Within the play Hamlet, females are viewed as weak minded and are used as pawns by the leading male characters. Through the character of Ophelia, the author portrays women as being easily manipulated by the men in their life. There are several instances in which the young girl is used by others in order to fulfill their personal agendas. I feel that being constantly influenced by Laertes, Polonius, and Hamlet ultimately diminished the good attributes of Ophelia and led to her downfall. In the beginning of the play, it is clear that Ophelia’s brother, Laertes, does not approve of her relationship with Hamlet. He sees his sister in the purest light and, “takes great pains to shelter her” (Mabillard). Laertes believes that the love she and …show more content…
“Polonius makes arrangements to use the alluring Ophelia to discover why Hamlet is behaving so curiously” (Mabillard). Polonius inaccurately concludes that Hamlet’s feelings for Ophelia are driving him to insanity. He states, “this is the very ecstasy of love, whose violent property fordoes itself” (Shakespeare 2.1.101-102). By utilizing fear and persuasion, he convinces Ophelia to take part in his plan to spy on Hamlet. She willingly obeys her father even though she is aware this is an act of betrayal against her lover. Unfortunately, Polonius’s meddling costs him his life later in the play. He dies by Hamlet’s hand while eavesdropping on a conversation between the prince and his mother. The sudden absence of Polonius has a drastic impact on Ophelia’s well-being. “Her father’s identity is her identity and this loss of identity propelled her further into madness” …show more content…
She is in love with Hamlet and allows her feelings for him, as well as his opinion of her, to dictate her life. In the end, “Hamlet causes all her emotional pain throughout the play” (Mabillard). Ophelia looks to her lover for cues on how to act, just as she follows the guidelines of her father and brother. After Hamlet refutes her affection and hastily murders her father, Ophelia feels she has no one left to turn to. She believes she has, “nothing to live for without the men in her life who bestowed her sense of identity upon her”