Ophelia’s goodness and purity conflicts with the corruption and evil in Denmark. Her guileless nature is demonstrated in the following conversation with Hamlet:

Hamlet: Lady, shall I lie in your lap?

Hamlet: I mean my head upon your lap?

Hamlet: Do you think I meant country matters?

Hamlet: That’s a fair thought to lie between maids’ legs.

Ophelia will not accept Hamlet’s lewd advances. Her last reply suggests she may not even be aware of the sexual undertones in Hamlet’s remarks. Ophelia’s innocence is shown in her many conversations with her father:

Ophelia: He hath, my lord, of late made m

After discovering the body’s identity, Hamlet feels Polonius’ murder is not enough and proceeds to berate the corpse. This reveals his indifference towards life, and thus his evil nature. Another cause of Ophelia’s insanity is the inability for Ophelia to love freely.. When Polonius asks her whether she believes Hamlet’s tenders of love are truthful, she says, “I do not know, my lord, what I should think.” (I, iii, 109) Her innocence allows her corrupt father to control her love, the emotion often associated with virtue and peace. Another injustice causing her insanity is Hamlet’s rebuke of her love. The only person who seems virtuous in Ophelia’s life appears mad and deceitful in his ploy of insanity:

Ophelia’s decline into madness reveals that righteousness and purity cannot exist in corrupt Denmark. Her insanity is the result of the evil surrounding her. Hamlet murders Polonius, and his lack of remorse removes any doubt of his virtue:

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