Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Ophelia
Ophelia's role in the play Hamlet is an interesting one. This role is one of two female roles and a relatively minor one at that. She could be basically described as a damsel in distress. She is pretty meek and obedient. She doesn't take her future into her own hands, but is shaped by the events occurring around her. It is interesting; therefore, that such an easily influenced character would be so critical to the plot. In many ways Ophelia drives the plot forward or reveals aspects of other characters. It is through Ophelia's experiences that Polonius comes to the conclusion that Hamlet is mad for her love and goes to the king. It is through observation of that next Ophelia/Hamlet encounter that the king comes to the conclusion that it is not love that makes Hamlet mad, but that there is danger to him from Hamlet. Finally, it is Ophelia's death that leads to the dual between Laertes and Hamlet, leading to multiple deaths. In many ways Ophelia can be construed as a literary tool within Hamlet for the purpose of the plot and character development.
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2 comments:
Nicole--I agree with your contention that she functions more as a device to accomplish other goals rather than as an interesting character in her own right.
Wouldn't it have been nice, though, if Shakespeare had decided to give her role a little more depth instead of relegating her to such stereotypical functions?
PS--great to hear from you. Are you ever coming back to school?
Hey Nicole!
I really liked your post. I thought you were right on when you wrote "In many ways Ophelia drives the plot forward or reveals aspects of other characters." I liked your use of many examples to backup your claim. I also liked your concluding sentence "In many ways Ophelia can be construed as a literary tool within Hamlet for the purpose of the plot and character development." I think this is a great point. Wonderful job!
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