Ophelia's Obedience And Weakness As A Character example essay topic

Ophelia In Shakespeare's tragedies, the characters all have flaws that eventually lead to their undoing. In the play Hamlet, the character of Ophelia is ultimately killed by her flaw. It is apparent that Ophelia is an obedient person but, upon closer inspection, the audience can see that she is not merely obedient. Ophelia's thoughts and actions go beyond obedience to show that she is a weak and entirely dependent character. Nothing that she says or does is a representation of herself but mostly that of her father. Ophelia's cruel actions towards Hamlet, which go against her feelings for him, demonstrate her obedience to her father.

In the beginning of the play, Ophelia tells her father that she likes Hamlet but her later actions sacrifice these personal feelings under the order of her father. She does as her father says regardless of how it could affect her own life. In particular, Ophelia agrees not to see Hamlet anymore after the request from her father: "I shall obey, my lord... ". (act 1, scene 4). Ophelia's actions show that Polonius has complete control over her because she sacrifices her personal feelings to please him.

Ophelia's obedience goes deeper than her trying to please her father and shows what a weak character she is. When Hamlet harasses her and tells her to go to a nunnery where she can no longer harm anyone, she does not try to defend herself. Instead, she just feels sorry for herself. Ophelia could not survive without someone constantly telling her what to do. Hence, when Polonius dies, Ophelia loses her primary guidance and, instead of attempting to go on with her own life, she calls on her brother for help in resolving her problems: "My brother shall know of it / and so I thank you for your good counsel... ". (act 4, scene 5).

Ophelia's obedience and weakness as a character can be traced to her complete dependence on other people. Her dependence on others is evident in the very beginning:" I do not know, my lord, what I should think. POL: Marry, I will teach you. Think yourself a baby... ". (act 1, scene 3). This shows how Ophelia depends on her father to determine what she should think and feel. Ophelia's complete dependence, or lack of independence, is what leads to her demise.

Still, Ophelia's dependence on others was not entirely her fault. It could have been caused by her father and brother's protection over her. Polonius and Laertes were always there for Ophelia, whether she needed it or not, causing her to develop a major character flaw. Her flaw was her complete dependence on others, which can also be shown through her obedience and overall weakness as a character.

Ophelia's dependence on others is, sadly, what lead to her death. She could not cope with the events in her life because she was so adapted to being told how to think and act that she went mad. When she was forced to take care of herself, she could not handle it and ended up committing suicide to keep from facing her problems alone.