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The play Hamlet is known for its eccentric plot and warped sense of reality as well as its fanatical characters. Hamlet himself created all the drama in the play with his pretend madness and his emotional outbursts, which lead to the destruction of almost all of the characters in the play. The most notable self destruction came from Ophelia, Hamlets object of affection. During the play, Ophelia had undergone a lot of stress which lead her character to metamorphous.
At the beginning of the play, Laertes spoke to his sweet, loving sister Ophelia about his departure of Denmark to go to England and also his concerns of she and Hamlets relationship. He warned her of what he thought Hamlet's true intentions were. If with too credent ear you list his songs Or lose your heart or your chaste treasure open To his unmastered opportunity. Fear it, Ophelia; my dear sister. (I.
iii. 34 - 37) He believed that Hamlet was only with her out of lust and Hamlet said that he wanted to marry her only so she would sleep with him. Laertes told her that Hamlet comes from a royal family and she does not, therefore Hamlet will not marry her, nor does he love her. Ophelia disregarded most of what Laertes had said about Hamlet. Right after that Polonius came to speak to Laertes before he had gone to England. They spoke briefly and Polonius gave him advice to follow. Before saying farewell, Laertes told Ophelia to remember what he had said.
Curious of what his children were conversing about, Polonius asked Ophelia what Laertes meant by that. Ophelia told him about the talk they had about Hamlet. Polonius agreed with what Laertes had said and told her to stay away from Hamlet. Ophelia was not pleased with her fathers request, but she obeyed him. In Act II Ophelia was in her closet sewing when Hamlet approached her with unusual behavior. He had his trousers hanging down off his waist, dirty stockings on, no hat on his head, and his skin looking extremely pale.
He grabbed her by the wrist firmly and let out a boisterous sigh then stroked her face without saying a single word the entire time. She declared that he suffered of madness. Polonius believed that Hamlet was mad for Ophelias love. Out of concern for his daughter, Polonius had consulted the King about Hamlets bizarre behavior. Later on in Act III, while everyone was waiting for Hamlets play to begin, he sat down right next to Ophelia then made several sexual remarks to her, even further contributing to his mad behavior. Ophelia had drowned shortly after discovering that her father was murdered by the person she loved, Hamlet, which was definitely a factor which caused her insanity, leading to her death.
Just before she had died, she was at the castle with the King and Queen where she sang a demented song. The song made many references to her fathers death and to her lost love Hamlet. In this particular quote, she refers to what her brother and father told her in the beginning of the play, about how they felt Hamlet said that he wanted to marry her just so she would sleep with him. Young men will dot, if they come to t; By Cock they are to blame. Quoth she Before you tumbled me, You promised me to wed (IV. v. 65 - 68) At this point, she believes that Hamlet was actually using her, as they had said.
She then mocks Hamlet in a sense by quoting him in her song. So would I' a done, by yonder sun, An thou hadst not come to my bed. (IV. v. 70 - 71) By this line of the song, she is pretending she is Hamlet and saying that maybe he would have wed her if she had not have come to his bed. She then broke down and cried. She said that she could not help but cry whenever she thought about the gravediggers putting her fathers body in the cold ground. She said her brother must be informed of the tragic loss of their father, then she stormed off and left.
Soon after, the Queen came back with the dreadful news of Ophelias death. There were many events that lead to Ophelias fatal breakdown, starting from the very beginning of the play when her family told her to stay away from Hamlet. From there the downward spiral continued. Next, her beloved brother ventured off into a far away country leaving her behind, followed by the man she loved turning insane and denying his love for her.
The final factor, which was the worst, was her fathers death caused by her alleged soulmate. The remaining factor is that Hamlet was the cause of Ophelias breakdown. He created all of her problems and drover her over the edge. Work Cited Durban, Alan. Hamlet.
New York: Barrons Educational Services, Inc; 1986 Mowat, Barbara, and Werstine, Paul. Hamlet. New York: Washington Square Press Publication of Pocket Books, 1992.
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