Ophelia Character AnalysisEven as a minor record in the play sm realizely town, the component Ophelia plays a merry part in the develop handst of two the piece and thematic ideas. However, Ophelia is an super perplex fiber as she can be read in many different ways. This in clear ca designs the readers or auditory modality to be to a greater extent(prenominal) insightful and gain a great deriveing of the plan and thematic ideas in the play such as ?Love and Loyalty,? and ?Madness.? When exploring the typesetters case of Ophelia we must take into know personal beliefs, knowledge and international criticisms which may affect our course session of the character. For example, if the reader analyses Ophelia?s character from the perspective of feminism, concerned with the equalise rights and fair intercession of women, or historical context, an sense of what it was equal in the flow rate of m the play was both scripted and set; their views of the character im part differ, which then grounds the reader to start a more in depth infering of the secret plan and papers. Ophelia is present in but a few scenes of the play. This is repay able to the fact that when the play was pen in the Elizabethan period adult femalelys were considered to be rattling ? secluded? sort of people. There muse was to stay home, look later on the family and complete the housework. They were non allowed to transact and and so there argon very few youngish-bearing(prenominal) characters in Shakespeare?s plays. If a play did consist of female characters they were generally played by young boys, which in effect ca employ restrictions and limitations amongst characterisation. development feminism makes it possible to recollect that Ophelia is non to pose as a main character of the play, moreover to act as a ?foil,? to booster the reference attend the more grievous characters in the play. small town?s alienation and Ophelia?s feelings of love f or both articulatio and her set about are! prime examples of the use of Ophelia as a foil. In both instances she is being used to help the audience identify the emotions and discrepancies of hamlet and her incur. Unfortunately, as Ophelia?s forepart is limited it is believed that her character, although important, is disadvantageously developed and therefore provides readers with the opportunity to make up their own judgement. Ophelia can be argued as a character that despite her beauty is weak, frail and slowly controlled. Her lack of self confidence makes her an easy target for Hamlet?s abuse. Ophelia has a very connected family with her brother, Laertes, and stick, Polonius, but unfortunately she allows them to regularize her how to live her life. An example of this is where Laertes warns Ophelia against having a relationship with Hamlet:For Hamlet, and the wanton of his favour,Hold it a fashion and a trifle in blood,A regal in the youth of primy nature,Forward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting,The perfume and suppliance of a minute,No more. (Act 1: Scene 3 lines 5-10)He suggests to Ophelia that Hamlet may not actually love her, he proficient wants a fille because that is the ?fashionable? thing to do. That is what everyone else his age is doing and therefore it is not legitimate everlasting love. Furthermore, Polonius uses his ?parental power? to move Ophelia that she is a resembling young and doesn?t run across that her decision to go with Hamlet would be a bad option. He to a fault explains to Ophelia that as they are noble, continuing her relationship with hamlet pass on affect not only her life but same the lives of her family members:Marry, well bethought. ?Tis told me he hath very oft of lateGiven private epoch to you, and you yourselfHave of your audience been most free and bounteous. If it be so ? as so ?tis prepare on me,And that in way of carefulness ? I must tell youYou do not understand yourself so clearlyAs it behoves my daughter and your honour. What is between you? Give me up the truth. (Act 1: Scene 3 l! ines 90-98)These two topographic points both demonstrate the root word of ?Love and Loyalty.? In both instances Ophelia is being warned against her love for Hamlet. She is put in the situation of having to choose between her love for Hamlet or her fealty to her family. However, as the play continues so does the situation between ?Love and Loyalty,? and we begin to notice that Ophelia lacks an identity of her own. She is aquiline on the men in her life as is spare in Act 3: Scene 2 (line 126), where she narrates ?I think nothing, my Lord.? At this point she has been hurt so poorly and is so confused that she doesn?t consider her thoughts to be important. Unfortunately, as time goes on the conflicts continue and Ophelia is forced to choose committedness over love causing her to go into a separate of rabies. Madness is a theme evident throughout the clear text. It is evident in Hamlet, Ophelia, Polonius and Laertes. When discussing Ophelia?s character, her madness is al most forever at the centre of controversy. Some people believe that Ophelia?s madness was caused by ?erotomania,? which the Elizabethans referred to as ?female love-melancholy.? Ophelia has also been go steady as a young girl who ?felt? in like manner much and mosthow allowed theses feelings to overcome her. It would be quite unprejudiced-minded for such an consummation to obtain a person to madness, plainly as Ophelia was drive mad. If this was the cause of her madness it suggests that it stemmed from some sort of frustrate erotic passion between herself and Hamlet. However, a more elicit suggestion is that Ophelia?s madness was caused by the death of her father or more importantly, the removal from all the male connections of the hierarchy. Ophelia was alert in a patriarchal dry land where women were extremely dependant on men. Once all the men in Ophelia?s life were gone she could not look at as she relied on them for advice and direction. If this is the case Oph elia then becomes the victim. This type of madness no! doubt causes a different reaction by the audience toward the character. Instead of being just some lovesick girl who drove herself insane, Ophelia becomes the ?innocent? woman who loved her father so dearly that someone else has caused her grief and set her mad. However, when convey the perspective of a feminist we begin to see the ?madwoman? as a heroine, a powerful figure that rebels against both the family and well-disposed order. At first glance Ophelia seems like a unanalyzable character. However, an in depth reading of her character proves otherwise. Although Ophelia can be argued as a woman who is weak, frail and ultimately driven to madness by the death of her father and her love for Hamlet, an cause of feminism and historical context helps the audience to better understand Ophelia?s complicated character which can have nine-fold readings. However, as a poorly developed character we are able to make our own judgement and hypothesise the plot and thematic ideas. In e ssence, Ophelia?s character is just like a book in which you ?choose your own ending.? Her character is both limited and incomplete. Therefore, in order to gain an understanding of the plot and the thematic ideas of, ?Love and Loyalty,? and ?Madness,? we must create a complete perception of Ophelia. However, no matter what interpretation you choose, you will placid come out in the end with a woman represented poorly. Mabillard, Amanda. Shakespeares Ophelia. Shakespeare Online. 10 Dec. 2000. (11 October.2007) < http://www.shakespeare-online.com/opheliachar.htmlHelena Faucit Martin, Shakespeares Female Characters, blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh, 1888. p.7-9Anna Brownell Murphy Jameson, Shakespeares Heroines:Characteristics of Women (1889), AMS Press, overbold York, 1967. 2000, [On-line]http://www.cliffsnotes.com/WileyCDA/LitNote/Hamlet-Character-Analysis-Ophelia.id-121,pageNum-360.html If you want to get a broad(a) essay, order it on our w ebsite: OrderC! ustomPaper.com
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