Ophelia and Hamlet :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Ophelia and Hamlet      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Norrie Epstein in â€Å"One of Destiny’s Casualties† presents her testimony in favor of Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet outranking the protagonist in her ability to draw an empathetic reaction from the audience:    It is Ophelia, not Hamlet, who most commands our sympathy. One of destiny’s casualties, she’s swept along by political events just as she is borne by the river at her death. . . .At her first appearance we see an innocent, trusting, and spirited young girl, but by her last scene she is contaminated, mad, and knowing. Whatever she might have become has been blighted. Insane, Ophelia at last speaks the truth, although no one understands her, and Shakespeare gives her one of the most cryptic lines in the play: â€Å"Lord, we know what we are, but know not what we may be.† Ophelia goes mad because she discovers what others â€Å"may be.† (74)    It is the intent of this essay to examine the victimized and empathetic aspect of Ophelia, as well as many other facets of the interesting personality of Hamlet’s girlfriend – with the help of literary criticism on this subject.    The protagonist of the tragedy, Prince Hamlet, initially appears in the play dressed in solemn black, mourning the death of his father supposedly by snakebite while he was away at Wittenberg as a student. Hamlet laments the hasty remarriage of his mother to his father’s brother, an incestuous act; thus in his first soliloquy he cries out, â€Å"Frailty, thy name is woman!† Ophelia enters the play with her brother Laertes, who, in parting for school, bids her farewell and gives her advice regarding her relationship with Hamlet. Ophelia agrees to abide by the advice: â€Å"I shall the effect of this good lesson keep as watchman to my heart.† After Laertes’ departure, Polonius inquires of Ophelia concerning the â€Å"private time† which Hamlet spends with her. He dismisses Hamlet’s overtures as â€Å"Affection, puh!† Polonius considers Ophelia a â€Å"green girl,† incapable of recognizing true love: â€Å"These blazes . . . you mu st not take for fire.† He gets her assurance that she will not talk with Hamlet anymore.    When the ghost talks privately to Hamlet, he learns not only about the murder of his father, but also about the unfaithfulness and adultery of his mother. Gertrude was seduced by â€Å"that incestuous, that adulterate beast,/With witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts† – Claudius himself – prior to his brother’s passing.