A Study of Shakespeare's presentation of Ophelia and the effect on her, of her relationship with Laertes, Polonius and Hamlet.

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A Study of Shakespeare's presentation of Ophelia and the effect on her, of her relationship with Laertes, Polonius and Hamlet.

The character of Ophelia takes on many superficial roles as daughter, sister, lover and courtier. Each one in itself adds another dimension to her character, yet there is an inextricable link between her various manifestations and the men in her life: Laertes, Polonius and Hamlet. These men have a diverse effect on the development and overall perception of Ophelia. Her aim to please the men who dictate her actions, directly and indirectly, leaves the audience feeling somewhat distanced from her character. Shakespeare's presentation of Ophelia makes one wonder whether she is indeed the sad, pathetic, naïve girl she makes out, or whether she is in fact masking her true, highly intelligent and sexually experienced self.

During the Elizabethan period, as with much of history, women were raised to fulfil the stereotypical image of the 'fairer sex'. Shakespeare himself had the potential to create a strong female character, as in Romeo and Juliet and MacBeth, however, the façade Ophelia presents throughout most of the play, is that of one conforming to the stereotypical expectations of an Elizabethan woman;