iii.16). He thinks that Hamlet only loves her because he wants to seduce her, and demands his sister to never see him again. Ophelia can only accept her father and brother"s beliefs and writes Hamlet a letter which informs him that she can no longer see him. As a result, she begins to feel alone with very little independence. At this point in the play Ophelia"s emotions are what help contribute to her madness.

             There are a few other incidents in the play which help in the course of Ophelia"s madness. When Hamlet receives the letter from Ophelia he is affected terribly by her words. The next time she sees Hamlet she is surprised and even a bit frightened by his behavior. He did not look like he usually does, and he acted very strange towards her. He held her by the wrists and stared deeply into her face, long and hard, then storms out, leaving her intensely troubled and saddened. After that she tells her father, and he believes .

             that Ophelia"s love is what made him mad. "That hath made him mad" (II. i.110). Polonius then goes to tell the King and Queen of Hamlet"s strange behavior and plans to spy on Hamlet to prove he"s gone mad. Ophelia now is left feeling guilty. When she sees Hamlet later on she tries to speak with him, but is rejected coldly. He does not listen to her and screams harsh words leaving her feeling worthless and embarrassed. ".I loved you not." (III.i.119). "Get thee to a nunnery." (III.i.121) ". you jig, you amble, and you lisp, and nickname God"s creatures, and make you wantonnes your ignorance. Go to, I"ll no more on"t;" (III.i.146-48) This incident causes Ophelia to become slightly disturbed. She sits weeping while her father and the King practically step on her weak body to find out more reason for Hamlet"s actions. In this depressed state all she can say is "O! woe is me, to have seen what I have seen, what I see!" (III.i.163-64) So, because of Hamlet"s rudeness and rejection through this part of the play, Ophelia is driven even more closer to insanity.