O, you must wear your rue with a difference! I loved your analysis on Ophelia and your text examples on how she viewed each horrific death of her loved ones. Explore our collection of motivational and famous quotes by authors you know and love. It is likely that Ophelia has fixated upon Hamlet’s “detestable” oath breaking so much so that in not requiting her love, Hamlet has broken both her heart and her poor mind. either. But the gentleman persists in thinking that her words represent pure madness. Do you doubt that? Because of these is, Ophelia certainly is one of the most pitiable characters in Hamlet, and perhaps one of the only characters whose “madness” is justifiable. It is interesting to me that you believe her suicide is due to both her father’s death AND her complex relationship with Hamlet. I think that throughout Hamlet, madness is exhibited in many forms and Hamlet’s madness is very different from Ofelia’s. It’s upsetting to see anyone go through all of these unfortunate circumstances because it realistically can happen to anybody. This has set off a violent chain reaction. X-Axis= Time of important event. his own rede”) and keep to the “steep and thorny way to Heaven,” rather than succumb to the “primrose path of dalliance.” Ophelia’s playful riposte exhibits a quick, intelligent mind, which makes her eventual descent into madness that much more tragic. Ophelia’s madness is driven by the loss of the male influences in her life. Would she have been more proactive with trying to fight the current of the stream? His words sound like an example of madness, and his two companions appear to take it as such. Over all, your post cleared up some misconceptions for me and went in depth on a character I would have liked to discuss more in class. Thus, "Her speech is nothing.". Throughout the play, indeed, the appearance of Hamlet's pretended madness is contrasted with the reality of Ophelia's madness. I think that Hamlet and Laertes carried on Ophelia’s madness when she passed away and they both jumped into her grave. Ophelia’s maddness I believe, like you, is caused be her loss of her loved ones. Thus, "Her speech is nothing." I wonder if her father didn’t die would she have reacted to this accident in way? It is interesting to me that you believe her suicide is due to both her father’s death AND her complex relationship with Hamlet. Boston, Stratford & Co. It is almost as though the natural order has been disturbed by the death of King Hamlet and Ofelia is a casualty in the war to get the state of Denmark to not be quite so rotten…. Or would her fate be the same? Hi Sam, I like your post and your analysis of Ophelia’s character. Hamlet’s madness is directly correlated to his father’s death and the appearance of his father’s ghost. Claudius and Gertrude, recognizing their … Ophelia was a very unique character and was portrayed to us as a female character unlike many of the other’s we’ve read about this semester. Ophelia seems to be much a more complex character the more that I read about her and I think she is underrated because of that. Having been separated from himself, Hamlet argues that he cannot be held responsible for any act that his madness, in fact, committed. O heavens! With the loss of her father, brother, and her lover all extremely close together is enough to make anyone go mad I suppose. Ophelia’s random singing was the first sign of madness when I first read it because instead of trying to save herself from drowning she was just calmly singing and letting the heavy water pile on top of her and her clothing. Sam, Dear maid, kind sister, sweet Ophelia! Her madness stems from the death of her father but carries over once she’s lost Hamlet. RALPH: Gertrude describes how her clothing spread out over the surface of the water, keeping her afloat for a moment, while … What's interesting here is the gentleman's emphasis on how others strive to make sense of her bewildering language. Ophelia quotes showing 1 4 of 4 what is a man s life but a prelude to his death. No more but so? Ophelia is an intriguing character that encompasses virtue, madness, feminism and morbid sexuality and she it also gives us songs or rites to study and better understand. Sam, Despite whether or not the cause of her madness is her father’s death or the loss of her “boyfriend” or something entirely different, Ofelia almost falls into madness. A. Polonius uses her to further his own agenda. I do pity her as a character because now she is truly on her own and I feel Hamlet and her family is partially to blame. Ophelia's Madness #1 Analysis of Themes and Imagery Themes Summary of act IV scene V lines 16-94 Imagery Theme of frailty of women Revenge Identification and discussion of key lines Ophelia is the victim of many uninvited events. Hamlet quotes … Speeches (Lines) for Ophelia in "Hamlet" Total: 58. print/save view. The first half of the sentence may refer to either of these two understandings of body, but the second half seems to refer directly to Polonius, a "king" who's been separated from his body through death. The second is Hamlet himself, who promised much to Ophelia, and whom Ophelia has probably has sex with. Explore our collection of motivational and famous quotes by authors you know and love. Ophelia’s maddness I believe, like you, is caused be her loss of her loved ones. It is interesting to analyze this scene to see that both her father’s death and Hamlet’s acts led to her madness. In Hamlet, by Shakespeare, the theme of madness is a prevalent theme which … In the begining of the play Ophelia knows that Hamlet loves her yet decides to keep her distance because her brother tells her to. For more than a thousand years her sweet madness Has murmured its ballad to the evening breeze. We both wrote about Ophelia! As the play continues, Hamlet behaves more and more eccentrically, and neither the audience nor Hamlet’s other characters can be certain whether Hamlet is pretending or not. By heaven, thy madness shall be paid by weight, Till our scale turn the beam. I. Polonius is self seeking and callous. Ophelia’s imaginary flowers tie in with the thematic representation of women’s issues throughout the play: Ophelia has had to change so much to survive in the world of men that she’s literally driven herself mad. SO many questions that are generated by your post. Sam, Many of the lines throughout her singing