Early in the play, Ophelia’s tendency to be easily controlled is seen when she interacts with her brother Laertes and her father Polonius. Laertes begins by telling her that she should avoid Hamlet because he is after one thing and one thing only. Polonius then adds to this by telling Ophelia “…Be somewhat scanter of your maiden presence; Set your entreatments at a higher rate than command to a parley.” (78.121-122). Ophelia responds to this by saying that she will obey, which is a statement that shows her willingness to be controlled. If she truly loved Hamlet, she would oppose her father’s wishes and would do anything to be with Hamlet. This, in part, could be that Ophelia likes the fact that she does not have to make any major decisions in her life. Knowing that someone will always be there to decide things for

The fact that Ophelia is easily controlled contributes to the fact that she is dependent on others. She has been controlled for so long that life as she knows it is simply relying on others, mainly Polonius and Laertes. When Ophelia confides in her father that Hamlet came to her and was “mad for thy love” (89.86), Polonius devises a plan in order to show the King and Queen that the cause of Hamlet’s madness is indeed that of a love sick fool. Ophelia did not deal with the matter herself, instead, she told her father whom she knew would take care of it for her. This, again, is tied with Ophelia’s tendency to be controlled. She relies on others so she does not have to deal with the unpleasant situations in life, which may simply be because she does not know how.

Ophelia’s part in the play is an important one. Even though she is very weak, dependent, and very easily controlled, it is because of these central qualities that allows certain events to happen. The King and Queen would not be under the impression that Hamlet’s madness is due to love, and the most important th

Some topics in this essay:
Finally Ophelia, Polonius Laertes, King Queen, William Shakespeare, Hamlet Ophelia, Laertes Polonius, Laertes Ophelia, Prince Denmark, Hamlet Laertes, easily controlled, Laertes King, polonius laertes, hamlet’s madness, ophelia’s tendency, life simply, king queen, avoid hamlet, control hamlet, laertes polonius,