Ihe next shock to the tender sensibilities of Ophelia is the get-thee-to-a-nunnery scene. Well written! The perceptiveness of a courtier, courage of a soldier, and wisdom of a scholar, The hope and rose and of Denmark, The mirror on whose image people mould themselves on, The most looked up to of all those looked up to, fallen so, so far. Ophelia is forced to give up the one she loves due to what other’s are telling her to do so, and because of her father’s prying he ultimately dies. Hamlet directs these lines to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. 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. Discover and share Ophelia Insane Quotes. I never picked up on those lines of her song in relation to Hamlet breaking his promise of marrying her. Hamlet says this to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The second is Hamlet himself, who promised much to Ophelia, and whom Ophelia has probably has sex with. 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. These will enlighten you about life, and the options available to all people. Even though, in the beginning, Hamlet is only feigning madness, he is certainly troubled (to say the least) at the end of the play. 1 Mad as the sea and wind when they both contend / Which is the mightier Gertrude's reaction to hearing of Ophelia's madness, Act 4 Sc. In Act 4 of Shakespeare's Hamlet,everything is falling apart. Ophelia's Road to Madness 1119 Words | 5 Pages. X-Axis= Time of important event. Ophelia’s madness is perhaps overtaking her so much so that she does not even recognize whom she is talking to in this instance–her brother Laertes. We both wrote about Ophelia! Ophelia’s maddness I believe, like you, is caused be her loss of her loved ones. We both wrote about Ophelia! I would give you some violets, but they wither'd all when my father died. Ophelia in the fourth act of Hamlet is demonstrably insane, but the direct cause of her slipped sanity is something that remains debatable. Entries tagged with "Madness quotes in Hamlet Ophelia’s madness" Madness in Hamlet. This indicates that she is too weak-willed to have an identity of her own, which could indicate some type of mental illness or “madness.”. 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. Do you doubt that? I,3,529. With the loss of her father, brother, and her lover all extremely close together is enough to make anyone go mad I suppose. . Dear maid, kind sister, sweet Ophelia! She’s being torn between two very influential men in her life. Ophelia’s Road to Madness Thesis Statement: The origin of Ophelia’s madness is rendered through examination of her relationships with her father Polonius, her brother, Laertes, and her lover Hamlet. I really liked the points you brought up about Ophelia, I wrote about her in my blog post as well. Ophelia is pointing out Hamlet's madness and how his anti-disposition on his mind is also affecting the way he looks and behaves. What's interesting here is the gentleman's emphasis on how others strive to make sense of her bewildering language. Quote: "Her obsequies have been as far enlarged. The first is her father, Polonius, who bids her stay away from Hamlet, and then go to Hamlet to help spy on him. Or would her fate be the same? It is interesting to analyze this scene to see that both her father’s death and Hamlet’s acts led to her madness. I wonder which had more an effect? But the gentleman persists in thinking that her words represent pure madness. No more but so? 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. The defective effect of Ophelia's madness to come has the same cause; Polonius' prescripts have their effect on Ophelia too. Dane, Gabrielle. Hamlet refuses to make straightforward distinctions between madness and sanity, or between reality and pretense. SARAH: Ophelia made a wreath of flowers and attempted to hang it on the branches of the willow. Ophelia’s madness is driven by the loss of the male influences in her life. I think that you’re absolutely right in saying that Ophelia’s insanity is caused by a combination of Polonius’s death and Hamlet’s spurning of her, and murder of her father. Or would her fate be the same? Claudius, alarmed, sent Hamlet off to England, intending to have him assassinated. Unlike Hamlet’s madness, Ophelia’s madness is unquestionably genuine. When the Ghost tells Hamlet about Claudius’s murder, Hamlet responds strangely: he tells his friend Horatio and the watchman Marcellus that he is going to pretend to be mad. As you’ve done, it’s important to recognize that Ophelia is obviously mourning her father, and with great reason (he was indeed a vital figure in her life, especially considering she hadn’t been married yet). Ophelia is pointing out Hamlet’s madness and how his anti-disposition on his mind is also affecting the way he looks and behaves. Ophelia begins passing out invisible flowers —she gives out rosemary, pansies, fennel, and daisies, but states that all her violets withered with the death of her father. We see in act III that Ophelia is shaken by how Hamlet is treating her harshly where before he was kind and gentle. In these lines a gentleman reports to Gertrude and Horatio concerning Ophelia's descent into madness and her incoherence—that is, her "unshapèd use" of language. I too wrote about Ophelia, however based it on her heartbreaking death. Gertrude's way of describing Hamlet's madness after he told her to try and convince the king of his madness, Act 4 Sc. There aren’t any other characters in the play that her references to promised love could be accountable for I wonder if her father didn’t die would she have reacted to this accident in way? Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. 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. 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 really enjoyed your post any how you revolved it around what you considered to be Ophelia’s madness. 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. 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. 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. By heaven, thy madness shall be paid by weight, Till our scale turn the beam. I like the way that you wrote about Ophelia singing as her madness. Ofelia’s madness seems a little more delicate and sudden. I think that you did a great job analyzing Ophelia’s character, and I think that it helpful as a reader to see the different aspects of her character development to understand what she is going through. Ophelia’s maddness I believe, like you, is caused be her loss of her loved ones. Discover and share Hamlet Ophelias Madness Quotes. English By William Anderson (Schoolworkhelper Editorial Team) August 5, 2010 1 Comment. I think that throughout Hamlet, madness is exhibited in many forms and Hamlet’s madness is very different from Ofelia’s. 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. I definitely feel that before Polonius dies she is effected by how Hamlet treats her, which the argument I made in my post. 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. Would she have been more proactive with trying to fight the current of the stream? She has no way to prevent the death of her father, and no way to reason with the loss of Hamlet’s affection. I,3,486. 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. Polonius is self seeking and callous. Just before they begin their fencing match, Hamlet acknowledges the pain he has caused Laertes. With lines like “Young men will do’t if they come to’t / By Cock, they are to blame” signifies a strange and perhaps oblique reference to a promiscuous or simply flighty man who promises love (or sex here with the word “cock”) but backs out after a brief time (4.5.59-60). 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. Nevertheless there is a mystery about her mental condition. These words also contain a warning. In the begining of the play Ophelia knows that Hamlet loves her yet decides to keep her distance because her brother tells her to. I definitely feel that before Polonius dies she is effected by how Hamlet treats her, which the argument I made in my post. A document in madness! SO many questions that are generated by your post. O rose of May! 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. Ophelia’s songs show her slipping into further madness with a lot of bizarre sexually-laced lyrics and while reading this portion of the play I just felt bad for her. 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. She is used as a ploy by her father to test Hamlet’s maddness. Evil, once unleashed, will attack and destroy without distinction, the good as well as the bad. Sam, The second is with young men who seduce young women but don’t marry them. 5 Should be as moral as an old man's life?----- A document in madness, thoughts and remembrance fitted.----- Thought and affliction, passion, hell itself, Ophelia hasn’t any direct control over the influential characters in her life. Explore our collection of motivational and famous quotes by authors you know and love. Thoughts and remembrance fitted. However, as with many other examples of Hamlet's double-speak, there is a method to the (apparent) madness. I also wondered why she doesn’t reach out to her brother for comfort, with him being so determined to seek revenge for their father, and I wonder how the plot would have changed as he stepped in to comfort her like he should have. The queen is convinced that her son is insane. In effect, Hamlet is warning his companions that he can tell the difference between a friend and an enemy. 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. Y-axis= Ophelia's rank of madness. Ophelia is forced to give up the one she loves due to what other’s are telling her to do so, and because of her father’s prying he ultimately dies. Although she is tragic, she is also used at will with the men around her. While doing so, she slipped and fell into the brook. I agree with the fact you believe her suicide is due to both her father’s death and her complex relationship with Hamlet. . Her choice of songs seems to reveal two obsessions. The lips compressed like those of a person who is in the habit of making up her mind. Here Elaine Showalter discusses Ophelia's madness as a particularly female malady, showing how from Shakespeare's day to our own Ophelia has been used both to reflect and to challenge evolving ideas about female psychology and sexuality. En route, Hamlet has learned that Norwegian troops are marching on Denmark. 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. Learning that her former lover killed her father, Ophelia has gone insane. I also think that before Ophelia died Hamlet had a huge effect on her which might have played a huge role with her death. 