Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Ophelia in William Shakespeares Hamlet Essay - 2759 Words

Ophelia in William Shakespeares Hamlet â€Å"Follow her close, give her good watch, I pray you† (IV.5.73). Ostensibly, Shakespeare’s Hamlet is the riddling, enigmatic, inscrutable theatrical character par excellence. His motives, madness, conflicting morals and existential struggles are ambiguous to say the least. When analysing his character, Laertes and Fortinbras are often brought in as examples of less extreme characters dealing with similar but more tangible dilemmas. The idea that there may be someone who exceeds Hamlet in instability and incomprehensibility is unfathomable. But if one looks at the character of Ophelia, this notion not only becomes a viable possibility: it becomes unignorable. For while Hamlet is†¦show more content†¦She is weighed down with others’ expectations, and the fact that we do not hear her contemplate the meaning of it all is not due to her mindlessness, but rather to her never having obtained the privilige of either voicing her thoughts or of questioning her situation. Her mechanical responses to Polonius â€Å"I shall obey, my lord† (I.3136), â€Å"as you did command† (II.1.105) and to Hamlet â€Å"No, my lord† â€Å"Ay, my lord† â€Å"I think nothing, my lord† â€Å"What is, my lord?† â€Å"Ay, my lord† â€Å"What means this, my lord?† â€Å"‘Tis brief, my lord† (III.2.106-141) are automatic. Resignation has become second-nature. With the lines â€Å"‘Tis in my memory lock’d,/And you yourself shall keep the key of it† (I.3.85), Ophelia surrenders all responsibility to Laertes: the image of his access to her memory is a powerful one. This, in turn, juxtaposed against Polonius’ demand to possess full access to their relationship, creates a disturbing picture of a young woman’s complete lack of privacy. The very language Polonius uses, â€Å"Give me up the truth† (I.3.98) implies surrender. The fact that the word â€Å"truth,† is used to describe what she is meant to give up, loads the demand to breaking point. But Ophelia is not only fenced in and loaded down. She also lacks the capacity to act, so that even if she were released from her confines, she would be at a loss with what to do with her freedom. And this state of precariousness is evident in her frightend reply to Polonius â€Å"My lord, I do notShow MoreRelatedComparison Of Ophelia In Hamlet And William Shakespeares Hamlet713 Words   |  3 PagesBoth Ophelia from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet along with the unnamed woman from â€Å"Anne Sexton’s Music Swims Back To Me† both face very horrendous tragedies, this proves to be the undoing of their sanity. In â€Å"Anne Sexton’s Music Swims Back To Me†. The woman in the poem is very perceptibly confused and distraught, she appears lost and there isn’t anything clear to point her towards what to do or where to go. The woman appears to be scared that is until she hears the music. It is the sole thing sheRead MoreOphelia in William Shak espeares Hamlet Essay1488 Words   |  6 PagesOphelia in William Shakespeares Hamlet Shakespeares Hamlet is a tale of mortal revenge, lost souls, love and infidelity, and murder in the royal family. Hamlet, his father having recently died, is mourning the marriage of his mother to his uncle. When his fathers ghost appears to him and tells him he must avenge the former kings spirit so that it may pass on to Heaven, he decides to put on an antic disposition so that no one will know what he is thinking. As time goes by, he cannot moveRead MoreThe Consequences Of Ophelia In William Shakespeares Hamlet1214 Words   |  5 PagesWilliam Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a compelling story filled with suffering, revenge, and manipulation. While these are all aspects that come together to create a memorable and thought-provoking play, they also result in the downfall of various characters. With these unfortunate individuals, Shakespeare shows that it is not necessarily one’s actions, but their situation that decides whether they lose it all. In this play, the victimsâ⠂¬â„¢ suffering is not their own doing, but instead it is caused by theRead More The Role of Ophelia in William Shakespeares Hamlet Essay1339 Words   |  6 PagesThe Role of Ophelia in William Shakespeares Hamlet Although Ophelia is not a main character in the revenge tragedy Hamlet her dramatic purpose is vital to the play. It emphasizes the poisoned body politic and its affects on the innocent. The role of women in the sixteenth century is to be obedient and dutiful, the only way to accomplish this was to be passive. Women in the sixteenth century were meant to be obedient to their fathers, for they were their propertyRead MoreOphelias Madness Essay909 Words   |  4 PagesThe character of Ophelia is an excellent element of drama used to develop interpretations of Shakespeare’s text. At the beginning of the play, she is happy and in love with Hamlet, who first notices her beauty and then falls in love with her. The development of Ophelia’s madness and the many factors that contributed to her suicide are significant parts of the plot. â€Å"Her madness was attributed to the extremity of her emotions, which in such a frail person led to melancholy and eventual breakdown†Read MoreWomen s Tragedy : Hamlet And King Lear1185 Words   |  5 PagesTinsley Anderson Dr. Pitchford ENGL 4037 24 November 2015 Women in Shakespeare’s Tragedies: Hamlet and King Lear While William Shakespeare’s Tragedies are well known for their violence, tragic heroes, and fatal flaws, the method in which Shakespeare portrays his female characters in a negative light is seldom expressed. The women of Shakespeare’s Tragedies are represented unfavorably, no matter if they are virtuous or evil. â€Å"Shakespeare’s plays are not lacking in women with positive human qualities,Read MoreThe Characters Of Foils In William Shakespeares Hamlet860 Words   |  4 Pages Foils In Hamlet   Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In fiction, a foil is a character whom contrasts with another character in the story, typically the protagonist. The foil is able to highlight certain aspects of their opposing character. A foil can differ dramatically or be extremely similar but tends to have key qualities that distinguish the two apart from each other. When an author uses a foil in literature they are emphasizing not only strengths and weaknesses the main character poses, but also understanding the obviousRead MoreHamlet: a Feminist Approach Essay examples1224 Words   |  5 PagesHamlet: A Feminist Approach Sexism: the belief or attitude that one sex is inherently superior to, more competent than, or more valuable than the other (most commonly used for male superiority). This idea that women are weak is not a new one in the modern world. It has been studied for countless years along with the concept of a patriarchal society. A patriarchy is defined as a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it. Such systems currentlyRead MoreHamlet: Mel Gibson vs Kenneth Branagh Essay1127 Words   |  5 PagesHamlet, a tragedy by William Shakespeare shows a lot of adaptations to movies. Hamlet by Mel Gibson (1990) and Kenneth Branagh (1996) interpret and portray the play by Shakespeare in different ways. The two film versions of Act IV of Hamlet have many differences and similarities. Kenneth Branagh’s version of Hamlet is seen covering most of the original text of Shakespeare’s play of Hamlet unlike the Mel Gibson version which o mits many scenes and dialogues. The film version of Hamlet featuring KennethRead More Essay on Frail Ophelia of Hamlet711 Words   |  3 PagesFrail Ophelia of Hamlet      Ã‚   Throughout Hamlet, Shakespeare makes it evident that Ophelia is very unstable. She continuously changes her mind about the way she feels. Laertes and Polonius command her to do things that she does not agree with, but she does them with no argument. Afraid to stand up for herself, she stands back and watches everyone else control her life. In Shakespeares Hamlet, Ophelia is treated as a marionette with her strings in the hands of the people around her; however

Misunderstanding Men And Women Essay Example For Students

Misunderstanding Men And Women Essay Misunderstanding Men and WomenSince the beginning of biological time, males and females have had noticeable and unnoticeable differences. These differences have caused conflicts, which have endured time and are still a part of our modern everyday lives. However, the discord has become more defined than what is characterized as a woman and a man. In order to attempt accordance between the sexes, it is essential that we educated ourselves in the true meanings of men, women, masculinity, femininity and the power aspects involved. Before going into detail on the many differences between being a man and a woman, one must carefully examine the proper definitions of masculinity and femininity. These terms are common falsely understood words that no one has taken the time to define yet everyone uses on a daily basis. All human beings are classified by their biological and psychological sex. A biological man is a person born with the male genitalia, as a biological woman is a person born with the female genitalia. A biological male person along with a biological female person are needed to reach the goal of biological sexuality: procreation. On the other hand, a psychologically male person is a person that believes he or she is a male and vice versa for a psychologically female person. Psychological sexuality is about the personality traits that distinguish many men and women. For example, women are often more intuitive than men. Men often are better at spatial relationships than women. These two are needed for the psychological sexuality goal: making a love relationship. Femininity can be defined by such feminine traits as being soft, nurturing, intuitive, accepting and empathetic. Being stoic, analytical and public are traits generally associated with masculinity. Hence, from the previous definitions we can say that a man is a psychologically masculine person. He can be either biologically feminine or masculine. A woman is a psychologically feminine person. She can be either biologically masculine or feminine. A greatly noticeable difference between men and women is the power aspects of masculinity and femininity. Men seem most comfortable in situations where the power structure and its laws are clear to them. Competition is another trait of the masculine personality. He competes in order to gain control since, according to him, the strongest and most dominant person leads and makes all the important decisions. When working in groups with other men, he believes that the absence of rules will lead to the most aggressive person, rather than the best l eader, gaining control of the group. When working with other women, however, he usually wants to know whether a biological female wants to be treated like a man or like a woman. A power aspect of the feminine power style or femininity is cooperation. When a woman cooperates she is submitting to the will of the other person in the expectation that the other person will take her needs and wants into consideration. When women cooperate with each other they are submitting to the combined will of the two people in the relationship (which includes her, of course, so she has a say in the decision-making process.) During group work, women have consensus decision-making. Each person takes responsibility for making sure that everything is shared equally. Women are capable of working well together without rules or establishing a hierarchy. When working with men, a womans femininity works against her, because the business world operates by masculine principles: competition constrained by rules. Through the years, science has developed models for the relationships between men and women, more specifically, the power and