Free Ophelia Essays - Alone in Hamlet :: Shakespeare Hamlet Essays

Ophelia - All alone in Hamlet Within Ophelia's head spins many thoughts after the death of her father. She is inevitably suffering from a nervous breakdown at the hand of her once suitor Hamlet. Ophelia is now alone without, her brother Laertes, Hamlet, her father Polonius, or even a female role model to help her through this time of sadness. During the scene, she struggles with reality and fiction. Is what she saying all lost thoughts about her head, or do they make sense, perfect senses to the outcome of the play. For the most part during this time in her life, Ophelia has no one to tell her, or guide her. As her brother does when he warns her of "Hamlet and the trifling of his favor..." (1, 3, 5), that "His greatness weighed, his will is not his own"(1, 3, 17). She is also at a loss for her father, Polonius' words of wisdom of her relationship with Hamlet; he states, "Do not believe his vows, for they are brokers, not of that dye which their investments show..." (1, 3, 126-127). Nor does she have Hamlet to lean to for advice as when he tells her to "get thee to a nunnery..."(3, 1, 121). Shakespeare never lets on that Ophelia had a mother; this only leaves Queen Gertrude to fill the empty void as a female role model. At one time Polonius tries to convince the King and Queen that the lack of his daughter's love is the cause of Hamlet's madness, in Act two, Scene two. Only a short time later does Gertrude tell Ophelia, "Ophelia, I do wish that your good beauties be the happy cause of Hamlet's wildness. So shall I hope our virtues will bring him to his wonted way again..." (3, 1, 38-41). On the other hand, later in the play Gertrude refuses to see Ophelia, stating, " I will not speak to her " (4, 5, 1) on the first line of Act four, Scene five. Gertrude does not even attempt to change her mind until Horatio reminds her, " T'were good she were spoken with, for she may strew dangerous conjectures in ill-breeding minds" (4,5,15-16).