episodes also support your claim, as you aptly discuss. However, the explicit sexual references in Ophelia’s songs perhaps account for her obsession with the now absent Hamlet, as in “promising his love” to her earlier in the play and then being scorned, she is doubly heartbroken alongside the death of her father. Ofelia’s madness seems a little more delicate and sudden. Nevertheless there is a mystery about her mental condition. She is used as a ploy by her father to test Hamlet’s maddness. The poisonous atmosphere in Denmark has befouled not only her relationship and love for Hamlet but it has destroyed her sanity. We may call it herb of grace o' Sundays. Hi Sam, At that point in time, it seemed to be an attribute to Ophelia letting herself go; but since you are comparing and including it within the madness of Ophelia I now find myself second guessing whether or not it was her letting herself go or if she was in fact mad. Y-axis= Ophelia's rank of madness. He has no obvious reason to fake insanity, and Horatio, at least, seems to think that Hamlet is already behaving strangely: he describes Hamlet’s words as ‘wild and whirling’ (I.v.132). I definitely feel that before Polonius dies she is effected by how Hamlet treats her, which the argument I made in my post. I wonder if her father didn’t die would she have reacted to this accident in the same way? You have probably come across a number of Hamlet quotes on different themes include love, hurt, hate and madness, just to mention a few. Ophelia's Road to Madness 1119 Words | 5 Pages. Note: Quotes are taken from an edition (Dover Thrift) of Hamlet that lacks line numbers; page numbers are given in their place.. Sources. I,3,486. Ophelia. Here Hamlet refers to the metaphysical distinction between the king's physical body and the body of the state for which he serves as the head. Ophelia seems to act in a way that implies her words carry intentional meaning, and so those around her seek to rearrange (i.e., "botch") the words in order to make some sense of them. Claudius, alarmed, sent Hamlet off to England, intending to have him assassinated. This line directly references an older man and because of this detail, Polonius’s death has obviously taken its toll on Ophelia’s psyche, causing her to spout such wild and woeful songs. Her father’s identity is her identity and this loss of identity propelled her further into madness. I thought your post was interesting because you had a lot to say about Ophelia! I think both her father’s death and her relationship with Hamlet made her depressed and unfortunately made her commit this awful act of suicide. Many readers have wondered whether she is thinking of Hamlet—but it’s impossible to know for sure. Ophelia/ Madness: Ophelia's madness is revealed to the court. Hamlet ridiculed her and her father, I’m assuming a person closest to her as there is no mention of a mother, dies unexpectingly. Along with it are some quotes that will be analyzed for their significance to the topic of madness regarding the listed characters: Ophelia Ophelia is seen as a level-headed and very much sane character at the beginning of the play. . Elizabethans thought that love really could make a man sick, they believed that Hamlet’s madness was primarily because of his love that he has for Ophelia. Quote: "Her obsequies have been as far enlarged. I wonder which had more an effect? Hi Sam, There's rue for you, and here's some for me. Well written! The views and opinions expressed by the authors and other contributors to this blog are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of SUNY New Paltz or any employee thereof. She is used as a ploy by her father to test Hamlet’s maddness. It’s quite the strain to put on anyone’s mental state. I really enjoyed your post any how you revolved it around what you considered to be Ophelia’s madness. The defective effect of Ophelia's madness to come has the same cause; Polonius' prescripts have their effect on Ophelia too. Calumnious Strokes: The Meeting Between Ophelia and Laertes From The Riddles of Hamlet by Simon Augustine Blackmore. 2. Ophelia is pointing out Hamlet's madness and how his anti-disposition on his mind is also affecting the way he looks and behaves. When Hamlet uses the proverbial expression "I know a hawk from a handsaw," he indicates that he remains mostly in control of his faculties and that he can still distinguish between like and unlike things. Would she have been more proactive with trying to fight the current of the stream? Maybe if Hamlet wasn’t such an ass to her she wouldn’t have committed suicide because I think that was truly the last straw for her. Sam, I like that you included her singing in what you believed to be madness, because I too brought up her “mindless” singing in my post about her death. I,3,529. This is compounded on by a following line, “You promised me to wed, / So would I ‘a’ done, by yonder sun, / An thou hadst not come to my bed.” and it is this part of Ophelia’s song that likely damns Hamlet as a cause of her mental fracturing (4.5.62-64). At the end of Act 3, Hamlet killed Polonius, in the mistaken belief that he was killing his uncle. I agree with the fact you believe her suicide is due to both her father’s death and her complex relationship with Hamlet. . Discover and share Ophelia Insane Quotes. Ophelia is pointing out Hamlet’s madness and how his anti-disposition on his mind is also affecting the way he looks and behaves. These two different interpretations demonstrate the ambiguity and flexibility of Ophelia’s madness. The fact that the water completely weighs her down and she doesn’t even car is shocking because she shouldn’t have died but her showing that shows how depressed she was. Curiously, Ophelia’s madness can be read as something beautiful because of its vulnerability yet it is also inspiring because her madness breaks through the patriarchal refrain. Hadst thou thy wits and didst persuade revenge it could not move thus. English By William Anderson (Schoolworkhelper Editorial Team) August 5, 2010 1 Comment. A document in madness! O rose of May! She’s being torn between two very influential men in her life. For more than a thousand years sad Ophelia Has passed, a white phantom, down the long black river. As we have warranty. In Act 4 of Shakespeare's Hamlet,everything is falling apart. 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