love aspects of relationships. Men and women in love relationships have complementary power traits that are a large part of what attracts women to men and men to women. Love relationships bring out the power aspects of a mans masculinity and a womans femininity. A woman wants her man to take responsibility for her and he can best show his love for her by accepting this responsibility. Likewise, a man wants to take responsibility for his woman and she demonstrates her love by giving him this responsibility. The first relationship model is known to psychologists as the modern model. It encapsulates the idea of power sharing. Since the 1970s the politically correct arrangement of power in a marriage has been equal power sharing: power must be shared equally between the two partners. That is to say that all decisions are made by both people and neither has ultimat e authority. However, this model gives way to power struggles since there is no clear leader. The couple has not chosen a tiebreaker or decided on any other way to handle deadlock. Trying to live by the modern model tends to frustrate a man. He feels disrespected and believes that his masculinity is not valued and is inadequate. This leads to downfalls on his self-esteem and withdraws and/or becomes abusive. The woman must then pick up each responsibility he has dropped and begins to nag and become resentful, which in turn results in even more withdrawal. This model is not perfect. It tends to de-sexualize both participants by repressing their psychological sexuality. If the couple tries to make decisions the way two women make decisions, the mans masculinity will become a problem; he must become good at voluntary cooperation and at sharing power. If they try to resolve problems like two men, the womans femininity will get her nowhere; she must become competitive and aggressive. EMT Our Community Friend EssayA power aspect of the feminine power style or femininity is cooperation. When a woman cooperates she is submitting to the will of the other person in the expectation that the other person will take her needs and wants into consideration. When women cooperate with each other they are submitting to the combined will of the two people in the relationship (which includes her, of course, so she has a say in the decision-making process.) During group work, women have consensus decision-making. Each person takes responsibility for making sure that everything is shared equally. Women are capable of working well together without rules or establishing a hierarchy. When working with men, a womans femininity works against her, because the business world operates by masculine principles: competition constrained by rules. Through the years, science has developed models for the relationships between men and women, more specifically, the power and love aspects of relationships. Men and women in love relationships have complementary power traits that are a large part of what attracts women to men and men to women. Love relationships bring out the power aspects of a mans masculinity and a womans femininity. A woman wants her man to take responsibility for her and he can best show his love for her by accepting this responsibility. Likewise, a man wants to take responsibility for his woman and she demonstrates her love by giving him this responsibility. The first relationship model is known to psychologists as the modern model. It encapsulates the idea of power sharing. Since the 1970s the politically correct arrangement of power in a marriage has been equal power sharing: power must be shared equally between the two partners. That is to say that all decisions are made by both people and neither has ultimat e authority. However, this model gives way to power struggles since there is no clear leader. The couple has not chosen a tiebreaker or decided on any other way to handle deadlock. Trying to live by the modern model tends to frustrate a man. He feels disrespected and believes that his masculinity is not valued and is inadequate. This leads to downfalls on his self-esteem and withdraws and/or becomes abusive. The woman must then pick up each responsibility he has dropped and begins to nag and become resentful, which in turn results in even more withdrawal. This model is not perfect. It tends to de-sexualize both participants by repressing their psychological sexuality. If the couple tries to make decisions the way two women make decisions, the mans masculinity will become a problem; he must become good at voluntary cooperation and at sharing power. If they try to resolve problems like two men, the womans femininity will get her nowhere; she must become competitive and aggressive. The masculine-feminine model is based on the differences between men and women. It recognizes the difference between what a man wants from a woman and vice versa. The man makes it possible for the woman to express her femininity by taking responsibility for her. He makes the major decisions, after consulting with the woman, provides basic necessities food, clothing, shelter and creates rules for the family. The woman makes it possible for the man to express his masculinity by giving him the authority to carry out his responsibility for her. This model also has its downside. It is generally viewed as a dominant male submissive female model where the woman is being taken advantage of and the man is a controlling person. In short, this model is confused with abusive relationships. Unfortunately, educating a whole population on the correct definitions of men and women is an arduous if not impossible task. Hence, there will always exist problems and conflicts between the sexes due to misinterpretation and misunderstanding between each other. It is imperative to all to comprehend that men and women are not only physically different, but psychologically different as well. And, the encapsulation of all these differences unavoidably leads to distinct power aspects and struggles.