Hamlet
In Shakespeare's play Hamlet, several characters are incorporated into the plot in order to compliment and help portray Hamlet's individual character. Hamlet's character, though extremely complex and intricate, is also surprisingly immature and unpredictable. These characteristics can be seen in Hamlet's actions throughout the play and through other characters written into the plot. Hamlet's personality is directly reflected in his relationships with the female characters of the story. Most notably with his mother, Gertrude, and his lover Ophelia. Their purpose is to help reveal Hamlet's true personality. The weakness and naive aspects of their characters exemplify Hamlet's controlling yet meek personality. Gertrude, Queen of Denmark is faced with tragedy at the start of the play. With the death of her husband, she is widowed and left in a very vulnerable position. Her naive character relies primarily on other characters; most commonly her dependency relies on males. Shakespeare's portrayal of women throughout the play remains the same. These characteristics that Shakespeare placed on women throughout the plot thus validates Gertrude's hasty marriage t
Ophelia, object of Hamlet's affection, plays a significant role in the play. Hamlet is madly in love with Ophelia, and pursues any relationship he can get with her. Though Ophelia is willing, it is her father that comes between their relationship. Polonius, father of Ophelia, strongly advises her not to become involved with Hamlet, for he is insane, and immature. Ophelia, as the common female character created by Shakespeare, is trapped in the situation. Her lack of confidence, and independence makes her subject to the control of others, such as her father, and thus this weakness leads her to obey to her father's command. Hamlet's feelings for Ophelia shift from a desperate passionate love, to a resentful hate. He resents her for being the weak character that she is, and listening to her father, therefore not returning his love. While at the same time, he is madly in love with her, and cannot express his feelings any more than he already has. Hamlet's personality progresses from rational to insane in a matter of days. His feelings for Ophelia drive him over the edge and he begins to act differently. Not only is he immature in his actions towards her, bu
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Approximate Word count = 789
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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