what are the circumstances of ophelia's death?

Many of the lines throughout her singing episodes also support your claim, as you aptly discuss. We will start discussing the famous Ophelia (18511852) by John Everett Millais with a brief contextual analysis exploring the subject matter based on Hamlet and the artists process of creating the composition. I know the focus is mainly on Hamlet and his questionable madness, but in a way I definitely see how Ophelia went somewhat mad as well! Ophelias random singing was the first sign of madness when I first read it because instead of trying to save herself from drowning she was just calmly singing and letting the heavy water pile on top of her and her clothing. A discussion of Gertrude's description of Ophelia's death in Act 4, Scene 7 of myShakespeare'sHamlet. William Shakespeares Hamlet (c. 15991601) was a tale of love, murder, madness, and heartbreak, of which the character Ophelia met her end, drowning in a brook, but is forever immortalized in the visual arts. In the final scene, the violence, so long delayed, erupts with dizzying speed. WebOphelia obeys, but her action sends Hamlet into a fit of misogynistic rage. WebWhen reporting Ophelias death, Gertrude states that there is a willow grows askant the brook (4.7. I do pity her as a character because now she is truly on her own and I feel Hamlet and her family is partially to blame. There are many different things that contribute to Ophelias death, and I like that you put it all out there. Accessed 4 Mar. Log in here. In the foreground, in the bottom left corner, is a plant with vertical strips of leaves (referred to as monocot leaves), possibly the greater pond sedge, and just in front of it in the near foreground are forget-me-not flowers. I think that you did a great job analyzing Ophelias character, and I think that it helpful as a reader to see the different aspects of her character development to understand what she is going through. Would she have been more proactive with trying to fight the current of the stream? Huntington Botanical Gardens has a web page devoted to the symbolism in Ophelia's flowers. Ophelias subservience is taken to an entirely new level through the event of her death. Get the latest information and tips about everything Art with our bi-weekly newsletter. We both wrote about Ophelia! As youve done, its important to recognize that Ophelia is obviously mourning her father, and with great reason (he was indeed a vital figure in her life, especially considering she hadnt been married yet). Because of these is, Ophelia certainly is one of the most pitiable characters in Hamlet, and perhaps one of the only characters whose madness is justifiable. Hamlet reacted to this event with an internal battle that harmed everyone around him. But sometimes that just don't matter. Hi Sam, I like your post and your analysis of Ophelias character. WebThe fact that Ophelias death is from Gertrudes standpoint means that the reliability is in question. Its implied through several of Ophelias songs, the one you mentioned, and her one just before that where she sings Let in the maid, that out a maid / Never departed more (4.5.54-55). It is interesting to analyze this scene to see that both her fathers death and Hamlets act led to her madness. A close-up of the different flowers in Ophelia (1851-1852) by John Everett Millais;John Everett Millais, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Sam, There arent any other characters in the play that her references to promised love could be accountable for Her unexpected death left her loved ones in mourning. Another rough texture is implied by the willow trees furrowed bark and a seemingly slimy texture of the algae in the water in the foreground.Texture in Ophelia (1851-1852) by John Everett Millais;John Everett Millais, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Why did Ophelia go crazy in Hamlet? Hamlets madness is directly correlated to his fathers death and the appearance of his fathers ghost. Ophelias songs show her slipping into further madness with a lot of bizarre sexually-laced lyrics and while reading this portion of the play I just felt bad for her. Although she is tragic, she is also used at will with the men around her. Lee had made his way down to Wilmer to sell narcotics two these two individuals. To the right of the composition is more greenery and an assortment of plants. STORY: Vincenzo Luciano is telling us he raced to the beach from his house, which is nearby, jumped into the water with his clothes on, and pulled out a little boy.He's a fisherman here in Steccato di Cutro, Italy - the scene of that massive shipwreck on Sunday (February 26) that killed at least 67 migrants trying to cross into Europe, including Upvoting all ! Both of Ophelias hands are floating just above the water, her palms are facing up and her hands appear cupped. Ophelia hasnt any direct control over the influential characters in her life. It must also be difficult for her to reconcile the fact that her lover murdered her father, and in doing so took away all present support systems from her. She is holding several flowers in her right hand (our left) and her left (our right) hand is empty. When Laertes breaks in on Claudius and Gertrude, Claudius asserts his innocence with regard to Poloniuss death. They say a made a good end. give more credence to Ophelias shattered mental state, as she is constantly fixating on the death of Polonius, so much so that every single thing reminds