Millais’s image of the tragic death of Ophelia, as she falls into the stream and drowns, is one of the best-known illustrations from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet.. Interpretations about Ophelia's character have ranged from being a woman who lost her sanity upon her father, Polonius' death to being the object of hatred by Hamlet. Ophelia’s role in the play revolves around her relationships with three men. If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late by Drake. Act 5, scene 1, is Ophelia's burial scene, and Hamlet is completely unaware of her tragedy until Laertes shows up and refers to "[his] sister" in a conversation with the priest. It practically sealed his reputation as the leading dramatist of the world. Thesis: The Death of Ophelia. Subject Ophelia’s father had recently been killed by Hamlet in a terrible accident, and she has now gone mad, singing nonsense songs and giving people flowers that she has picked from the garden. (4.7.199-208) Notice how her death seems to be passive? Passage contributes pathos Pity and compassion for both Ophelia and Gertrude Reveals sympathetic character traits of Gertrude Expresses Ophelia's silent mental decline *Change occurring off-stage* Dramatic contrast to the other malicious deaths … That being said, the general consensus (if it can be called such) is that Ophelia’s death is both accidental and intentional. Her clothes spread wide, /And mermaid-like awhile they bore her up,/Which time she chanted snatches of old lauds, /As one incapable of her own distress-(4. In “The Tragedy of Macbeth” Lady Macbeth does not show virtue and it all ends with her death. Instructor If Ophelia’s intentions were to kill herself, she would likely either poison or stab herself, as they are both quick and easy; drowning is not usually the preferred method of suicide – it is long and painful. We find our suspicion of Ophelia’s death in Act 4, scene 7 in the lines; “When down her weedy trophies and herself Fell in the weeping brook. She drowns, which may be compared to the common practice of baptism,… Shakespeare uses characterization and symbolism in “The Tragedy of Macbeth” and “Hamlet” to describe how people sometimes do not have virtue and men want to protect, famous paintings Ophelia, followed by Rossetti’s Proserpine, and Hunt’s Awakening Conscience. Ophelia’s apathetic reaction to her drowning suggests that she never had control of her own life, as she was expected to comply with the expectations of others. They say the owl was a/ baker’s daughter. Ophelia (/ ə ˈ f iː l i ə /) is a character in William Shakespeare's drama Hamlet.She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet, who, due to Hamlet's actions, ends up in a state of madness that ultimately leads to her drowning In this literary analysis I will ask, and attempt to explain the symbolism behind the, Ophelia and Plath resemble each other in certain aspects, as both become sexualized as a result of their relationship with their fathers, and face oppression as a result. After her father’s murder she talks a lot of death, and her madness is apparent when she sings in a completely crazed way: He is dead and gone, lady, /He is dead and gone; /At his head a grass-green turf, /At his heels a stone. Thus, before we can continue with the aim of this paper, we must discuss the context of Ophelia’s alleged suicide and the spectrum of ideology on its importance. Get an answer for 'In Shakespeare's Hamlet, please analyze Queen Gertrude's explanation of Ophelia's death in Act IV, Scene 7.' Get free homework help on William Shakespeare's Hamlet: play summary, scene summary and analysis and original text, quotes, essays, character analysis, and filmography courtesy of CliffsNotes. Gertrude's Description of Ophelia's Death. Queen Gertrude's Account of the Death of Ophelia From Shakespeare's Hamlet: A New Commentary by Wilbraham Fitzjohn Trench. Gertrude’s Speech on Ophelia’s Death Analysis This passage is from Act 4, scene 7, lines 163-183 of Hamlet. These are a symbol of repentance and were usually worn in the church as a way of gaining the mercy of God (Alsaif). View Full Essay. Although we don’t see Ophelia’s death on stage, we hear of it from Gertrude, and she leaves us wondering if the young girl’s death was an accident or an act of suicide. The description of Ophelia’s death holds more information about her actions as she drowned. Therefore, Ophelia did not jump. Thesis: In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, Ophelia’s role would be interpreted as a plot device by a modern English woman and as a victim by an Elizabethan woman. An analysis of Ophelia's death in The Tragedy of Hamlet. London: John Murray. Analysis Of Ophelia's Death. Argument 1 Did she commit suicide because she was mad, or was her death an accident? and find homework help for other Hamlet questions at eNotes In Act 4, following the death of Polonius, his daughter Ophelia goes mad. analysis of her character. But this action could have also been foreshadowing Ophelia's death that comes later in the script. We find our suspicion of Ophelia’s death in Act 4, scene 7 in the lines; “When down her weedy trophies and herself Fell in the weeping brook. Ophelia’s suicide, Leverenz argues, then becomes “a microcosm of the male world’s banishment of the female, because ‘woman’ represents everything denied by reasonable men.” To liberate Ophelia from the text, or to make her its tragic center, is to re-appropriate her for our own ends; to dissolve her into a female symbolism of absence is to endorse our own marginality; to make her Hamlet’s anima is to reduce her, that have no virtue at all. In Hamlet, Shakespeare makes it clear that Prince Hamlet is insane or at least on the verge of “madness.” However, Ophelia (daughter of Polonius, King of Denmark) begins to go mad, as well, after Hamlet kills her father, and the other numerous tragedies that plague her like a black cloud hovering about until her untimely death. The death of Polonius makes Ophelia mad, as she cannot bear to live without her father.