An exploration into the character of Ophelia in HAMLET

Polly Birtwistle English Coursework Draft An Exploration into the character of Ophelia In this essay I am going to explore the character of Ophelia. Even though Ophelia is not the central character in the play 'Hamlet' she is still an important one, and I am going to investigate her character and personality. I will look at her relationship with Hamlet in detail but also the relationship she has with Laertes and Polonius. Her madness will …

…Act 3 Scene 1. We do not know how their love or relationship would have developed if Polonius had not been killed. It could have either blossomed or withered to nothing. However, hamlet's explicit comments towards Ophelia hint at some sort of intimacy. Ophelia's madness and death carry the same intense pathos of the destruction of an innocent young girl and I believe the main cause of this destruction is the repressive society in which she lived.