Throughout Shakespeare's works, the roles were all played by men, including the female roles, thus making it hard for them to express the true emotions of a woman. The expression of the female roles were purely based on the perceptions of the men. The male perception of women in the Elizabethan Era was that a woman's only good was for procreat

Adolescent females today show subtle signs of the same oppression by males. Approximately every 18 seconds, an American woman falls victim to domestic violence at the hands of a husband or lover. It can be seen by such an awful statistic that the value of a female has not risen from purely property and sexual pleasure. Girls become pawns in a game for which the prizes are recognition, male affection, attention, and acceptance. The evolution of our society plateaus right at the female value and the way women are treated. Girl who are raised with these values often struggle to let their own thoughts shine through. Ophelia was never taught the ability to think for herself, she was not supposed to. With the ability to think for herself, she might have reasoned through her dilemma, but she lived in a choice-less existence. The pressures of loyalty plagued Ophelia much like they do adolescent girls today.

"Too much water hast thou, poor Ophelia, and there fore I forbid my tears. But yet it is our trick; nature her custom holds, let shame say what it will..." (Leartes, IV, VII)

Putting all in perspective, the reality is that adolescence is a difficult transition for females. Girls are in the midst of developing many facets of their lives. Men and society make it difficult for girls to grow and stay happy, free and resilient. Without an evolution in our frame of mind towards the value and worth of an individual, especially women, our society will stay stagnant. Women will continue to battle eating disorders, depression, and stress under the constraints of our demanding society. The battle, however, is not fought solely against men, but against all who continue oppressing others. Ophelia could not grow, and thus became an object of others and lost her true subjective self. Growth requires courage and hard work on the part of the individual and a protective and nurturing environment on the part of society.

Adolescent girls are on their way to their own identity while still keeping the ties to their parents. Developing girls need time and protected places to grow and develop socially, emotionally, intellectually and physically. In adolescence, girls lose their resiliency and optimism becoming less likely to take risks. Ophelia, as a girl, was happy

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Approximate Word count = 1538
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)