In Shakespeares story of Hamlet, Ophelia is an innocent, nave young woman who puts all her trust in the men in her life. She lost her mother, possibly at birth, leaving her no choice but to live up to her brother, Laertes, and her father, Poloniuss, expectations, who shelter her and protect her from the harsh realities of life. At the beginning of the play, Ophelias character has great potential, having prince Hamlet as a boyfriend and with hopes that she will be queen someday. Tragically, the advice and desires of Laertes, Polonius, and King Claudius easily mold the beautiful and simple-minded Ophelia. The willingness to obey her brother, father and King, overrides her love for Hamlet, which in turn infuriates Hamlet, who feels she has put her sense of love and duty for another man above him. Clearly, Ophelia is bound to the males in her world who expect obedience, chastity, and loyalty from her; these expectations sap her identity and only through insanity and death do we see a glimpse of a woman beyond the confines of patriarchy.
During Ophelias first appearance to the play, she is bombarded by questions and guidance from Laertes and Polonius as to what is going on between Hamlet and her, as they are concerned with about her chastity and innocence. He hath, my lord, of late made many tenders of his affection to me (1-3-1124) she explains to Polonius that Hamlet has been showering her with affection and seems to be enjoying Hamlets company. She stands by Hamlet and their love for each other, by defending that Hamlet speaks about love in honorable fashion and that he has made the holiest vows to her. Both Laertes and Polonius then warn her that this masquerade of love is just a big flirtation and that in a sense its puppy love, and to not be tempted by sin and be a target of his lust. Ophelia then promises her brother and father, that she will remain pure, which reveals the patriarchal authority these two figures assert over her.
After Hamlet rushed into her room with his clothes askew and all out of sorts, with a hellish stare, it frightened Ophelia perhaps proving to her that he was crazy in love. Even though, Polonius forbade Ophelia to see Hamlet and told her to send his love letters back, they have a change of heart, and seem to think that hath made him mad (2-2-1136), and he gets mad at himself for having suspicious thoughts and wishes he realized that Hamlet wasnt just out to ruin her reputation and play with her feelings. Overwhelmed, with not knowing whether love has driven Hamlet mad, Polonius brings this matter to the King Claudius attention. They derive a plan with Ophelia, to spy on Hamlet, in hopes that he will confess his love for Ophelia. Again, Ophelia, complies with Polonius wish and with no say what so ever is thrown into a situation as a pawn of her fathers game; in which in turn fails, causing Hamlets agony of feeling deceived and his pent up anger to be taken out on Ophelia. It is evident her loyalties are torn between her father, brother, and Hamlet.
The upcoming scene is a turning point for Ophelias character; she goes from being a young innocent, inexperienced, daddys girl and starts to fall into the hands of insanity. Hamlet enters the room, reciting his to be or not be soliloquy, and is interrupted by Ophelias presence. Ophelia is caught between the ultimate struggle of loyalty. On one hand, she obeys her fathers word, and by doing so, hurts the man she loves and on the other hand, to be with Hamlet and cause him no harm, would mean her complete betrayal and sin against her fathers authority. She abides by her fathers wishes, and tries to return Hamlets tokens of love, at this point Hamlet knows Ophelia is lying perhaps he sees Polonius hiding or he sees the guilt in her eyes. This betrayal on top of the one of his mothers enrages Hamlet who proceeds to reject Ophelia:
I did love you once You should not have believed me/ I loved you not. Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest, but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me: I am very proud, revengeful, ambitious, with more offenses at my beck that I have thoughts to put them I, imagination to give them shape, or time to act them in. What should such fellows as I do crawling between earth and heaven? We are arrant knaves all; believe none of us. Go thy ways to a nunnery. If thou wilt marry needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know (3-1-1155).
Hamlets pent up anger towards his mother has caused him to humiliate Ophelia in telling her to get herself to a convent, where he feel s that is the best chance for a woman to be faithful and where she will cause the least amount of damage. After all as he tells Ophelia, why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners, in a nunnery, she wont have kids and bear wicked men like his uncle that do awful things. However, it is apparent that Hamlets feelings of betrayal arent just provoked by his unfaithful and incestuous mother, but also by Ophelia, the woman he loves.
Hamlets feelings of betrayal go even further when he asks where is your father, and she responds hes at home. Hamlet goes on to criticize woman for making men act like monsters and to contribute to the worlds dishonesty by painting their face to appear more beautiful than they are. Working himself into rage, Hamlet deplores Ophelia and woman, who then mourns the noble mind that has now drifted into apparent madness. Ophelia is overcome with deep sadness and confusion over Hamlet:
Oh, what a noble mind is here o'erthrown!The courtier's, soldier's, scholar's, eye, tongue, sword, Th' expectancy and rose of the fair state, The glass of fashion and the mould of form, Th' observed of all observers, quite, quite down! And I, of ladies most deject and wretched, That sucked the honey of his music vows Now see that noble and most sovereign reason Like sweet bells jangled, out of tune and harsh; That unmatched form and feature of blown youth Blasted with ecstasy. Oh, woe is me, T' have seen what I have seen, see what I see! (3-1-1156)
She admits in this soliloquy how lost Hamlet has become from being such a noble gentleman being admired by all, to how low he has fallen. Ophelia is overwhelmed with grief for Hamlet and his state of mind. She feels guilty because she knows that she triggered Hamlet's outburst by asking him to take back the gifts he gave to her. Ophelia is not only dealing with guilt but also with the idea Polonius has set in her mind of being the cause of Hamlet's insanity. The pain she endures from breaking the heart of her beloved takes a great toll on her. She confesses she is so miserable in seeing Hamlet like this, and it devastates her to have known Hamlet how he was before and to now see him this mad. Her heartbreak, suggests that her disloyalty leads to her insanity which further unravels after she learns about her father Polonius death.
During Ophelias next appearance, she is pitied since her grief has made her chaotic and incoherent; she is visibly in despair and anguish. She approaches the Queen adorned with flowers and singing strange songs. He is dead and gone, lady, He is dead and gone; At his head a grass-green turf, at his heels a stone (4-5-1185). She has evidently become completely insane and its obvious that Polonius death along with her betrayal of Hamlet has sent her over the edge. The death of her father causes deep sorrow in her, however, she is not only dealing with his death but that the man that she loves, Hamlet, is responsible. She continues to sing inane and perhaps its her confession that she has already sinned Tomorrow is Saint Valentines day, All in the morning bedtime, And I a maid at you window, To be your Valentine. Then up he rose, and donned his clothes, And dupped the chamber door, Let in the maid, that out a maid never departed more. (4-5-1185)
Ophelia is not only heart broken by her fathers death but also Hamlets insanity and his disapproval of her. The penetrating and frank statements she delivers while overcome by madness suggest that Ophelias madness may be the height of her power, rather than her weakest moment. She gets to say whatever she wants, which of course, wasnt allowed and went against all of her fathers expectations of her. Not being held accountable, because of her insanity, Ophelias crude songs during her mad scene seems to be a sexual liberation that she did not have while being sane. Shortly, following her episode of insanity she dies. We see through her insanity and death that she is finally liberated from the expectations of obedience, chastity, and loyalty which were expected of her gender.
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