It can be argued that Ophelia’s death is romanticized, as she dies in a romantic and picturesque setting befitting her character, surrounded by her garland of flowers. However, Ophelia’s death is referred to as being ‘muddied’. Essentially, ‘muddied’ could either have been used in terms of dirty, as she dies in a brook full of flowers and weeds, or the death of Ophelia may well have been muddied in the sense of shrouded with suspicion. Vitally, the word "muddied" is also connected to the corrupted imagery in "Hamlet" where the King refers to "people muddied" after first seeing Ophelia in her madness. Furthermore, the mere fact that her death is so detailed, suggests that Gertrude is trying to soften the blow for Laertes, who is already enraged over his father’s death and his sister’s madness. An unresolved ambiguity certainly remains surrounding the death of Ophelia, as to why she allowed herself to die. Most likely, in her madness, Ophelia may not have realised the danger she was in, or perhaps she wanted to return to her natural water, therefore it was a voluntary suicide. It can be deemed from Shakespeare’s contemporaries, that when an Elizabethan playwright no longer knows what to do with a particular character, it is often the easiest thing simply to send the character mad.
The multitude of flowers which Ophelia collects in order to distribute to court, are a symbol of innocence, as they themselves are so pure and easily destroyed. Similarly, the tree upon which she was crawling along whilst collecting these garlands was a willow, usually associated with weeping and grief, something we have assigned to the passive character of Ophelia. In particular, the branches of a willow hang down towards the ground in a downcast fashion, further implying a mood of grief. Such personification even extends to her garments that were "too heavy with her drink". Notably, the "hoar leaves" which symbolize the silvery grey colour which comes with age, emphasize the youth and innocence of Ophelia, who spent her entire life being used by people, in particular by her father who treated her as an animal seen in his ability to "loose my daughter to him (Hamlet)".
Crucially, Ophelia had many different types of flowers in her garland, of contradicting symbolism, symbolizing the attitudes of others. In this particular collection, Ophelia has included "crow-flowers" which symbolize a virgin, presumably collected to represent herself; "nettles" which sting people, perhaps representing Claudius, refering to "the serpent that did sting thy father’s life now wears his crown"; "daisies" which symbolize deception in love affairs, perhaps these are intended for Hamlet, although Ophelia in her madness has already mistaken Laertes for her "love"; "long purples" which are given a "grosser name" by "liberal shepherds" as the roots look like male genitalia; "Cold maids" chaste, innocent virgins, refer to them as "dead mens’ fingers" which has a phallic connection, suggesting that Ophelia has never been touched, and is indeed a "cold maid", having apparently died a virgin. Ironically, Violets have been mentioned previously by Laertes when talking to Ophelia as he refers to Hamlet as "a violet in the youth of primy nature," continuing with the use of flower imagery, which was first seen at the beginning of the play in Hamlet´s first soliloquy where he described the world as an "unweeded garden". Appropriately, Shakespeare introduces closure to this cyclical form by having Ophelia surrounded by flowers at her funeral, "Sweets to the sweet".
The impression that Shakespeare presents of Ophelia is one that while she is an innocent, she clearly understands the ways of the world, and is capable of wit which is seen in her response to her brother´s advice over Hamlet: "I shall th´effect of this good lesson keep/As watchman to my heart". Tragically, the hints of her independence are never realized as her constricting environment restricts her and ultimately turns her mad and leads to her death. She understands Hamlet´s obscene references when he says, "Shall I lie in your lap?" and talks about "country matters" as she replies to his "It would cost you a groaning to take off my edge". Although at first reading one does not expect the smutty words of her vulgar songs to come out of Ophelia´s mouth, there is also an argument in which Ophelia is able to sing about such sexual acts as she has experienced them and consummated her love with Hamlet. This is the reason for her madness to be so great, as Hamlet had promised himself to her, just like in the song the man promised to marry the woman and then broke that promise "Before you tumbled me/You promised me to wed." The idea that the daisies are for Hamlet ties in with her sexually explicit songs, (which make Ophelia sound like a corrupted person,) in which the lines "Let in the maid, that out a maid/ Never departed more" implies that the girl in the song lost her virginity, and it is possible that Ophelia is singing about this as it is through her madness that she can express her repressed feelings, which involve her deep love for Hamlet. Furthermore, it is the only time that Shakespeare allows Ophelia to give an opinion without being challenged or punished. In essence, madness allows her to escape from her sorrows and it also frees her from her inhibitions and her filial duties to Polonius.
