Hamlet Seminar
In the play Hamlet, from the opening, Shakespeare makes it obvious Ophelia is not treated very well as a person through the way that her father and brother speak to her. A conflict that is significant to Ophelia is her sense of worth. She doesn’t feel like she has value as a person. I believe Ophelia is looked at as a young and immature girl. The men around her talk badly to her. She does what her brother, Laertes and father Polonius tell her to. Ophelia is treated like a child and is easily persuaded by the more powerful opinions of others. I think that she is taken advantage of and that she should not be held responsible for the things that other people do. Ophelia is weak because of her lack of self worth. She gets into a pattern of being manipulated by her brother, father, and even her lover, Hamlet. Shakespeare shows this characteristic of immaturity by the conversations Ophelia has with others and also her actions throughout the play. She is weak and easy to be taken advantage of. The first thing involving Ophelia in the play is her getting talked to by her brother about how Hamlet would be bad for her because he could deceive her. Apparently, Hamlet is showing her a lot of affection at this point, but her brother is not happy with his sister's judgment. He then tells her that is what makes her seem young and immature. He talks to her like she is a child and cannot make good choices on her own. Laertes says that he is just expressing his concern for her.
Polonius’ death seems to be Ophelia’s turning point. This event made two pretty major things happen in the play: Ophelia going