Ophelia Character Analysis Essay Example

Ophelia was innocent throughout the play Hamlet, used by numerous people, and a victim of going mad. Ophelia had lost the love of her life, her family, and her mind. The events that are surrounding Ophelia are a continuous downhill. Throughout the play, she had her Father taken away from her along with her love, Hamlet. These, along with numerous events, hurt her. She was used and then tossed aside when done. These were all circumstances that led up to tragic events.

The play of Hamlet has a theme of Mortality vs. Corruption. Corruption played a huge role in the making of the character Ophelia. ¨No, my god lord, but, as you did command, / I did repel his letters and denied / His access to me.¨ (Hamlet 2.1.120-122). Ophelia was brainwashed from what the father and King were telling her. They wanted her as far away from Hamlet and to not be in contact with him. Ophelia listened to Polonius and Claudius, for what she thought was her own good. ¨Ay, truly; for the power of beauty will sooner trans-/ form honesty from what it is to a bawd than the force of / honesty can translate beauty into his likeness. This was / sometime a paradox, but now the time gives it proof. I did / love you once.¨ (Hamlet 3.1.120-124). Ophelia again was a victim in the scene where Hamlet gave his Fourth soliloquy. Hamlet's fourth soliloquy was To be or not to Be, which was contemplating his own death. At the time her father and the King used her to find out why Hamlet was acting the way he was. She repeatedly was played and a victim of corruption. Most people may say that Ophelia was not innocent and that she was sly within the play of Hamlet. Ophelia did not know what the people that were closest to her were doing, and this led up to devastating events in the future of her life.

Ophelia went mad following the actions of Hamlet going mad. This was not her choice, incidents gradually made this happen. Ophelia and her father are talking about her relationship with Hamlet. Ophelia says to her father, ¨He hath, my lord, of late made many tenders / Of his affection to me.¨ Polonius answers to say that Hamlet is not giving her affection and that it is all in her head, ¨Affection? Pooh! You speak like a green girl, / Unsifted in such perilous circumstance. / Do you believe his tenders, as you call them?¨ (Hamlet 1.3.105-109). The love of her life had left Ophelia, and this devastated her. Her father wanted her and Hamlet to never love eachother but you can tell, Ophelia did not agree, even though she did obey. ¨Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell! / I took thee for thy better. Take thy fortune. / Thou find'st to be too busy is some danger. / Leave wringing of your hands. Peace! sit you down, / And let me wring your heart¨ (Hamlet 3.4.35-39). Hamlet has gone mad talking to his mother, and then kills Ophelia's dad, Polonius. Although he did not kill him in sight through the curtain where he was hiding and did not know till after the deed was done.There was so much pressure on Ophelia, between the rivalry of her Dad and Hamlet. People may continue to think she is dishonest after her father's death but she is truly heartbroken and innocent. The hatred between the two was almost unbearable and now, the love of her life killed Polonius, her father. This again made her go even more insane, and the madness is continuing to grow.

As the end approaches, Ophelia has gone completely mad, and no one knows what to do. The actions around her have overwhelmed her innocence and she is no longer holding anything back. Ophelia will speak the truth and tell people things they may not want to here. Ophelia sings these songs when she is upset and goes on to tell how she feels through them. Singing to the Queen, ¨He is dead and gone, lady, He is dead and gone; At his head a grass-green turf, At his heels a stone¨ (Hamlet 4.5.33-36). In this song she is abrupt to the queen and tells her, the love she has for King Hamlet is dead, and in the past. She tells Gertrude that her husband is not her love and hers is gone. Ophelia's character throughout the play impacted many of the other characters lives, not including her own. Within the time of Ophelia going mad she gives flowers to the people with special meanings. ¨There's rosemary, that's for remembrance. Pray you, / love, remember. And these are pansies, that's for thoughts. / …… I would give you some violets, but they with- / er´d all when my father died¨ (Hamlet 4.5.190-198). Before the falling of Ophelia with her suicide, she is giving sentiments to all the people in remembrance. These show that she was upset and grieving her losses. Ophelia is now left heart broken, without a father and has completely lost her mind. People may think that she was mad and a threat but she was not harmful and was only devastated. Ophelia still remained innocent throughout the entire play that had to end with her death. All the trials she was put through, she could not bare any longer and she put them to an end.

Ophelia had a her father stolen by death from her by the love of her life. She slowly and innocently lost her mind from things that were out of her reach. Polonius was killed by Hamlet through the actions of him going mad. Hamlet told her he never loved her and she has thoughts that it is all her fault she can not be loved. This led her to going mad and commiting suicide. Gertrude explains her death very politely and calmly. She does this to prevent her brother Laertes from going mad like the rest of the people, because she doesn't know how he is going to act. The passing of Ophelia was one of the first of the many deaths that followed towards the end of the play. All of this tension around Ophelia from the people that mean the most to her. Steadily losing her mind without control till she couldn't bear it any longer. Ophelia was innocent throughout the play Hamlet, used by numerous people, and a victim of going mad.