Ophelia Character Sketch

Hamlet is a very complex play based upon the relationships within the walls of Listener Castle in Denmark. Hamlet is the main character and the focus point in all the emotions and feelings in the play. Gertrude (Hamlet's mother), and Claudia (Hamlet's uncle and his mother's new husband and the new king of Denmark) all of these characters play major roles in the play.

Aphelia is outside the family connections of these three characters but she still impacts the play with her bubble personality that she is force to do by her father and the manipulations and mistreatment of others. Hamlet has the first reason to be hurt by Aphelia because she follows her father's orders regarding Hamlet and his true intentions for their love. Polonium tells Aphelia that Hamlet will not do anything but be pimp with the girls since he is supposed to have an arranged marriage. After telling Aphelia this, Polonium and Claudia try to have Aphelia become bait to find out why Hamlet us acting crazy.

Hamlet begins with his overwhelming sarcasm toward Aphelia, "l humbly thank you, well, well, well," he says to her regarding her initial pleasantries (3. 1. 91). Before this scene, he has heard the King and Polonium establishing a plan to deduce his unusual and grief-stricken behavior. Hamlet is well aware that this plan merely uses Aphelia as a tool, and as such, she does / piton 2 not have much option of refusing without angering not only her father but the conniving King Claudia as well.

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Hamlet constantly refuses that he cared for her. He tells her and all of his uninvited listeners, "No, not l, I never gave you aught" (Ham. 1. 94-95). Hamlet has a right to direct his anger to Aphelia because it was her that repelled against him. Her father forced her, and if she did try to disobey her father she could be disowned. Furthermore, Aphelia cannot know that Hamlet's attitude toward her reflects his disillusionment in his mother. Hamlet's inconstancy can only mean deceitfulness or madness.

Hamlet puts Aphelia in a trap that has been laid by him in order for his revenge to continue, in part Aphelia love and idealize her lover, and her shock is genuine when Hamlet demands "get thee to a nunnery" (linemen). Hamlet says this to show that Aphelia can be easily controlled by others and not only throwing herself at Hamlet but also letting her father control Aphelia. Hamlet calls her a prostitute that can be easily be misled away by other's intentions.

The melancholy, grief, and madness that Hamlet suffers from may well eve been the propelling force for all of his unfortunate action towards Aphelia in Shakespearean play. It is worth allowing that the first of the two are real; his melancholy and grief are not the same as Aphelion's. Aphelia is the more tragic of the two because her madness is not feigned. Furthermore, it is caused by the very love of her life is even more disastrous for her poor young life and possibly pregnancy. They are each malcontents with no real happiness made available to them given their unfortunate circumstances.

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