What is Ophelia’s role in Hamlet?

Ophelia is an important character in the play Hamlet because of her femininity and because she is a means for the main character of the play, Hamlet, to act out his aggression towards his mother. … She is a naïve girl who wants to please both her father and her boyfriend Hamlet.

Who is Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet?

Ophelia, daughter of Polonius, sister to Laertes, and rejected lover of Hamlet in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet. Ophelia’s mad scene (Act IV, scene 5) is one of the best known in Western literature, and her tragic figure, that of innocence gone mad, has often been portrayed in art.

What is the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia?

Ophelia is Polonius’ daughter and Laertes’ sister. Hamlet has been in love with her for a while before the play starts and has given her several gifts during their courtship until her father warns her away from him and tells her not to see him anymore. During the play, he treats her very badly.

Who is Ophelia as a character?

Ophelia is a character in Hamlet. She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, and potential wife of Prince Hamlet. As one of the few female characters in the play, she is used as a contrasting plot device to Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude.

Why is Ophelia iconic?

When Hamlet kills Polonius, stabbing him when Polonius is hiding behind the arras in Gertrude’s chamber, Ophelia goes mad and drowns herself. Ophelia thus became one of Shakespeare’s most famous female tragic figures, along with Cleopatra, Cordelia, Desdemona, and, of course, Juliet.

Why did Hamlet and Ophelia break up?

Ophelia Timeline and Summary

1.3 Polonius and Laertes tell Ophelia that Hamlet just wants to sleep with her, and that she should break up with him. … He is cold, tells her he didn’t love her, and then says, “Get thee to a nunnery.” Ophelia thinks he’s gone totally bonkers and is justifiably upset by his behavior.

What is Ophelia’s story?

Ophelia is a character in Hamlet, by William Shakespeare. She is driven mad when her father, Polonius, is murdered by her lover, Hamlet. She dies while still very young, suffering from grief and madness. … Gertrude describes how Ophelia fell into the river while picking flowers and slowly drowned, singing all the while.

Why is Hamlet so mean to Ophelia?

Hamlet is cruel to Ophelia because he has transferred his anger at Gertrude’s marriage to Claudius onto Ophelia. In fact, Hamlet’s words suggest that he transfers his rage and disgust for his mother onto all women.

How is Ophelia innocent in Hamlet?

Ophelia’s innocence is also exhibited when he is told to betray her love to enable the king and her father to assess the grief of her loved one. Later on because of her naivety, Hamlet promises to marry her but mistreats her, breaks her virginity and later on damps her.

How did Ophelia betray Hamlet?

Ophelia betrays Hamlet through luring him to a place where Polonius and Claudius are able to spy on him, in which they intend to find out if he truly has gone mad, for if he has it would enable them to have the right to send him off to England. …read more.

What are Ophelia’s flowers?

Rosemary and Pansies: Ophelia gives these flowers to Laertes, she even cites them as being for remembrance and thoughts. Fennel and Columbine: To the King Claudius, Ophelia gives a brave message.

Who made the song Ophelia?

Ophelia/Composers