her of his passing (4.5.180-181). Ophelia's death is an unplayed scene; it does not appear on stage. There are also other colors from the various flowers, providing more variety as well as enhancing the subject matter and symbolic meanings. Did Hamlet Sleep with Ophelia? Hi Sam, In act 1, scene 3 of Hamlet, what is Polonius's advice to Laertes? Sam, Print of Sir John Everett Millais Ophelia (Shakespeares Hamlet, Act 4, Scene 7) by James Stephenson;John Everett Millais, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons. Hamlet ridiculed her and her father, Im assuming a person closest to her as there is no mention of a mother, dies unexpectingly. Elizabethan Popular Theatre: Plays in Performance. The fact that the water completely weighs her down and she doesnt even car is shocking because she shouldnt have died but her showing that shows how depressed she was. Ophelia (18511852) by John Everett Millais;John Everett Millais, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. This is compounded on by a following line, You promised me to wed, / So would I a done, by yonder sun, / An thou hadst not come to my bed. and it is this part of Ophelias song that likely damns Hamlet as a cause of her mental fracturing (4.5.62-64). In the begining of the play Ophelia knows that Hamlet loves her yet decides to keep her distance because her brother tells her to. Instead, she chanted snatches of old lauds [hymns], / As one incapable of her own distress (4.7.18283). Hamlet has fallen in love with Ophelia after the death of his father. The composition is depicted in a horizontal orientation, and the main protagonist and focal point, Ophelia, is floating in a body of water. 25 minutes ago. Further explicit references to Ophelias father, such as I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died. Then, Ophelia's funeral procession takes place, and Hamlet and Ophelia's brother Laertes confront each other. In Act Four she spirals into madness and dies under ambiguous circumstances. Even though, in the beginning, Hamlet is only feigning madness, he is certainly troubled (to say the least) at the end of the play. Also Hamlet's own madness and isolation is a cause in Ophelia's deteriorating mental condition. At that point in time, it seemed to be an attribute to Ophelia letting herself go; but since you are comparing and including it within the madness of Ophelia I now find myself second guessing whether or not it was her letting herself go or if she was in fact mad. The combination of her former lovers cruelty and her fathers death sends Ophelia into a fit of grief. The soliloquy is not about suicide, as some people believe, but rather about Hamlet's existential dilemma. However, he is often quoted from one of his letters written to Mrs. Martha Combe. She does not decide to save herself, or to even deliver herself onto death, but ultimately ignores her freedom to choose and continues to abide by her own indifference. I wonder which had more an effect? Cambridge Companions to Literature ser. eNotes Editorial, 16 Apr. I think that throughout Hamlet, madness is exhibited in many forms and Hamlets madness is very different from Ofelias. 2007, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/describe-the-fate-of-ophelia-as-reported-by-441. In the Ophelia painting, the vegetation in the foreground and background creates a framing effect, which places our, the viewers, attention on Ophelia in the center. Cirencione detailed the circumstances that led to the death of Brandon M. Zurkan, 31, of Warren, Pa., during a media briefing at the sheriffs office Wednesday. She is a tragic figure who is caught in the crosshairs of the power struggle between Hamlet and his family, and her love for Hamlet ultimately leads to her downfall. While it is evident that Ophelia is grieving over the death of her father, Polonius, as Horatio says of her She speaks much of her father, says she hears / Theres tricks in the world, and hems, and beats her heart (4.5.4-5), a secondary cause of Ophelias madness may be in fact about her failed relationship with Hamlet as well. The original frame is gilt plaster with ivy moulding, the Hamlet quotation, in red and blue, on either side of the painting in Gothic script. This implies that she has taken her own life. http://www.shmoop.com/hamlet/ I still dont know if I see Ophelias death as a suicide because of the fact that her clothes led to her death and all, but with all of the circumstances around her, I think that she definitely did not fight her death for a purpose. What is the importance of the gravedigger scene in the story of Hamlet? Its upsetting to see anyone go through all of these unfortunate circumstances because it realistically can happen to anybody. We see in act III that Ophelia is shaken by how Hamlet is treating her harshly where before he was kind and gentle. He influenced art styles like Art Deco, Art Nouveau, as well as prominent artists like Vincent van Gogh and James Abbot McNeill Whistler. Vote everyone! There with fantastic garlands did she come Of crow-flowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples That liberal shepherds give a grosser name, But our cold maids do dead men's fingers call them; There, on the pendent boughs her coronet weeds Clamb'ring to hang, an envious sliver broke, When down her weedy trophies and herself Fell in the weeping brook. RALPH: Gertrude describes how her clothing spread out over the surface of the water, keeping her afloat for a moment, while she sang