Ophelias Madness Essay - 909 Words

The character of Ophelia is an excellent element of drama used to develop interpretations of Shakespeare’s text. At the beginning of the play, she is happy and in love with Hamlet, who first notices her beauty and then falls in love with her. The development of Ophelia’s madness and the many factors that contributed to her suicide are significant parts of the plot. â€Å"Her madness was attributed to the extremity of her emotions, which in such a frail person led to melancholy and eventual breakdown† (Teker, par. 3). The character of Ophelia in Zieffirelli’s version is the personification of a young innocent girl. â€Å"Her innocence is mixed with intelligence, keen perception, and erotic awareness† (Teker, par. 13). This Ophelia is a victim†¦show more content†¦After this conversation, Polonius talks to Ophelia about Hamlet as well. He tells Ophelia that Hamlet isn’t good for her. He says â€Å"Do not believe his vows, for they are brokers† (Shakespeare 1.3.127). Then, Polonius commands her to stay away from Hamlet. When this scene is acted in Zeffirelli’s version, Ophelia gets upset with Polonius and storms off after she says â€Å"I shall obey my lord† (Hamlet; Shakespeare 1.3.136). In Branagh’s version, Polonius is angrier at Ophelia. He pushes her into a confessional, and after he recites his speech, he walks away. Then, Ophelia says the line â€Å"I shall obey my Lord† in her head while she has flashbacks of being with Hamlet (William Shakespeare’s Hamlet; Shakespeare 1.3.115-136). In another scene, Polonius orders Ophelia to return the gifts that Hamlet gave her, and to make her rejection of him unmistakable and absolute. Polonius believes that if she is the cause of Hamlet’s madness, this would be the proof. â€Å"That Hamlet loses his mental stability is arguable from his behavior toward Ophelia†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Foster, par.16) In Branagh’s version, we see how terribly this tears Ophelia’s heart. When Hamlet sees her, he walks up to her, telling her how much he loves her. After Hamlet kisses her, she returns the love letters that he wrote back to him. She sees how crushed he is, which makes her feel even worse; but she also believes she has to do this because her father ordered her to. Hamlet tells her â€Å"Get thee to a nunnery† (WilliamShow MoreRelatedOphelias Madness in Hamlet612 Words   |  3 PagesMadness is usually misinterpreted and misconstrued. Sometimes it is faked, sometimes it is nonsensical. However, that is not always the case. Ophelia’s madness in Shakespeare’s Hamlet is real and of great significance; furthermore, when seen with a discerning eye, Ophelia’s actions might not seem as irrational and without meaning and cause. Shakespeare displays Ophelia’s madness through her deranged singing and through the reactions of the other character to her strange behaviors. 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Specifically, through examining Gertrude’s description of Ophelia’s death, while also taking into consideration the character’s history and experiences, we can forge a connection between our understanding of Ophelia’s actions, and Hamlet’s dilemma with his own actions. To unravel the reality of Ophelia’s death in