Table of Contents
What happened to Ophelia and why?
In Act 4 Scene 7, Queen Gertrude reports that Ophelia had climbed into a willow tree (There is a willow grows aslant the brook), and that the branch had broken and dropped Ophelia into the brook, where she drowned. Gertrude says that Ophelia appeared “incapable of her own distress”.
What is Ophelia’s downfall?
Poor Ophelia lost everything. She lost her lover and the social position and security that would have come when she became Hamlet’s wife. She lost her father and an honorable burial and her trust and respect for her Queen and King. Finally, she lost her life.
Why did Ophelia go mad and kill herself?
Ophelia goes mad because her father, Polonius, whom she deeply loved, has been killed by Hamlet. The fact that this grief drives Ophelia to madness reveals her overwhelming feelings of hopelessness and powerlessness, and the power that the men in Ophelia’s life wield over her.
What happens to Ophelia at the end of Hamlet?
In the aftermath of her father’s death, Ophelia goes mad with grief and drowns in the river. Polonius’s son, Laertes, who has been staying in France, returns to Denmark in a rage. Laertes will fence with Hamlet in innocent sport, but Claudius will poison Laertes’ blade so that if he draws blood, Hamlet will die.
Who survives the play Hamlet?
Horatio remains alive in order to tell the whole story. He is the only one left alive who knows the truth from beginning to end will be able to exonerate Hamlet. Fortinbras appears in the last act and may become the next king of Denmark, but he is not one of the principal characters.
Why did Ophelia died?
Ophelia drowned because she fell into the water and did not have the will, in her grief, to save herself.
Why Is Hamlet mad at Ophelia?
In the third act of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia goes to Hamlet to return “remembrances” that he had given her when he was wooing her. He becomes upset with her because she is completely rejecting him by returning his gifts, but he also knows that she is acting under the direction of her father to spy on him.
How did Hamlet betray Ophelia?
Hamlet betrays Ophelia by refusing his love for her and being the cause of her madness with words such as “I loved you not” (III. On top of this, Hamlet, who Ophelia loved, was also the perpetrator of her father’s death.
Why does Ophelia kill herself?
The cause of Ophelia’s death has been debated over many years by different people. Her obedience and dependence is a cover for her weakness and her need for a role model. Ophelia commits suicide due to her weakness as she cannot continue after her father’s death and cannot be her own role model.
Did Gertrude kill Ophelia?
“Hamlet” Theory: Gertrude Killed Ophelia. In “Hamlet,” the assumption most people make is that Ophelia commits suicide. It makes sense; she kind of goes cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs after Hamlet kills her father ( Polonius ), which puts a damper on any prospective wedding plans.
Does hamlet really love Ophelia?
Hamlet shows his love for Ophelia when he confesses to her that he loves her, when he tells her to go to a nunnery to protect her, when he sends her the letter, and when he finds out that she has died. Although many could argue that Hamlet never loved Ophelia, he was just trying to throw the spies in a different direction but indeed did love her .
Where does hamlet tell Ophelia to go?
In one of the more heartbreaking scenes of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet tells Ophelia to go to a nunnery . Hamlet says that while he did love Ophelia once, he does not anymore.