There are contrasts between the children of that "wretched, rash, intruding fool" Polonius, as Ophelia is connected to water and submissiveness, "too much of water hast thou" whilst Laertes, the headstrong avenger who is easily led, is likened to "fire and blaze". His rage is so impulsive that the king has to go to great lengths to calm him down, "How much I had to do to calm his rage!" This selfish reaction of Claudius, who does not even comment on Ophelia´s untimely death, is typical as was seen in his reaction to Polonius´ death "It had been us had we been there", thus reiterating his coldness, as his first concern should not be for himself.
Similarly, our impression of Ophelia from other areas of the play can be seen in her first and only soliloquy, (although technically Polonius and Claudius are on stage although they are hidden, using the theme of appearance and reality, so it is not a soliloquy), in which we can perhaps hear Ophelia´s true feelings as we are able to hear the genuine admiration and strong feelings she has for Prince Hamlet, "O, what a noble mind is here o´erthrown." Ophelia recognises Hamlet´s madness, suggesting that this speech is indeed realistic and uses musical imagery "sucked the honey of his music vows" before describing his madness; "like sweet bells jangled out of tune and harsh." It is a passionate and heartfelt speech in contrast to the King´s entrance which is cold and unfeeling.
It is clear that Shakespeare’s presentation of Ophelia can be taken from her conversation with her brother who advises her not to let her "chaste treasure open" to young Hamlet, as "The canker galls the infants of the spring/Too oft before their buttons be disclosed". In this way, Laertes is warning his sister that the corrupted worm/disease (Hamlet) often damages the young shoots (Ophelia) before their buds are opened. Thus, he is worried that Hamlet will take advantage of his sister before she is ready. Able to banter with the best of them, Ophelia gives the impression that she is knowledgeable in this subject and playfully warns her brother to heed his own advice "And recks not his own rede".
However, the most well-known quotation with regard to the presentation of Ophelia is: "Get thee to a nunnery", spoken by Hamlet speaking to a planted Ophelia, who is grieved at having to see this "most sovereign reason, blasted with ecstasy". As Hamlet believes that "Frailty thy name is woman!" he might want Ophelia to go to nunnery where she cannot marry connecting to his statement: "We will have no more marriages", or in contrast, it could mean that he wants her to go to a nunnery, (another name for a whore house). Due to the way in which Hamlet believes that women corrupt men, this seems an apt place for her as she has clearly "corrupted" Hamlet by falling in love with him.
Although Hamlet’s words and actions often contradict themselves, he had previously written her a note saying, "But that I love thee best, O most best, believe it" , it is most likely that Shakespeare didn’t want his audience to be certain as to whether or not Hamlet and Ophelia were in love. In this way, Ophelia has benefited and has maintained a sense of mysticism throughout the play, although it remains unclear as to whether her madness stands for the oppression of women in society, or madness as a woman. However, it is possible, that Hamlet’s brutal behaviour towards Ophelia is a result of Hamlet’s revulsion at the feminine passivity in himself, which he translates into violent disgust against women. Therefore, Ophelia’s death becomes a microcosm of the male world’s banishment of the female, because ‘woman’ represents everything denied by reasonable men, including Hamlet.
In conclusion, other than the ambiguity surrounding her death and her love for Hamlet, Ophelia is described by all as an innocent child, grappling with situations her youth is unprepared for. Furthermore, it is clear that the somewhat passive character of Ophelia is only essential within the play as she is linked for all eternity to the figure of Hamlet. Certainly, Ophelia is the most frequently illustrated and cited of Shakespeare’s heroines. Her visibility as a subject in literature, popular culture and painting, from Redon who paints her drowning, to Bob Dylan, who places her on Desolation Row is in stark contrast to her view as an invisible. It is surprising that modern culture should be so obsessed with Ophelia, as we are given very little information from which to imagine a past for her. Furthermore, Ophelia is presented in only five of the play’s twenty scenes; the history of her relationship with Hamlet is only known by a few flashbacks itself. Crucially, her tragedy is subordinated in the play; unlike Hamlet, she does not struggle with moral choices or alternatives. As a result, Shakespeare has made it impossible to reconstruct Ophelia’s biography from the text, as while we can imagine Hamlet’s story without Ophelia, Ophelia literally has no story without Hamlet.