Ophelia Deflowered Girl Or Sexual Woman Essay

Ophelia, Deflowered Girl Or Sexual Woman. Essay, Research Paper

In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, it is possible for the audience or reader to come to

view Ophelia as an innocent victim trapped in the most tragic circumstances. She was an

obedient and loving daughter to her father Polonius. Ophelia obeyed him, when he

ordered her to stop seeing Hamlet, her love, and even when she was asked to betray her

love, acting as a decoy to allow the King and Polonius to discover the source of Hamlet’s

grief. Her naive nature is evident in this love that she has for Hamlet, even though he

promised to marry her, took her virginity, mistreated her, and finally left her. Her young

age and motherless upbringing left Ophelia completely unprepared for a crisis like the

death of her father and the insanity of Hamlet.

However, it is possible to interpret Ophelia’s eventual insanity as a result of her

guilt and involvement in her own sexual rebellion. In the 1996 movie version of Hamlet,

directed by Kenneth Branagh, Ophelia, played by Kate Winslet, is not portrayed as the

entirely innocent girl one expects. During the course of the movie, the viewer can watch

Ophelia evolve from the young innocent girl to a sexual woman, and then, finally, a

woman stricken with grief and insanity.

The most poignant example of this metamorphosis appears in Act IV, Scene V of

Shakespeare’s Hamlet. It takes place long after Ophelia is set up by the King and

Polonius to act as a pawn in their attempt to discover the reason for Hamlet’s insanity.

Also prior to Act IV, Scene V, Hamlet gives the famous “Get thee to a nunnery” speech,

leaving a frightened Ophelia. This scene is also the first time we see Ophelia after the

accidental murder of her father by Hamlet.

This scene begins with Horatio and some gentlemen convincing Gertrude, the

Queen, to speak with Ophelia, who has gone mad. Ophelia enters and speaks of love,

betrayal, and her father’s death through song, verse and finally prose. She exits, just

before her brother, Laertes, arrives. There is a great deal of commotion because the

commoners are outside demanding Laertes be made king. Laertes storms in to confront

Claudius, the King, and accuse him of murdering Polonius. Laertes is cut off by the

entrance of the mad Ophelia. She speaks somewhat nonsensically about herbs and

flowers. She mentions rosemary, pansies, fennel, rue, and a daisy. Ophelia informs

Laertes that all the violets withered at the time of her father’s death. This only angers

Laertes more, and the scene ends with the King promising to prove his innocence to

Laertes.

Shakespeare’s word choice for Ophelia in this scene helps the viewer to perceive

her madness. Ophelia has suddenly become an outspoken and honest critic as opposed to

the shy daughter of Polonius. She is no longer restrained by the conventions of normal

speech and social constraints. She requests that the Queen “mark” her words which are

surprisingly filled with great beauty and insight. However, Gertrude does not heed her

warning, perceiving Ophelia as mad beyond all comprehension.

Upon entering, Ophelia immediately begins speaking of her inability to

distinguish between true love and lust in regard to Hamlet. She sings, “How should I your

true love now from another one. By his cockle hat and staff, And his sandle shoon.” Her

song immediately changes the subject matter to the death of her father. She sings of the

burial plot and headstone and then describes the burial shroud like the color of “the

mountain snow.” Ophelia speaks some gibberish about the owl and the baker’s daughter,

yet reverts back to some very sexual content. She describes Hamlet using her and taking

her virginity. She says, “Then up he rose and donned his clothes And dupped the chamber

door, Let in the maid, that out a maid Never departed more.” Then, even more explicitly,

Ophelia sings,

“Young men will do’t if they come to’t, By Cock, they are to blame. Quoth she, “Before

you tumbled me, You promised me to wed.” This blatant reference to the phallus allows

the viewer to perceive her sexual experience and explicit verbal skills. This song lets

everyone know that Hamlet had promised to marry her before sleeping with her. Opheila

thanks the King and Queen for their “council”, and exits with the tender phrase, “Good

night, ladies, goodnight. Sweet Ladies, good night, good night.”

A few minutes later, Ophelia re-enters the scene speaking mostly of her father’s

death. Ophelia describes Polonius’ transport to his grave by saying, “They bore him

barefaced on the bier; Hey nonny, nonny, hey nonny; And on his grave rains many a

tear,–Fare you well my dove!” Ophelia then describes flowers that are representative of

different aspects of the play. Rosemary and pansies are given to Laertes. They symbolize

the remembrance of and thoughts about their father. The other imaginary flowers are

given to

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