The Insanity Of Ophelia In Shakespeare's Hamlet

One definition of madness is “mental delusion of the eccentric behavior arising from it.” However, as Emily Dickinson once wrote, “Much madness is divinest Sense/ To a discerning Eye.” In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the main character, Prince Hamlet, shows apparent madness which proves to serve an important role throughout the story. This erratic behavior consists of his seemingly senseless dialogues, his loss of care for Ophelia, and his increasingly aggressive nature. Such behavior often proves justified by the play’s audience due to its convincing nature despite Hamlet’s predisposition towards insanity.

Because she is a woman, Ophelia struggles to vocalize her thoughts in a male-dominated society. However, her insanity allows her

[…] Blasted with ecstasy…” (3.1.151/162). As a result of this innocence and ignorance, Ophelia is easily manipulated by others for their own purposes. An example of this, is when her father, Polonius, sends Ophelia to have an “accidental meeting” with Hamlet in an attempt to understand his sudden change of character, “at such a time I’ll loose my daughter to him…” (2.2.160). Since Ophelia is often not in control of her choices and how she is allowed to interact with others, there is an element of dehumanization which surrounds her.

So, she is in a state of mental madness. On top of that, the fact that Hamlet kills her father upsets her further because she loved him. After Polonius death, Ophelia's madness was at its peak. Polonius' death becomes the primary reason for her emotional

The character of Ophelia is well known for her tragic ending in Hamlet. She was driven mad by her love for Hamlet and her father’s death; she tragically drowned and died because of the separation from the men she loved most. Ophelia was instructed by her father, Polonius, to break off her relationship with

As the innocent victim of Hamlet’s feigned madness, Ophelia’s insanity is a product of her inability to cope with Hamlet and her father’s death. Her songs show hidden grief and sorrow; her flowers represent the fact that beneath the innocent exterior, there is a weakness or flaw in everyone. Hamlet was able to look past his grief for his father’s death, but he caused someone he loves to be in pain. Whether it is the frailty of women, sorrow, or death, anything, including love, can appear to be pleasant, but can be the ultimate cause of a person’s

Ophelia’s madness is caused by the actions of others in the story. “Madness becomes Ophelia’s last resort, her unconscious revolt. Indeed what else is left for her to do? Offering her an escape, madness provides her with the ability to finally speak her anger and desire” (Dane,412).Her father tells her to stay away from Hamlet, who she has fallen in love with. Hamlet has warned her earlier that whatever he tells her in the future will not be true but, when he tells her he does not intent to be with her it starts the beginning of her madness.

This is where we first see Ophelia deteriorating a person. The next thing that drove her off a cliff was her father being murdered. Claudius said “O, this is the poison of deep grief;

Ophelia was also represented as crazy later in the movie. Yes, Ophelia did go crazy after the death of her father, but from reading the play, I did not picture her going to that extreme. I noticed the craziness especially when she was singing in the movie. There were also many

Nancy Andreasen an American neuroscientist examines the reasons why people suffer from schizophrenia and concluded “…schizophrenia is produced by the influence of multiple factors that lead to the final pathway in the brain” (Andresen, 133). Ophelia’s transformation from an obedient girl to a senile woman is a result of the following three factors. The constant exploitation by her fathers commands results in the deterioration of her mental state of mind. His manipulation is evident as he forbids her from communicating and have a relationship with Hamlet, “…Have you so slander any moment leisure, / As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet./ Look to ’t, I charge you…” (I.III.140-143) Ophelia’s madness is a result of her desperation for freedom as her father constraints her from liberation.

Ophelia is like this because of Polonius’s manipulations. Polonius’ and Ophelia’s conversation in Act One demonstrates the results of his manipulations and shows Ophelia’s understanding of obedience to the audience. For whatever reason, Polonius does not want Ophelia to be in a relationship with Hamlet. So he stops their relationship by making Ophelia question herself and follows his orders. Polonius manipulates Ophelia by making her think that she invalidates her family’s honor, that she does not know anything, and that Hamlet is manipulating her among other things he says.

Introduction At this point in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, he uses insanity to express one’s feelings when they’re in distress. Ophelia shows the most insanity throughout the play. In this scene, she is expressing her sadness to the Queen and King after her father just died. The Queen isn’t looking forward to speaking with Ophelia after Polonius. Ophelia’s opinion is overlooked and they don’t take it into consideration.

Ophelia goes mad throughout the story. She is overwhelmed by the loss of her father and the rejection of Hamlet. Her character is seen spiraling down a dark path that also ends in death. Ophelia is depicted as not having control over her actions; speaking and acting erratically. While Hamlet is speaking erratically and behaving oddly, he still maintains control over his actions and movement throughout the story.

Just one of these traumatic events could make a character go mad, but the combination of the three justifies Ophelia’s madness. The use of these three tragic events in Ophelia’s life makes her madness reasonable. The first event to happen that changes Ophelia’s demeanor is her relationship problems with her boyfriend, Hamlet. In Act III, Scene I of the play, Ophelia says to Hamlet “My lord, I have remembrances of yours, That I have longed long

For the duration of the play, Ophelia was portrayed as a naïve and submissive woman. Her passivity and powerlessness reinforce the voicelessness of women during the Elizabethan era. For example, “I shall obey, my lord” (I.iii.134) shows that Ophelia concedes to her father’s will, even though she believes Hamlet’s love is genuine. She is willing and expected to obey her father despite the fact that she still loves Hamlet, which emphasizes her character’s submissive nature. Furthermore, in Act I Laertes warns Ophelia that it would be shameful of her to love Hamlet, and she responds with “I shall the effect of this good lesson keep as a watchman to my heart” (I.iii.45).