Intermingled within her thoughts that seem to mean nothing, she expresses her grief as well as dropping subtle hints that Hamlet is the reason why she has gone insane. Ophelia has a difficult time dealing with her father's death, and ultimately ends up going mad because she can't cope with it. Unlike Laertes, Hamlet, and Fortinbras who have the option to revenge their fathers' death, Ophelia, cannot take revenge on Hamlet, because in the time period the play was written, it was improper for women to do so. Ophelia was completely devastated over her father's death, "He is dead, Gone to thy deathbed, He will never come again." When she is introduced as being mad in the play in Act IV, scene 5, she makes many references to her father's death through a song she sings.
In both classic and modern literature, characters always seem to have character flaws. A character flaw is an imperfection in a character’s judgment or nature that ultimately brings sorrow and destruction. This concept can be displayed in more than one character, and is usually displayed in most of William Shakespeare’s plays. Hamlet by William Shakespeare has many characters that strongly demonstrate the principal that we are ultimately victims of our own character flaws. Three critical character in the play that completely display a character flaw are Hamlet with his over- thinking nature, Ophelia with her emotional weakness and Polonius with his absolute loyalty to the king.
However, the biggest aspect of Macbeth that creates the true horror feeling is by giving the audience a window to view the mental torture caused by pure evil. Shakespeare creates an ominous story that gives the audience the feeling that evil is at work within the play. He has created a psychological thriller by showing us what that evil can do when it is allowed to take over the mind. Paired with the hopeless feeling guilt brings on the characters is enough to give any audience chills. Shakespeare also keeps the audience eerily close to the characters giving us a full view of their mental breakdown.
He did not always think like this though. In the beginning of the play, he says “All I want is for Juliet to be happy, so I will have to ask her if she wants to be married” and he says things that implies he does not want Juliet to get married, like saying how young wives do not always turn out happy. So why is he so angry that Juliet does not want to get married? He should listen to what she wants to say, instead of yelling at her, calling her a disgrace to the Capulet name, and “kicking her out on the streets and never providing her with money ever again”. Even the nurse, who just wants Juliet to be happy, tells her to forget about Romeo and marry Paris.
When Hamlet's uncle and mother urge him to “cast [his] nighted color off,” (Shakespeare 1.2.68) and stop acting and appearing so depressed, he replies that his “inky cloak.../ [and] river in the eye.../ are actions that a man might play” (Shakespeare 1.2.78-84). Hamlet is directly suggesting that his his true feelings cannot be reflected by how he acts or appears, he is also indirectly showing his displeasure with how his parents are more concerned with appearances
Thus it is shown that guilt can cause one to lose there inner conscience. Guilt in this play led Macbeth to live a life full of sorrow and regrets. It causes people around to suffer as well from guilt, as it can accumulate to the extent of death. Therefore Shakespeare has definitely demonstrated a success through Macbeth to demonstrate the true meaning of the causes of
Her lack of identity and foundation negatively influences Hamlet such that he is also found lacking of the same. While it may not be completely necessary, since he is older, there still needs to be a little tie between a sturdy, knowledgeable, intelligent mother and his own life. When the queen acts as stubbornly as she does, and sees no wrong in the virtually adulterous acts which she has committed, it leads Hamlet to realize what he grew up with, a heartless witch. In the "Explanation of Hamlet's Madness" as published in the American Journal of Psychology, Ernest Jones examines Hamlet's reactions and emotions concerning his mother. He explains that while the actual event of his mother's second marriage isn't necessarily the direct cause of Hamlet's madness, "it must be because the news has awakened into activity some slumbering memory, which is so painful that it may not become conscious" (Jones 93).
Her father, Polonius, suggests that she does not waste her time on Hamlet and that she should not talk or spend time with him. Ophelia is no longer allowed to pursue things with Hamlet because of the disapproval of her father and brother. This takes a toll on Ophelia and is one of the many reasons why her life is so tragic. Even though Ophelia unconditionally loves Hamlet, it is not a mutual feeling. The King, Claudius, sends many people to spy on Hamlet throughout the play and Hamlet begins to think that Ophelia is helping the King spy on him.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet has and intricate plot formed by the characters and themes throughout it. One major idea is Hamlet’s changing sanity, which fluctuates through the play as a performance and as a true madness. The other main theme which develops the play is the act of vengeance, with the delay and doubt that accompanies it. These themes, along with dramatic devices and the characters in the plot, add to the textual integrity of the play. There is a duality to the character of Hamlet, as his madness changes from a performance to true insanity throughout the play.
Despite the general opinion that “Hamlet” contains the weakest women in Shakespeare’s works, the unraveling of the main plot can only be attributed to them. The first case in which we see woman as the catalyst of the play is with Gertrude being one of the main motivations for Claudius murdering his brother. Once Hamlet died, Claudius and Gertrude quickly exchanged wedding vows, maintaining the stability of Denmark during the unexpected death of King Hamlet. Hamlet continuously alludes that he knows what Claudius has done, and seeks to make him feel remorseful for his actions. He achieves this goal through a reenactment of Hamlet’s death, and the exchange of everlasting love between ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Gertrude’, played by the actors at Elsinore.