another casualty in his bid to improve his social station.