songs of praise, or perhaps hymns. Polonius is killed by Hamlet, who thought he was Claudius. Section. Little by little, the revelations come with the aid of his fathers ghost. Hamlet tries to kill Claudius three times. In Hamlet, why does Ophelia return the letter and presents Hamlet gave her. Ultimately, this emotional turmoil leads to Ophelia's descent into madness and her tragic death. WebSummary Of Mark Hitz's Shadehill. Her clothes spread wide. While it is evident that Ophelia is grieving over the death of her father, Polonius, as Horatio says of her She speaks much of her father, says she hears / Theres tricks in the world, and hems, and beats her heart (4.5.4-5), a secondary cause of Ophelias madness may be in fact about her failed relationship with Hamlet as well. Latest answer posted December 25, 2020 at 10:45:45 AM. Latest answer posted February 17, 2021 at 12:04:07 PM. Her unexpected death left her loved ones in mourning. I really liked the points you made about Ophelia and her madness. Maybe if Hamlet wasnt such an ass to her she wouldnt have committed suicide because I think that was truly the last straw for her. There, on the pendant boughs her coronet weeds Clambering to hang, an envious sliver broke, When down her weedy trophies and herself Fell in the weeping brook. Sam, She has made a number of comments that seem to have a hidden truth in them and has presented Leartes and the king and queen with flowers (either real or imaginary) that also have significant symbolic meaning. So he rips into Ophelia. Other examples include Ophelias diaphanous dress billowed by the water below and around her, which appears soft and silky with a slightly rougher texture created by the embroidery on it. Ophelia died by suicide. This is compounded on by a following line, You promised me to wed, / So would I a done, by yonder sun, / An thou hadst not come to my bed. and it is this part of Ophelias song that likely damns Hamlet as a cause of her mental fracturing (4.5.62-64). I still dont know if I see Ophelias death as a suicide because of the fact that her clothes led to her death and all, but with all of the circumstances around her, I think that she definitely did not fight her death for a purpose. Her death could be either interpreted as an accident or suicide. Published. In a fit of anger, Hamlet impulsively kills the man behind the curtain, thinking it was Claudius. I definitely feel that before Polonius dies she is effected by how Hamlet treats her, which the argument I made in my post. 190). It is interesting to analyze this scene to see that both her fathers death and Hamlets acts led to her madness. Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. There are numerous flowers depicted and each holds symbolic meanings that relate to the themes of the story, which is based on the play Hamlet (c. 15991601) by William Shakespeare. All the major protagonists and antagonists in the play die in the end. Understanding the law of suicide is crucial to understanding the controversy regarding Ophelias burial rites. With the loss of her father, brother, and her lover all extremely close together is enough to make anyone go mad I suppose. However, these shapes are not distinctively outlined or geometric; instead, they blend into the natural environment. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. The second thing that happens is that Hamlet is sent away by the king, leaving Ophelia virtually alone in her grief, since her brother, The result is almost predictable: Ophelia goes mad. We both wrote about Ophelia! Fly high, lovely spirit, Hersl Dana.. Towards the middle foreground is a mossy/algae patch with small white flowers growing from it, which could be stream water crowfoot. I wonder which had more an effect? This will be followed by a formal analysis, first discussing the subject matter in greater detail, and then looking at the artists techniques according to the seven art elements, color, texture, line, shape, form, and space, respectively. The robin bird holds significant symbolism, including rebirth and death. She is depicted in a beautiful, soft dress barely keeping her buoyant and her midsection is submerged in the water. SO many questions that are generated by your post. Ophelia cannot trust her beloved father or her lover, Hamlet, because they are all simply using her against each other. By this logic, of course she went insane. Carol Camden wrote a fantastic article titled Ophelias Madness in which she pretty neatly goes over a variety of theories and quotes several critics. RALPH: The second image of Ophelia that Gertrude proposes is as if she were "a creature native and endued unto that element" in other words, as if Ophelia were a water nymph, or, as Gertrude said a few lines earlier, a mermaid, who fits in so well with this scene that its as if she belonged there, as if it were her home. Because of these is, Ophelia certainly is one of the most pitiable characters in Hamlet, and perhaps one of the only characters whose madness is justifiable. Ophelias maddness I believe, like you, is caused be her loss of her loved ones. She is used as a ploy by her father to test Hamlets maddness. How does Ophelia come to believe that Hamlet is mad?He enters her room as she is sewing; his clothes are dishevelled, and his look is piteous. She knows that refusing to marry Hamlet will make him go insane.Polonius reads a letter to Claudius and Gertrude, and Ophelia overhears it.

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