Introduction
In the tragedy “Hamlet,” a special character causes much admiration and compassion, yet is a very controversial figure. This is Ophelia, daughter of the royal adviser Polonius, who can be called the embodiment of femininity in the traditional sense because she is beautiful, sweet, and uncomplaining (Shakespeare). However, Ophelia reveals her true self as a mad woman, which is vividly depicted in Shakespeare’s text.
Discussion
The image of Ophelia is perhaps one of the most vivid instances of Shakespeare’s dramatic implementation as he has managed to fit a whole girl’s life in these hundred and fifty lines. She speaks only 158 lines of poetry and prose text in the play. The play displays two types of insanity: the imaginary one in Hamlet and the real one in Ophelia (Shakespeare). Thanks to this, Shakespeare once again manages to emphasize that the prince is actually normal and that she is pretending. Ophelia lost her mind as she experienced two severe shocks (Shakespeare). The first is parting with the beloved and his madness, and the second occurs at the death of her father, who was killed by Hamlet. In Act 4 Scene 5, Claudius tells Horatio, “This is a poison of deep grief,” referring to her condition due to her parent’s early departure (Shakespeare 4.5.72). Finally, an important point is a very poetic description of the tragic death of a girl, which the spectator can see from the queen’s speech. It means that she was increasingly mad for her state was almost oblivious.
Regardless of the attempts to stop her insanity, she was no longer able to control herself. Queen Gertrude says that Ophelia died accidentally falling into the river, and one of the gravediggers at the cemetery is convinced that the heroine committed suicide. In Shakespeare’s theater, madness was a reason for the audience to laugh. Shakespeare created the scene of Ophelia’s madness in such a way that the reader could barely put a smile on their faces as her image was almost dreadful (Shakespeare). Therefore, the text fully depicts Ophelia as a mad lady.
While the play depicts her madness as real, the film directed by Clair McCarthy shows Ophelia faking madness. She acts more as a witness to royal intrigues, constantly spying on the queen and the impostor king. As it turns out, Hamlet does not really need it in order to eventually unravel this whole “incredibly complex” detective tangle (Ophelia). In her dying scene, Ophelia’s speeches become incoherent; she wanders, singing meaningless songs (Ophelia). However, the movie does not fully reflect Ophelia’s character, as she was not shown as in the play. Therefore, it seems like she is not pitiably insane as in the text. The film does not quite reflect Ophelia as quite a mad person but rather as a pretentious one. Perhaps, it is due to the fact that her character was not revealed enough in the film.
Conclusion
Even though it seems as if Ophelia’s insanity is vain, is not as “meaningless” as it may primarily appear. There are two motives in the girl’s behavior: the first is the death of her father, and the second is her ruined love. Ophelia sings about Valentine’s Day and the emergence of relationships between young people (Ophelia). The love she talks about is unhappy, and the men in her song appear to be deceivers, depriving the girls of their innocence (Ophelia). Moreover, there was an idea that if the world is evil, people need to be appeased (Ophelia). Remarkably, right before her death, Ophelia could not stop murmuring songs. Thus, the film’s portrayal of Ophelia is insufficient for understanding the real madness of the character.
Works Cited
Ophelia. Directed by Claire McCarthy, IFC Films, 2018.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Independently Published, 2020.