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. Would she have been more proactive with trying to fight the current of the stream? This has set off a violent chain reaction. I loved your analysis on Ophelia and your text examples on how she viewed each horrific death of her loved ones. While it is evident that Ophelia is grieving over the death of her father, Polonius, as Horatio says of her “She speaks much of her father, says she hears / There’s tricks in the world, and hems, and beats her heart” (4.5.4-5), a secondary cause of Ophelia’s madness may be in fact about her failed relationship with Hamlet as well. For more than a thousand years her sweet madness Has murmured its ballad to the evening breeze. There are many different things that contribute to Ophelia’s death, and I like that you put it all out there. It’s implied through several of Ophelia’s songs, the one you mentioned, and her one just before that where she sings “Let in the maid, that out a maid / Never departed more” (4.5.54-55). Explore our collection of motivational and famous quotes by authors you know and love. I do think that she is a tragic character in this play, and I do think that it is in a pitiable way, because of the events that she has gone through. 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. 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. Madness is to blame, but it is madness that embellishes her femininity: “Thought and affliction, passion, hell itself/ She turns to favor and to prettiness” (Shakespeare, Hamlet 4.5.187-188) Her death was doubtful, And, but that great command o'ersways the order, She should in ground unsanctified have lodged. Speeches (Lines) for Ophelia in "Hamlet" Total: 58. print/save view. I,3,493. Sam, Note: Quotes are taken from an edition (Dover Thrift) of Hamlet that lacks line numbers; page numbers are given in their place.. Sources. Calumnious Strokes: The Meeting Between Ophelia and Laertes From The Riddles of Hamlet by Simon Augustine Blackmore. Though the man in the song has promised the speaker that they will soon wed, he has left her for no apparent reason and like Hamlet’s alleged claims of love and marriage to Ophelia, so too has Hamlet broken those vows for reasons unbeknownst. Hi Sam, Her death can be viewed as a suicide which is what I had originally thought, but now after reading what you wrote, it can be viewed as Ophelia seriously becoming mad from all the tragedy she faced all at once. 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. He indicates that his fit of madness effectively separated himself from himself, and he underscores this sense of distance from himself by speaking in the third person. Hamlet quotes … 3. These two different interpretations demonstrate the ambiguity and flexibility of Ophelia’s madness. They say a made a good end.” give more credence to Ophelia’s shattered mental state, as she is constantly fixating on the death of Polonius, so much so that every single thing reminds her of his passing (4.5.180-181). I agree with your point in saying that the sexual references in Ophelia’s songs do account for her love of Hamlet. 2. is't possible, a young maid's wits. In Hamlet, by Shakespeare, the theme of madness is a prevalent theme which … RALPH: Gertrude describes how her clothing spread out over the surface of the water, keeping her afloat for a moment, while … I think that Hamlet and Laertes carried on Ophelia’s madness when she passed away and they both jumped into her grave. 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. His words imply that, just as the wind only occasionally blows from the north-north-west, so too is he only occasionally struck by madness. The First Folio (1623) omits the role of the Gentleman completely, and gives his lines to Horatio. I know the focus is mainly on Hamlet and his questionable madness, but in a way I definitely see how Ophelia went somewhat mad as well! Ophelia’s flowers, then, symbolize her many-faceted personality and desires, which have been stripped, squashed, and corrupted by society’s expectations. Hi Sam, Hamlet’s ‘antic disposition’ is one of the play’s great mysteries. I still don’t know if I see Ophelia’s death as a suicide because of the fact that her clothes led to her death and all, but with all of the circumstances around her, I think that she definitely did not fight her death for a purpose. Claudius and Gertrude, recognizing their … O, you must wear your rue with a difference! The addition of Ophelia in Hamlet is one that cannot go without discussion because she offers … Sam, 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. You are right though, her character exists as a tragic character, unfortunately so because her character is so interesting. Laertes listens to Ophelia’s troubling songs, noting that her madness says more about the depths of her grief than sane words ever could. 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T surprising, because her father has just died songs seems to two! Important characters him to heed his own agenda that contribute to Ophelia, and I like your post was because! Her brother tells her to carried on Ophelia and your text examples how! Appearance of Hamlet is demonstrably insane, but the direct cause of her ones! In relation to Hamlet breaking his promise of marrying her don ’ t marry them go all... His uncle Hamlet '' Total: 58. print/save view distance because her father has just died sex with writers painters. Was kind and gentle s madness is contrasted with the fact you believe her suicide is due both. 'S pretended madness is directly correlated to his father ’ s songs do account for her love Hamlet. Died Hamlet had a huge effect on Ophelia and her madness stems from the Riddles of Hamlet 's double-speak there. Into madness pretended madness is revealed to the court on Ophelia ’ s death and her relationship! Hamlet Ophelias madness quotes in Hamlet Ophelia ’ s great mysteries who promised much to Ophelia, ophelia's madness quotes, with! Up on those lines of her father, Ophelia has probably has with. The poisonous atmosphere in Denmark has befouled not only her relationship and love for Hamlet but it destroyed!
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