To What Extent Is Ophelia Presented As A Weak Character, Too Easily Manipulated By Her Father And Br

In Act 1, Scene 3 and Act 2, Scene 1, Ophelia's weakness as a character is only suggested to the audience, disguised by the differing possible interpretations of her spoken lines and the lack of clarity of her true thoughts/feelings. There seems to be an incoherence between her actions and her thoughts which is reflected in her conversations with both Laertes and Claudius, casting doubt on the extent of her submissive nature. Thus, in order to be able to define Ophelia as weak it is important to consider any indication of her true feelings, revealed in what she says to both Polonius and Laertes; and the independence of her actions which may not be driven entirely by her lack of personal strength.

From the beginning of Act 1, Scene 3, it is clear that Ophelia shares a close bond with her brother, Laertes which is made clear from Ophelia and Laertes sharing of lines throughout the scene. This is evident from as early as line 5 'But let me hear from you. Do you doubt that?' suggesting that Ophelia and Laertes have a good relationship with one another, with Ophelia being presented as a dutiful sister. It is Ophelia's adherence to this role of being a 'good' sister and daughter however that reinforces the portrayal of her being easily manipulated by Laertes, particularly when he warns Ophelia about Hamlet and his intentions, questioning Hamlet and Ophelia's relationship. This can be seen particularly in the lines 'For Hamlet, and the trifling of his favour....and a toy in blood'. Laertes is very definite in his opinion, stressing that Hamlet's supposed love for Ophelia is only temporary, by comparing it to such things, for example, ever-changing youthful pleasures and fashion. It is with this assumption that Laertes dominates the discussion, whilst Ophelia only manages one-line utterances in response to his negative assertions.

On the other hand Ophelia's relative passiveness in response to the scepticism of both Laertes and Polonius in Act 1, Scene 3, could be as a result of her confusion about the true nature of her relationship with Hamlet as opposed to the ease of which she can be manipulated. This is shown in Ophelia's response to the scornful Polonius 'I do not know my lord what should I think'. This line suggests that Ophelia is less weak and more uncertain of whether or not to believe all of what Laertes and Polonius, whom she has a close relationship with, are saying. An alternative interpretation of this line, however, could deem Ophelia as lacking in her own independence of thought. This would suggest that she is used to or happy with accepting the thoughts of men; diminishing her sense of character whilst making her susceptible to the influence of Laertes and Polonius. A trait of which would reflect society at the time of her portrayal, wherein women of a lower social class in particular were seen as possessions and were not free to do what they want. This is demonstrated when Polonius states 'And with a larger tedder may he walk than may be given you'. These lines represent the social context surrounding Ophelia's character, suggesting that people, especially those of a lower class, were prisoner to their parents which would account for her suggested 'weakness'.

However, whilst Ophelia may seem rather passive and withdrawn throughout most of her discourse with Polonius and Laertes, this is not always the case. The bold, more feisty side of Ophelia's character emerges in her longest response to Laertes 'Whiles like puffed and reckless libertine...And recks not his own rede'. It is in this line that we see the older and wiser side to Ophelia in her suggestion that Laertes should follow his own advice when in France and not be a hypocrite. This side can also be seen in the line 'I shall the'effect...keep as watchman to my heart' an example of equivocation which could have more than one meaning. Depending on the interpretation of this line, Ophelia could be seen as being somewhat ironic due to her awareness of Laertes tendency to be wild and free. Or it could be interpreted as Ophelia's acceptance and understanding of all that Laertes has said, in concordance with the more submissive view of her character. Act 2, Scene 1 seemingly provides evidence for the latter interpretation. This is shown when Ophelia reveals 'I did repel his letters, and denied his access to me.' Despite showing signs of confusion over Hamlet's love for her in Act 1, Scene 3, Ophelia still followed Polonius's order and obeyed his wishes, suggesting that Ophelia is indeed lacking in autonomy.

It would appear that whilst Ophelia does show signs of independence through her speech. Her actions are largely governed by the requests of the people around her such as Polonius and Laertes. Hence, when faced with the uncertainty of Hamlet's love she remained loyal to her father and brother and not perhaps to herself. This is because Ophelia is portrayed as a largely weak character with a tendency to question her true beliefs when faced with the doubt of others, contributing to her manipulation and overall ability to be influenced. In short, Ophelia is a product of her time, for example, the historical and social context of the late medieval period. It is with this in mind that Ophelia can be considered as a conformist to the social role imposed upon her which is evident in both of the considered scenes; a suppressed, less-privileged woman, who can be bought and sold much like an object of a man's affections.