Hamlet's obsession with Ophelia stems from a complex mix of genuine past affection, projection of his disgust for his mother Gertrude's hasty remarriage, his feigned (or real) madness, and his disillusionment with female virtue, turning her into a target for his misogyny and a symbol of corrupted purity, especially when he suspects her of betrayal and spies, all while masking his true revenge mission. He saw her initially as innocent, but his mother's actions tainted his view of all women, making Ophelia a proxy for his rage, leading to his cruel "get thee to a nunnery" outburst.
Seeing her as a receptacle for his ideals, Hamlet believes his relationship with Ophelia gives him the ability to interact with an embodiment of the abstract.
Hamlet's brutality toward Ophelia arises from a convergence of motives and dramatic functions: psychological turmoil after his father's murder, strategic performance of madness, misogynistic disillusionment, political caution, and Shakespeare's need to dramatize moral collapse.
And when Ophelia goes mad, she becomes sex-obsessed like Hamlet. Ophelia's elegies for her father alternate with bawdy songs riddled with sexual puns and phallic allusions.
More to the point, even Ophelia's cynical father does not believe that Ophelia has slept with Hamlet, merely that she might be in danger of doing so. Needless to say, the absence of all textual evidence does not prevent the abuse of Shakespeare's text and the consequent abuse of his characters.
In conclusion, it is very possible Ophelia endured PTSD. This diagnosis humanizes the “madwoman”, countering the fragility of women often stereotyped in female characters.
The argument of Ophelia's pregnancy is largely speculative, but when taking into consideration what goes on between Hamlet and Ophelia during the play, the idea seems more in the realm of possibility.
Ophelia likely went mad because of the death of her father. There are other reasons in the play, like Hamlet's anger and her brother's absence. But, Hamlet murdering her father, Polonius, is most likely where she breaks down.
“Ophelia: There's rosemary, that's for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember. And there is pansies, that's for thoughts. . . . There's fennel for you, and columbines.
For Gertrude, being pregnant on her husband's death means having a life other than her own to protect. A convent, normally an option for widows, is not so good for her now.
Ophelia's “madness” is her way of expressing her objectification, abandonment, helplessness, and sorrow over her lost father and lost virtue, a moment of disobedience she certainly now regrets.
When speaking to the audience, himself and Horatio, he shows a rational understanding of reality, even while he grapples with the need to act and fear or ultimate pointlessness of enacting his vengeance. So, Hamlet deliberately feigns madness in public, and retains his sanity in private.
Hamlet treats Ophelia cruelly because he believes that she is being more loyal to her father than to their love. He no longer loves her because she has betrayed him, just like his mother.
Laertes warns her that Hamlet, the heir to the throne of Denmark, does not have the freedom to marry whomever he wants. Ophelia's father, Polonius, who enters while Laertes is leaving, also forbids Ophelia from pursuing Hamlet, as Polonius fears that Hamlet is not earnest about her.
In the biblical context, Ophelia is linked to the Hebrew name Ophiel, which appears in the Old Testament as a name of significance. The name's presence in literature and its association with tragic narratives have contributed to its enduring appeal.
He goes on to insult Ophelia and tells her to go to a nunnery. He tells her that this will be the best place for her and, by being a nun, Ophelia won't have children and produce wicked men like his uncle. All through the scene Claudius and Polonius, Ophelia's father, are hiding and watching what happens.
It has since become a standard English proverb. To be, or not to be, that is the question. Spoken by Hamlet during his soliloquy in the nunnery scene. It remains one of Shakespeare's most famous quotes.
Hamlet confesses that he truly loved her, but then goes back on his word and says he never loved.
Let heaven and men and devils, let them all, All, all, cry shame against me, yet I'll speak. I kissed thee ere I killed thee: no way but this, Killing myself, to die upon a kiss.
Contrary to the common perception that Hamlet is in a state of insanity, he may instead have bipolar disorder. 'Bipolar' is in reference to two completely opposite 'states' or ways of experiencing two polar opposites of abstract emotions.
Their plotting is interrupted by Gertrude's entrance, bringing the heartbreaking news of Ophelia's demise. One woe doth tread upon another's heel, So fast they follow. Your sister's drowned, Laertes.
Hamlet and Ophelia were deeply in love. They were lovers in some sense. There are suggestions that they had sex, but that might have been Hamlet playing crazy or acting spiteful. But after watching his mother, Hamlet thinks all women are weak and only want sex.
Such an unforgiving attitude towards suicide might be the reason why Shakespeare never confirms exactly how Ophelia dies. We know that she drowns, but since her death takes place offstage it is unclear whether her final actions are accidental or intentional.
Carrion usually means dead flesh or meat, but it can also have a sexual connotation, meaning female flesh. So "good kissing carrion" could mean flesh that's good enough to kiss. He's saying a dead dog is a good, even appealing, breeding ground for maggots.
Enraged and grief-stricken, Gertrude grabs Hamlet's sword and kills Claudius, just as the Norwegians storm the castle, accompanied by Mechtild. She poisons herself with Claudius' venom and dies in her sister's arms. The film closes with Ophelia living peacefully in exile with her daughter, fathered by Hamlet.