… The theme is particularly apparent in Hamlet as all the major characters in the play die, mainly because by dying they have redeemed themselves. The painting was part of the original Henry Tate Gift in 1894. Sept. 17, 2020. There is a Willow growes aslant a Brooke, That shewes his hore leaues in the glassie streame: There with fantasticke Garlands did she come, Of Crow-flowers, Nettles, Daysies, and long Purples, That liberall Shepheards giue a grosser name; Hi there, would you like to get such a paper? Ophelia’s death was triggered by her mental breakdown due to the loss of her father. Still, that does not mean that she did not want it. She is the daughter of Polonius, the sister of Laertes, and up until the beginning of the play’s events, she has also been romantically involved with Hamlet. True to the Pre-Raphaelites and Ruskin’s ideology the background was painted from observation, It is widely believed that “Living life without honor is a tragedy bigger than death itself” and this holds true for Hamlet’s Ophelia. Hamlet’s confrontation with death, manifested primarily in his discovery of Yorick’s skull, is, like Ophelia’s drowning, an enduring image from the play. Hamlet’s confrontation with death, manifested primarily in his discovery of Yorick’s skull, is, like Ophelia’s drowning, an enduring image from the play. The phrase “Her clothes spread wide, /and mermaid-like awhile they bore her up-” (4. Whether Ophelia killed herself, was victim of a tragic plot, or was just another tragic death may never be known. One of the subplots of the play is Hamlet’s love for Ophelia, the daughter of one of the King’s top advisors. (2017, Mar 02). She’s put in a horrible situation – what things come to mind when someone kills your father? The picturesqueness of the passage in which [Ophelia's death] is announced may cause it to serve well as material for treatment by Millais in a picture full of imaginative suggestion as well as of detailed nature … She is essentially a casualty of a society that enforces unreasonable expectations for its women and is never afforded the liberty of thinking for herself and making her own judgments and decisions. Her death could be either interpreted as an accident or suicide. However, that theory would only be applicable if it … The Queen gives a remarkably detailed account of Ophelia´s death leaving one to believe that she may have witnessed the event. Artwork page for ‘Ophelia’, Sir John Everett Millais, Bt, 1851–2 on display at Tate Britain. Ophelia’s death symbolizes a life spent passively tolerating Hamlet’s manipulations and the restrictions imposed by those around her, while struggling to maintain the last shred of her dignity. Their relationship is a little rocky as the play progresses. analysis of her character. Death as a pervading theme is obvious in both Shakespeare’s Hamlet and John Irving’s The World According to Garp. Spurned by her lover Hamlet, who himself seems to have lost his mind, and left alone in a castle with no one to trust, Ophelia loses her grip on reality. Throughout William Shakespeare’s tragic play Hamlet, the nature surrounding Ophelia’s death illustrates her sexuality of virginity. This tragedy was written around 1601 or 1602. If Ophelia’s intentions were to kill herself, she would likely either poison or stab herself, as they are both quick and easy; drowning is not usually the preferred method of suicide – it is long and painful. According to American novelist, John Irving, in his work The World According to Garp, it is a life-redeeming work in which everybody dies. As she prances through the halls of Elsinore singing songs that range from childish to bawdy to macabre, she passes out invisible “flowers” to those she meets, the eclectic variety of which … Ophelia Character Analysis in Hamlet - Ophelia is the one seemingly loved by Hamlet who is the protagonist of the play written by Shakespeare. 7. Although Ophelia’s death initially seems to be suicide, reading the text closely shows us that it was not. There with fantastic garlands did she come Of crowflowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples, That liberal shepherds give a grosser name, But Hamlet is actually away from Denmark when Ophelia dies. This would occur because of their understanding of the symbolism of Ophelia’s actions in madness, the context surrounding Hamlet’s view of her, and their characterization of Ophelia. Hamlet: Ophelia's Death - Free download as Word Doc (.doc), PDF File (.pdf), Text File (.txt) or read online for free. The cause of Ophelia’s death has been debated over the years. This work shows the death of Ophelia, a scene from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. Was it suicide? It is clear that Ophelia is grieving over the death of her father, Polonius, when Horatio says “She speaks much of her father, says she hears…” (Shakespeare IV 4-5), but a secondary cause of Ophelia’s madness may be due to her failed relationship with Hamlet as well. WORDS 1,795. She probably gave up to the currents of the water, and decided to let herself die. The central characters are Ophelia, Hamlet, and Ophelia’s brother Laertes and father Polonius. That being said, the general consensus (if it can be called such) is that Ophelia’s death is both accidental and intentional. She is believed to have killed herself out of madness by drowning herself in a river. Her passive death represents the lack of control she has over her own person and the dependence she has developed on other people. Ophelia giving out flowers is uncannily fitting despite being so grief-stricken, translated into violent revulsion against women, and into his brutal behaviour towards Ophelia. 1659 Words 7 Pages. 