Show how Ophelia's plight creates pathos.

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Lesson 13, Page 20

Key Question - 4

Hamlet Essay

Show how Ophelia's plight creates pathos.

In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the plight of the character Ophelia creates more pathos than any other character from the play. Ophelia is a beautiful and simple-minded young woman, easily moulded by the more powerful opinions and desires of others. The thoughts of her father and her brother influenced her the most. Her father, Polonius, and her brother, Laertes, love Ophelia tremendously and have taken great pain to shelter her. She returns the love, shown to her by Polonius and Laertes attentively and couples it with complete and unwavering loyalty. Her whole character is of that simple, unselfish affection.

Even though Ophelia's love for Hamlet is strong, she obeys her father when he tells her that she can not see Hamlet or accept any of the letters he writes. Her heart is pure, and when she does do something dishonest, such as tell Hamlet that her father has gone home when he is really behind the curtain, is out of genuine fear. The audience learns more about how pure and innocent she is as her father counsels