... not lasting." It is unequivocally clear that Ophelia's brother believes Hamlet is only physically attracted to her, and that any relationship could not seriously last. Laertes points out that "Perhaps" Hamlet loves Ophelia now, but "his will is not his own" and "he himself is subject to his birth". ... choose a wife who has royal blood, regardless of whom he might actually love. Therefore Ophelia could not become Hamlet's wife. In addition, Laertes suggests that his sister should remain "chaste" as she would lose her honour if she lost her virginity to Hamlet before marriage, and she wou...

• Word Count: 1408
• Approx Pages: 6

... love for her seem false and childish. "A toy in my blood"- a passion without meaning or depth. This advice seems highly hypocritical, Ophelia makes Laertes aware of this - "Do not as some ungracious pastors do, Show me the steep and thorny way to heaven, Whiles like a puffed and reckless ... less sensitive and somewhat dismissive. "Affection! Pooh!" and "Think yourself a baby." Polonious" tone is patronizing, condescending and much less thoughtful than that of Laertes. Yet Ophelia vows to obey both of their advice. ""Tis in my memory locked, and you yourself shall keep the key of it" and...

• Word Count: 1730
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... into an adult. Shakespeare doesn't describe to the audience exactly what Hamlet was like while in college, but we can piece together a picture of him. Laertes describes Hamlet's attitudes toward Ophelia as "trifling", a "toy in blood" and "primy" (1.3.12-14) suggesting that Hamlet ... in the play, once Ophelia has drowned after the death of Polonius, Hamlet regrets what he's said and done to Ophelia. As he fights with Laertes at Ophelia's funeral, Hamlet shouts out, "I loved Ophelia. Forty thousand brothers/ Could not with all their quantity of love/ Make up my ... to gracefully accept t...

• Word Count: 1669
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... because Claudius has just killed his mother, his love and his best friend. Throughout the play, Hamlet is often times very rude towards Ophelia. Telling Laertes, "He hath, my lord, of late made tenders of his affection to me"(I.iii.104-105), Ophelia believes their love and relationship is real, ... fall ten times treble on that cursed head. Whose wicked deed they most ingenious sense deprived thee of"(V.i.244-246), Laertes gets mad when Gertrude speaks of Hamlet at Ophelia's grave, because Laertes is so inflamed with Hamlet because he thinks Hamlet killed Ophelia. As Laert! es attacks H...

• Word Count: 1273
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... because Claudius has just killed his mother, his love and his best friend. Throughout the play, Hamlet is often times very rude towards Ophelia. Telling Laertes, "He hath, my lord, of late made tenders of his affection to me"(I.iii.104-105), Ophelia believes their love and relationship is real, ... fall ten times treble on that cursed head. Whose wicked deed they most ingenious sense deprived thee of"(V.i.244-246), Laertes gets mad when Gertrude speaks of Hamlet at Ophelia's grave, because Laertes is so inflamed with Hamlet because he thinks Hamlet killed Ophelia. As Laert! es attacks H...

• Word Count: 1274
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... His bursts of emotion and changes of feeling and mood prove to be a danger to both Hamlet and the people around him such as Gertrude, Ophelia, Laertes, the King, and Polonius (110-111). In the bedroom scene with Gertrude, Hamlet kills Polonius. Because of this criminal act he now becomes an enemy of ... path to his ultimate objective finally takes shape. Claudius sends him off to England to his death, but this plan to kill his own nephew fails. Laertes returns to find his father murdered by Hamlet, and he is immediately ready to enact revenge upon his father's killer. The king proposes ...

• Word Count: 1687
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... being attractive. Hamlet's love for Ophelia is not as intensely displayed until he sees her laying in the grave at her funeral. When he hears Laertes voice talking about Ophelia's death he cries out, "What, the fair Ophelia!" (V.I.237). This exasperation shows that he is shocked with her ... Hamlet was, in fact, not in love with Ophelia, but pretended to love her so he could use Ophelia for personal benefit. Ophelia's brother Laertes believed this is the case. He says to Ophelia, "Then weigh what loss your honour may sustain / If with too credent ear your list ... his songs, / or lose ...

• Word Count: 1429
• Approx Pages: 6
• Grade Level: High School

... , It spills itself in fearing to be spilt." Act 4, scene 5, lines 22-25). Later on, even though she grieves Ophelia's death, she tries to explain it to herself and to Laertes in the least harmful way. But her sadness at Ophelia's funeral is emphasised by the madness Hamlet displays there in his unexpected return. When Hamlet shows up at the fencing ... match in such a sensible state of mind, she is delighted. Not only does Laertes appear to accept Hamlet's offer of love ("...I do receive your offered love like love and will not wrong it." Act 5, scene 2, lines 266-267), but Hamlet's own ...

• Word Count: 1861
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... authentic and at other times it appears to be pretend. A strong argument for his madness is that he admits it himself. He does so in Act V when he says to Laertes " What I have done, that might your nature, honour, and exception roughly awake, I here proclaim was madness" (V.ii.239-42). There are those that believe his madness is calculated. He clearly ... her aside throughout the play. In the Elizabethan era in which Hamlet was written, arranged marriages were commonplace. Most did not marry out of love, but rather to social standard. Laertes even warns his sister of such when he affir...

• Word Count: 1367
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... on the stage, providing a weakness via female qualities. As per Gerlach et al (1996): "Tears were thought of as "feminine" but not exclusively female. In Hamlet, when Laertes learns of the death of his sister Ophelia, he weeps in sorrow, with genuine feeling, but exclaims, "The woman will be out," meaning his tears represent his " ... ...

• Word Count: 1880
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... in his feeble attempt to qualm his nephew. The King in turn is forced to drink from the same cup of death meant for Hamlet. Even the son of Polonious, Laertes is given his just deserts for secretly planning to best Hamlet by poisoning the tip of his sword. Although he is successful in his attempt, Hamlet lives long enough to ... ...

• Word Count: 1514
• Approx Pages: 6
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... , I am poisoined") and thus her implied withdrawal of all support of Claudius. This eliminates the threat of motherly estrangement, virtually paving the way for Hamlet to kill Claudius. Also, however, Laertes informs Hamlet of his knowledge of Claudius' treachery in the very end, as well as his distaste for Claudius, thus removing the threat of friend estrangement. Previously, as well, Hamlet ... ...

• Word Count: 2027
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... has completed this task he cannot die. Revenge is negative and it triggered an almost chain reaction of deaths because hamlets mind was so set on killing Claudius. Polonius, Ophelia, Laertes, Guildenstern Rosencrantz and Gertrude deaths are all because of hamlets revenge. Hamlet wants to kill his uncle because he killed hamlets father. Hamlets father comes to him in a form of ... ...

• Word Count: 1258
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School