*
In act IV what stands out most to me is Ophelia. She is an empty headed girl who lets the men
in her life tell her what to do. She is so co- dependent that when her father
dies she is lost, literally. Ophelia
loses her mind. She speaks in riddles as she can no longer make sense of the world
without her father to tell her what to do. It is not evident to me whether or
not Hamlet’s departure is a contributing factor to Ophelia’s madness because she
does not outwardly demonstrate her feelings towards him.
When we first meet Ophelia her brother is warning her about
Hamlet telling her to fear him, “Be wary then; best safety lies in fear;” (1.3.43).
Twice more in the course of his speech, he cautions her to “fear” Hamlet. Laertes
is instructing Ophelia not to think for herself but just to be afraid. Immediately after her she receives the third
degree from Laertes, her father proceeds to instruct her on how to conduct
herself. At no point does she assert herself. She does tell her father, “I don’t
know, my lord, what I should think” (1.4.104) but does concede to “obey”.
In the exchanges between Ophelia and Hamlet she is either
void of emotion or being a dutiful pawn (daughter) in following her father’s
plan. Hamlet transposes his ill feelings towards his
mother in the guise of concern for Ophelia’s wellbeing. He warns Ophelia of the
danger she is to men and that she should lock herself away. Hamlet speaks offensively to Ophelia yet she
just tells him he is being impolite. An
implication of Hamlet & Ophelia’s familiarity is when he tells her, “It
would cost you a groaning to take off mine edge” (3.2.228). I would think that
this comment would be enough for a proper lady to get up and move away from
such crude and obnoxious comments.
After hamlet murders Polonius, Ophelia is no longer coherent.
She sings songs. One of the songs she sings alludes to a virgin to sleeping
with a man and then his refusal to marry her. There is mention of shame, “Alack,
and fie for shame!”(4.5.58). It could potentially be an implication to her
relationship with Hamlet. If that is the case, it only strengthens my opinion that
Ophelia is a week minded female because she should have known better than to
sleep with Hamlet. Her father and brother’s repeated warnings should have resonated
within her.
Ophelia reminds me of a receptacle. She takes her father and brother’s advice. She
accepts Hamlets displaced aggression toward females. Finally without her father
to fill her head she takes on water to fill the void. My initial annoyance with the weak character
Ophelia subsides when I think of her in this way. Instead it is sad but as Laertes
reminds me, “Too much of water hast though poor Ophelia, And therefore I forbid
my tears” (4.7.157-158).
*One of my favorite John William Waterhouse's pieces.
3 comments:
I agree Pam, I think Ophelia is an empty headed girl who simply lets the men in her life decide for her. But I can't help to think that maybe she went ahead and slept with Hamlet because she was simply tired of being told what to do. She probably rebelled on purpose? I know when somebody tells me I "can't" it makes me want to do it that much more, just because? Maybe when the father dies she feels guilt for bertraying him and decides to take her own life?
Ophelia represents the many weak female characters Shakespeare has decided to portray. When it comes to the relationship between her and Hamlet there is no question in my mind that they were intimate. Her song is not only about the loss of her father but about the loss of her virtue. I agree she should have known better than to sleep with him especially knowing the value of virginity. Her death or suicide reflects her weakness and submission to her failures as a woman and daughter. She has lost everything: her father, her dignity, and her potential love. She has nothing to live for because her father who will give her unconditional love is gone as well as her potential to find a man who will accept her without her virginity. Perhaps this is why Hamlet told her to hid away in as a nun.
Your attention to Ophelia's "emptiness' here is very compelling, Pamela, and as we discussed in class, offers a good insight to her character. I wonder if, by the end of the play, we change our attitude toward Ophelia? Is there any other option for her within this world but death? Could we see this as one of the lessons of the play, that Denmark has grown so "weedy" that the "Rose of May" must be choked out? The final battle of her body that we talked about in class might lend some credence to that reading.
I'd be curious to know, too, Pamela, what you think of that painting? Is that how we picture her death, given the description in the text? Why do you think the painter interprets it this way?
Post a Comment