7. Ophelia’s relationships with these men restrict her agency and eventually lead to her death. Topic Sentence: The two readers would interpret the symbolism of Ophelia’s actions in madness differently according to their understanding, Name The “baker’s daughter” symbolized her relationship with her father Polonius, whose death causes her to start singing these woeful songs. However, despite her, Madness & Death of Ophelia” The references to Polonius and Hamlet depicts Ophelia’s madness growing and overtaking her causing her to, remains the only person Hamlet also has faith in and trusts (Stegner). Ophelia’s apathetic reaction to her drowning suggests that she never had control of her own life, as she was expected to comply with the expectations of others. Such symbolism, in this case, is entirely appropriate as the queen was deceitful and was not faithful towards her late husband. William Shakespeare's Hamlet follows the young prince Hamlet home to Denmark to attend his father's funeral. Queen. Although Ophelia was not entirely sane, details of how she drowned show that her death was an accident. Looking closely at the text describing Ophelia’s death, it can be proved that Ophelia did not initially kill herself. To muddy death. Making use of her dutiful and obedient personality, Hamlet victimizes Ophelia and her lack of resistance to his treatment is paralleled in her surrender to the water and subsequent drowning. That was corrupted, than scrutinized. For the way that she did die, her death appears to have been an accident. The pain and grief that she was in was no doubt something she would like to be rid of, and perhaps once the tree branch had broken, and she had fallen into the water she decided that what she had not had the courage to do before had just been done for her. Gertrude, The Queen of Denmark, is responsible for Ophelia’s death. We know that she emphasised with Ophelia´s suffering to such an extent that perhaps she realised that the kindest action to take would be to let Ophelia … Gertrude's Speech on Ophelia's Death 4.7.166-183 There is a willow grows aslant a brook That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream. Check out our page on William Shakespeare's Hamlet here! to: Part 4 By delivering this foliage, Ophelia is asking Laertes to think about and remember somehthing, probably their father's death. http://www.shmoop.com/hamlet/ Exactly what I needed. All rights reserved, Ophelia's Death-Suicide?. When she dies, Gertrude reports her death to Claudius and Laertes. Ophelia's Death Analysis. Through the analysis of her language which is both pregnant in and with madness, her madness is interpreted as the means In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare many situations and known people can be a possible connection to Ophelia’s mysterious death. conveys a very powerful image of Ophelia, spread out and drowning. In retrospect to Sylvia Plath’s poem “The Beekeeper’s Daughter.” Which exhibits aspects of the environment to illustrate the introduction to sexual acts through the, Water, in it’s most simple form, is an element with multiple states and properties that make it essential or life. Connolly eds., ophelias essays on death handbook of child psychology: Vol theoretical models of adaptive behavior caspi bem. Lord, we know what we are but/ know not what we may be. On the stage, Ophelia was costumed in virginal white to contrast with Hamlet's scholarly black, and in her mad scene she entered with dishevelled hair, singing bawdy songs, and giving away her flowers, symbolically deflowering herself. She is the daughter of Polonius, the chief councillor to the King of Denmark. The name Ophelia has been most commonly associated with William Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, where she is referred to as the title character's mad lover. Death is a monster, not only in its handling of a human being, but in its ripple effect on loved ones, friends, and even strangers. It is likely that suicide may have crossed Ophelia’s mind, because of the state that she was in, and that given the chance she may have decided to kill herself later on. The tragedy made Shakespeare very prominent in his time and even up to the present. Ophelia’s death symbolizes a life spent passively tolerating Hamlet’s manipulations and the restrictions imposed by those around her, while struggling to maintain the last shred of her dignity. In this article, we’ll answer to the question ‘how does Ophelia die in Hamlet’ by looking at these varying accounts and analyzing the circumstances regarding her death. This essay will pose as an analysis of Ophelia from Shakespeare's Hamlet. God be at your table” (4.5.47- 49). in her failed love with Hamlet and sorrow from the death of her father, Ophelia’s madness represents the destructed mind without the Name-of-the-Father and the reconstruction of her liberated subjectivity. In the play Hamlet, Shakespeare uses the motif of water to symbolize madness and the unknown in the characters Hamlet and Ophelia. Sales trends: 10 ways to prepare for the future of sales In his reckless pursuit of revenge, Hamlet accidentally strikes Polonius, mistaking him for Claudius. However, the symbolism of Queen Gertrude’s monologue announcement concerning the tragically departed Ophelia, and Ophelia’s own madness that ended with her death is worthy of analysis. Polonius’ central role in Ophelia’s life as a loved and respected role model only made his death more impactful on Ophelia’s conscience. Ophelia hands the queen some rue and keeps some herself. There on the pendant boughs her coronet weeds/Clamb’ring to hang, an envious sliver broke, /When down her weedy trophies and herself/Fell in the weeping brook. How about receiving a customized one? Her apparent. Therefore, Ophelia is mentally unstable and not capable of realizing that her life is on the line. Ophelia’s father had been killed by Hamlet; anyone put in that situation would likely have thoughts of suicide. 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