William Shakespeare\'s Hamlet, There Are Several Distinct

¶ … William Shakespeare's Hamlet, there are several distinct characteristics of misery and madness that abound in both Hamlet and Ophelia. Their lunacy each stems from similar sources of grief, but the true evolution of their madness is methodically different due to their gender and their status in Elizabethan society.

Throughout Hamlet, Ophelia appears in a mere five scenes and is only one of two females present in the play and therefore stands not to pose as a prominent member of the play. Ophelia's father, Polonius, whom is the chief advisor to the new King Claudius, and a highly respected man, demands that his daughter tell Hamlet that she can no longer be with him even though she desperately is in love with him.

I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth have you so slander any moment leisure as to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet. Look to't, charge you. Come your ways." (I.iii.132-135).

It is clear that here Polonius is making decisions for his daughter, regardless if she really loves Hamlet or not. She feels very unimportant and helpless now, and because of this develops a lack of emotional confidence and strength. All she can reply is "I do not, my lord, what I should think." (I.iii.113). She is used to relying on her father's direction and has been brought up to be very obedient. As well, her brother Laertes agrees with what their father is saying. Ophelia's brother, Laertes also tells his sister that Hamlet is no good for her. He thinks that Hamlet only loves her because he wants to seduce her, and demands his sister to never see him again.

Fear it, Ophelia; fear it, my dear sister.

And keep you in the rear of your affection..." (I, iii, 37-38)

Ophelia can only accept her father and brother's beliefs and writes Hamlet a letter which informs him that she can no longer see him. As a result, she begins to feel alone with very little independence. At this point in the play, Ophelia's turmoil of emotions is what begins to contribute to her madness. Because she is the weaker sex and has been, in a sense, programmed to feel only what is bestowed upon her, she begins to doubt herself and her rationale becomes impaired.

Hamlet's love for Ophelia is unrestricted, but to a point. At the beginning of the play he is one of the constants in her life and she embraces that love and feels enamored toward him. But as Hamlet begins to seep into his madness, his rejection of her affects her psyche which in turn contributes to the demise of her sanity. In Act III, scene I, Hamlet plainly rejects Ophelia and she responds directly to him:

Hamlet: Ay, truly for the power of beauty will sooner transform honest from what it is to a bawd than the force of honesty can translate beauty into his likeness. This was sometime paradox, but now the time gives it proof.

A did love you once.(III, i, 121-125)

Ophelia: Indeed my Lord, you made me believe so.

Hamlet: You should have not have believed me for virtue cannot so (inoculate)our old sock but we shall relish of it. I loved you not. (III, I, 121-129)

The next time she sees Hamlet she is surprised and even a bit frightened by his behavior. He did not look like he usually does, and he acted very strange towards her. He held her by the wrists and stared deeply into her face, long and hard, then storms out, leaving her intensely troubled and saddened. After that she tells her father, and he believes that Ophelia's love is what made him mad. "That hath made him mad" (II. i.110). Polonius then goes to tell the King and Queen of Hamlet's strange behavior and plans to spy on Hamlet to prove that he had gone mad. Ophelia now is left feeling guilty. When she sees Hamlet later on she tries to speak with him, but is rejected coldly. He does not listen to her and screams harsh words leaving her feeling worthless and embarrassed. "...I loved you not." (III.i.119). "Get thee to a nunnery." (III.i.131) "... you jig, you amble, and you lisp, and nickname God's creatures, and make you wantonnes your ignorance. Go to, I'll no more on't;" (III.i.156-158). This incident causes Ophelia to become extremely disturbed. She sits weeping while her father and the King practically step on her weak body to find out more reason for Hamlet's actions. In this depressed state all she can say is "O! woe is me, to have seen what I have seen, what I see!" (III.i.174-175) Because of Hamlet's rudeness and rejection through this part of the play, Ophelia is driven even closer to insanity.

Perhaps the biggest cause of Ophelia's madness was the death of her father. The news of Polonius' death was just enough to throw her over the edge of insanity. What's worse, she finds out that her dearest father was murdered by the one she loves, Hamlet. Ophelia now goes completely mad and has lost all control over her mind. She begins singing songs to herself that don't really make sense to anyone. "He is dead and gone, lady, he is dead and gone..." (IV.V.29-30). The King now feels pity for her because she has lost so much, "O! this is the poison of deep grief; it springs all from her father's death." (IV.V.75-6). It becomes clear now, when she sings the song about a maid on St. Valentine's day, that the way Hamlet treated her was a great contribution to her insanity. In this song she says "Quoth she, before you tumbled me, you promis'd me to wed" (IV.V.72-73) You can tell by the words she sings that she is upset because Hamlet slept with her during their relationship and had promised her they'd get married. These are now the final stages of Ophelia's madness.