Hamlet And Ophelia Relationship Analysis - 988 Words

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia has always been open for interpretation because Shakespeare was never clear on what their exact relationship was. However, throughout the play there are multiple interactions between Hamlet and Ophelia that suggest that they were more than just friends. Hamlet and Ophelia’s interactions and behavior around each other prove that they are in love and their complicated relationship expresses many themes carried throughout the play. Although it cannot fully be determined whether or not Hamlet and Ophelia were truly together, many of their interactions hint that they were. After orders from her father, Ophelia gives back Hamlet the love letters he wrote her, â€Å"My†¦show more content†¦Before leaving for France, Laertes, Ophelia’s brother, tells Ophelia that Hamlet â€Å"may love you now† but will not love you for long (1.3). Laertes clearly knows that Hamlet and Ophelia ar e in some sort of relationship because of what he is saying while giving his sister advice. Although Laertes is telling Ophelia to stray from Hamlet, it still shows the reader that even Ophelia’s own brother believes that there is a relationship between the two. At Ophelias funeral Queen Gertrude says â€Å"I hoped thou shouldst have been my Hamlet’s wife,† (5.1). The queen opened up her true feelings of Ophelia and Hamlet’s relationship in front of many people, making the idea of their relationship seem as if it is not news to anyone. Hamlet’s own mother thought they would end up together proving that there had to have been a known relationship between the two. After hearing the tragic news of Ophelias death, Hamlet says â€Å"I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum,† (5.1). Hamlet meant that even Laertes, Ophelia’s only brother’s, love was not even forty thousand times the amount of Hamlet’s. It took Hamlet a long time for him to finally confess his love for Ophelia, and maybe he did not even realize his true feelings until she was gone. With the own family members of Hamlet and Ophelia talking about the two being an item, itShow MoreRelatedThe Symbolism Of Ophelia s Hamlet 1500 Words   |  6 Pagesdifferent readers? Text Analyzed: Shakespeare’s Hamlet Part of the Course to Which the Text Corresponds to: Part 4 Thesis: In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, Ophelia’s role would be interpreted as a plot device by a modern English woman and as a victim by an Elizabethan woman. This would occur because of their understanding of the symbolism of Ophelia’s actions in madness, the context surrounding Hamlet’s view of her, and their characterization of Ophelia. 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