Ophelia from Shakespeare’s ”Hamlet” Essay

In Hamlet, Shakespeare introduces a concept of women more in keeping with the traditional view than what he usually portrayed. The play opens upon Hamlet’s return home following the death of his father. He finds his mother married to his uncle and the ghost of his father appears to inform Hamlet that he had not died accidentally, but rather was killed by the ambitious Claudius and, perhaps, the willing acceptance of Queen Gertrude. As the action unfolds, Shakespeare tells of how Hamlet seeks a way to both prove what the ghost has said and bring about the revenge that is demanded if the ghost is correct. Hamlet feigns insanity to discover the truth, effectively confusing those around him as was his intention. Because he is acting outside of his normal character, he has no problem using others as they might be used against him, introducing the theme of individual manipulation. Forced to work alone, his hesitation to act proves almost fatal to his vengeance and most certainly fatal to himself, but not before those he loves are also destroyed. While the concept of manipulation is evident in Hamlet’s actions as well as the actions of several other characters throughout the play, it is perhaps brought into the clearest focus as it applies to the women of the play, particularly Ophelia. Shakespeare employs the traditional view of the woman as a means of illustrating its more dangerous elements through his portrayal of Ophelia in her innocence, the ease with which others use her, and the suspicion that falls on her as a result of the actions of others.

According to the traditional and more popular view of the female sex, women were considered necessary but nearly mindless household accessories rather than actual people. Most of Shakespeare’s women, though, broke this mold in some way, such as the defiance of Desdemona when facing her father or the self-determination shown by Juliet. However, Ophelia floats through the Denmark castle providing little to no valuable service and seemingly without volition or true activity of her own. Not only conforming to the traditional concept of a submissive, malleable female with little to no educated thoughts of her own, Ophelia also conforms to the traditional concept of a hero’s love interest. She is presented as a demure, chaste young girl, obedient to her father and her brother, mild-mannered and sweet. Her humble question “Not more but so?” (I, iii, 11) following Laertes’ warnings about Hamlet’s interest indicates her traditionally proper complete acceptance of a man’s opinion and directive. Her response to Laertes warning him against debauchery while at school reinforces her role as the guardian of the family soul just as her acquiescence to Laertes, as the male, reinforces that he is the guardian of the family chastity. She is a faithful servant to the queen and is always engaged in properly frivolous activities – the sewing of decorative things and the knowledge of flowers and songs. She seems to be innocent of the plotting of those around her and proves to be incapable of comprehending the various dynamics of the events unfolding. Shakespeare seems to suggest through this portrayal that an uneducated woman is fated to be the tool of others while an educated woman may have helped avert the tragedy.

Ophelia’s role is to be used completely as a tool or ‘puppet figure’ by the more important protagonists. Seizing upon any tool they can lay their hands on, the King and Polonius readily employ Ophelia as a weapon for their own purposes. At the beginning of the play, she is told by her father in no uncertain terms, to go against her heart and spurn all communication with Hamlet: “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, I charge you” (I, iii, 132-135). While this directive can be seen as the natural reaction of a father is working to guard the chastity of his daughter, it can also be seen as a wily political move of an ambitious parent attempting to both protect the assets of the family as well as present alluring bait to the ultimate prize. This interpretation is supported in the almost over-humble way in which he approaches the King and Queen with his theory regarding the cause of Hamlet’s madness, reciting the degeneration of the prince since Ophelia had stopped receiving his messages: “And he, repelled, a short tale to make, / Fell into a sadness, then into a fast, / Thence to a watch, thence into a weakness, / Thence to a lightness, and, by this declension, / Into the madness wherein now he raves” (II, ii, 146-150). This understanding of Hamlet’s condition (II, ii), provides Polonius with the tool he’s been seeking in the form of his daughter for greater court security as well as providing the King with a tool, again Ophelia, to use against Hamlet himself.

Precisely because of her perfection in her role as the quintessential princely favorite and potential tool, Hamlet is suspicious of her. Not only is Hamlet aware that his already expressed feelings for Ophelia may be used by his enemies against him, he is suspicious of Ophelia’s possible complicity with these enemies, indicating he is aware of a latent intelligence. While this was displayed through her quick wit in turning Laertes’ instructions around, her silence elsewhere makes this easy to forget. Although she is very obviously in love with Hamlet, presenting Hamlet’s pursuit of her in the most honorable and noble terms possible, she is also very obviously torn between her maidenly duty to obey her male elders and the feelings of her heart. This confusion, as well as the conflicting instructions of her elders, further supports Hamlet’s suspicion that Ophelia may be acting in conscious concert with his uncle. Because he does have feelings for her, he tries to protect her in case she is innocent by hinting at his continued attraction for her as in the play scene – “Lady shall I lie in your lap?” (III, ii, 127) – yet he also rails against her as a means of expressing his thoughts to the other woman he feels has so wronged both him and his father. His mother’s recent treachery has opened his eyes to the devious nature of women and he continues to question whether Ophelia’s innocent-seeming confusion is instead a skillful manipulation of inborn feminine evil.

Without even realizing it, Ophelia thus becomes the pawn of the play. She is unaware of Claudius’ complicity in the death of Hamlet’s father as both Hamlet and the King, of course, are. She innocently believes what her elders have told her, as she has been taught to believe since her earliest childhood and has already proven to have learned well. Because she truly loves Hamlet, Polonius and the King believe she will successfully subdue Hamlet. For Polonius, either his daughter provides Hamlet with a sudden cure and his family becomes firmly attached to the crown or Hamlet is truly crazy and Polonius will continue in his current function. The risk is small while the rewards are great. For the King, he will gain a clearer understanding of Hamlet’s current behavior, of which he has already become suspicious. However, Hamlet’s recent revelation regarding his mother, coupled with Ophelia’s sudden changes of heart as a result of differing directives, hardens him to also use Ophelia as a puppet. By portraying the women of Hamlet in ways that are more in keeping with the traditional values of continental Europe, Shakespeare seems to be making an argument in favor of providing women with education and autonomy. Had Ophelia not been brought up to be meek and mild, consistently and completely following the directives of her elders, she perhaps would not have aroused suspicion in Hamlet and instead provided him with an additional individual to confide in. At the same time, she could have avoided her own personal tragedy by avoiding the maddening conflict of emotions that was created when her elders bade her go against the dictates of her heart. While making women little more than puppets may seem like a good idea to men, Shakespeare demonstrates through Ophelia that the practice, in reality, is a tremendous deficit to the welfare of the woman, the household, and the country overall. In Hamlet, Shakespeare’s style differed from many of his other works by portraying women more realistically to the era, bringing about tragedy, the death of a kingdom, and an unforgettable warning regarding the proper treatment of women in society is to remain healthy.

Works Cited

Shakespeare, William. “Hamlet.’ The Complete Works of Shakespeare. Alfred Harbage (Ed.). London: Penguin Books, 1969, pp. 930-976.