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Does Hamlet Love Ophelia

            
             I believe that Hamlet had a true affection for Ophelia that may have been love or would have grown into true love had it not been for the chain of events that occurred. Several things happened that prevented Hamlet's love for Ophelia to come to full bloom. Hamlet was extremely distraught over the marriage of Gertrude to Claudius. Hamlet who I believe once had a great love and respect for his mother, is now horrified and betrayed by his mother's choice to marry so soon after his father's death. Not only is he upset over the hasty marriage, but he is also upset over the fact that she has chosen to marry his father's brother. Hamlet feels that this union is incestuous and goes against his religious beliefs. Hamlet also knows that Claudius killed his father and feels that his mother has defiled the memory of his father by marrying his father's murderer. The actions of his mother have made Hamlet distrust all women. If he did once love Ophelia he is now afraid to have any faith in her or any other woman because of his mother's actions.
             I believe Hamlet is purposely cruel to Ophelia because he knows that in light of the present circumstances he cannot be with her. He is trying to protect her by running her away. Hamlet is also consumed with the apparent betrayal that surrounds him and when he asks Ophelia about the whereabouts of her father and she lies to him he is convinced that he cannot trust her and she is no better than his mother.
             Upon hearing of Ophelia's death Hamlet does finally admit that he did love Ophelia and regrets that he could not freely admit or express his love for her.
            


Essays Related to Does Hamlet Love Ophelia

1. Women in Shakespeare's Hamlet

... his tenders as you call them?" (I, iii, 101-103) Polonius' words to Ophelia are very mocking. Polonius believes that Ophelia is a weak character with almost no valid opinion. He thinks Ophelia is a fool for believing in Hamlet's professions of love. Polonius, as well as Laertes, does not trust Hamlet because he is vulnerable and dangerous. They believe Hamlet's love for Ophelia is merely a youthful infatuation-a man's lustful desire. As a prince ... , Hamlet is not even free to choose his own wife; he must marry in ... ...

  • Word Count: 1649
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2. Hamlet

... the tremendous stress his obsession causes within him. She is a convenient target because, being a woman who loves him, she does not fight back against Hamlet (in addition, Hamlet's insanity also prevents her from doing so). In addition, the straining of his love bond towards Ophelia, although a form of estrangement, helps to pre-empt the even greater psychological pain that he would endure if she were ... excellent means of creating the impression of insanity. Also, however, such rejection, by eliminating love from his consciousness, may harden his personality to the point where he is ...

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3. Explore the women in Hamlet

... brutality towards her by dismissing their relationship. Ophelia acknowledges his unkindness by saying - "Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind" In this scene Ophelia is clearly a victim to Hamlet's ever changing love. - "I did love you once" is followed four lines later by; "I loved you not" Does this show confusion or a malicious love of trickery? It is said that "Hamlet himself is not certain of his feelings ... for Ophelia" I share this opinion as Hamlet's unkind words that follow seem to be out of ... concern for her future - "Get thee to a nunnery" This appears to demonstrat...

  • Word Count: 1730
  • Approx Pages: 7
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4. Hamlet and Ophelia

... her aside as he focuses on his mission. Hamlet only begins to doubt his love for Ophelia and he slowly relates her to his mother, Gertrude, and her own actions. Hamlet's love for Ophelia changes and goes full circle; he loves her, he doubts it, he claims that he doesn't love her, and he realizes that he really does. Hamlet's love for Ophelia, whether he believed it or not, was constant ... . His heart stayed true to her and it was most apparent upon her death towards the end of the play. Hamlet doubted her love upon being rejected and ignored from her. He felt betrayed and ... remembere...

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5. Analysis of Hamlet's Ophelia

... one were to think all the more hopefully, maybe Polonius' objective was just to ensure her from Hamlet who, he accepted, did not positively love Ophelia as she cherished him. Notwithstanding, one is given clues as to Hamlet's actual sentiments when Polonius peruses the adoration letter from Hamlet to Ophelia. The letter starts with an extremely sentimental, yet excessively sensational welcome perusing, "To the celestial ... the unfortunate soul on which all anger and frustration is directed. She, on the other hand, does not have anyone to lay the blame on and is a classic example of why ...

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6. Hamlet, Sons & Lovers and A Streetcar Named Desire

... the most powerful in how often it is displayed. Hamlet is sent into madness through his unrequited love for Ophelia and his love for his father which results in his vengeful death and murder of three characters in the play. Love in "Sons & Lovers," destroys several attempts at relationships for the male protagonist Paul, as does it in Hamlet, although the relationships destroyed were not perfect, they ... were not allowed to experience this due to the destructive and oedipal familial love. Yet ... ...

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7. Ophelia Of Hamlet

... potential harm to Ophelia should she disobey her authority figures (i.e. her father and her king). Furthermore, Ophelia cannot know "that Hamlet's attitude toward her reflects his disillusionment in his mother . . . to her, Hamlet's inconstancy can only mean deceitfulness or madness" (Lidz 158). She is undeniably caught in a trap that has been layed, in part, but her lover whom she does love and idealize. Her ... shock is genuine when Hamlet demands "get thee to a nunnery" ( ... cheated into the belief that he really is mad. The options for her sanity are none; melancholy and grief are...

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8. A Character Analysis of Ophelia

... , echoing the incest of Claudius's marriage to his brother's wife and Hamlet's passionate, conflicting feelings for his mother. As a result, Ophelia's blossoming love for Hamlet has been suppressed by the superiority of her brother and her father, and thus she does not see him again until he apparently runs into her closet almost naked. Ophelia is taken aback by this remarkable incident and informs her father ... of it. According to Ophelia, Hamlet came into her closet with "...his doublet all ... ...

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9. Hamlet Paradigm

... the tremendous stress his obsession causes within him. She is a convenient target because, being a woman who loves him, she does not fight back against Hamlet (in addition, Hamlet's insanity also prevents her from doing so). In addition, the straining of his love bond towards Ophelia, although a form of estrangement, helps to pre-empt the even greater psychological pain that he would endure if she were ... hate Claudius and to exact revenge against him. Why He Treats Gertrude the Way He Does Hamlet wants to achieve two goals with respect to Gertrude. One is to express his anger against ...

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10. Hamlet - A Coming of Age Tale

... makes it harder to cope with his grief and to understand other people's behavior. Although the audience doesn't know the full story between Hamlet and Ophelia, it is obvious that falling in love and then causing Ophelia's death furthered Hamlet's transition from innocence into maturity. Because "falling in love" is another major piece of the coming of age archetype (Stahl), anything that happens with ... fallen in love with Ophelia, but Ophelia has been told to dodge all of his affections. When Hamlet begins speaking with Ophelia, he is kind and pleasant, but the second she attempts to ...

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