Ophelia Essay, Research Paper
Ophelia
Ophelia is a simply depicted character whose main plot functions are to be
Hamlet’s long-standing girlfriend and to suffer greatly and eventually die
because of the corruption in Denmark. The daughter of Polonius and brother
of Laertes, she is a soft-spoken and beautiful female. She is also an obedient
and tender-hearted young lady who willingly obeys her father even when it
means being separated from Hamlet, her true love. Ophelia is characterized
by simplicity, innocence, faithfulness, honesty, and a total lack of deceit.
Her purity is symbolized by flowers, especially by the violets, that are so
much a part of her being.
Ophelia is portrayed as a weak character. Although her love for Hamlet is
genuine and absolute, when her father and brother demand that she separate
herself from Hamlet, she does not have the strength of character to stand up
to them. In turn, she becomes a helpless pawn, used by her foolish father
and the scheming Claudius to test the truthfulness of Hamlet’s madness.
When Hamlet speaks rudely to her, she dissolves into tears, unable to
control her emotion. After her father’s death, she breaks down under the
strain and becomes truly mad. She dies, probably through intentional
suicide, when she falls into the river and drowns. During her funeral, Hamlet
and Laertes clash over their love for her, creating the most dramatic
graveyard scene ever written. Ophelia is an important character, despite her
one-dimensionality; she represents uncompromised goodness in a cast of
compromised people.