'Laertes and Polonius Essay\r'

'When Ophelia tells her father of hamlet’s â€Å"holy vows from heaven,” his harsh rebuke â€Å"springes to elate up with woodcocks” worryns her to a game bird considered to be foolish. He later speaks of her as if she were zip more than an animal; â€Å"I’ll unfounded my daughter to him” (II. ii. 160) which again indicates his lack of watch for his daughter. He and Claudius were concerned only with juncture and so she becomes lost in a â€Å"sea of troubles. ” Ophelia highlights key themes in the revivify, edifice on the ideas of deception, funkyness and patriarchy that move through it.\r\nTwo central themes of the symbolise are deception and the problem of take a leak a distinction between compositionner and creation. Few things in the present are what they seem to be; Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are plain village’s friends, except are in fact spies commissioned by Claudius. There is a play indoors ‘ juncture’ itself. Spying or eavesdropping occurs and â€Å" pull a face villains” referred to. The actions of Ophelia to a fault highlight this idea in a variety of ways. Ophelia is overly utilise to portray the theme by the wasting disease of imagery.\r\nPolonius instructs her to â€Å"read on this book, / that show of much(prenominal) an exercise whitethorn colour / your loneliness. We are oft to blame in this, / ’tis besides much proved, that with devotion’s physiognomy / and pious action we do chicken feed o’er /the d detestation himself” (III. i. 44-49). This shows how a holy face can be put on something to cover evil deeds. The expressions of love may appear authoritative to Ophelia, who speaks of Hamlet’s ‘affection’ for her, but (if Polonius and Laertes are to be believed) in realness they may be false, concealing slight honourable intentions.\r\nPolonius swears that the ‘tenders of (Hamletâ€⠄¢s) affections’ for her are absolute ‘brokers, non of that dye which their invest custodyts show / But mere implorators of unholy suits. ” They may be traps, ‘springes to catch woodcocks. ‘ Ophelia excessively try outs to deceive Hamlet when she partakes in her father’s attempt to follow the ca make use of of Hamlet’s foreign behaviour. She appears to be alone and lies that her father is â€Å"at home” when in reality he is eavesdropping on their conversation.\r\nAs previously discussed, Ophelia may only appear to be a nai??ve, gratuitous maid and be, in reality, the genuinely(prenominal) opposite. In addition, her true madness contrasts with and so highlights the false nature of Hamlet’s. Hamlet comments upon how â€Å"God hath given you /one face, and you make yourselves other” and Ophelia does present various ‘faces’ to disparate characters, according to her relationship to them- acting in nocent with her father, yet far less so in dealings with Hamlet. Hamlet also refers to the masking of reality by Ophelia when he says â€Å"I have heard of your paintings-” Hamlet believes that Ophelia may be deceiving him.\r\nIf the interpretation that she commits self-destruction is correct, then the innocent imagery is another expression of the theme of illusion: her termination appears to be an accident, but in reality is not. Through the play runs the idea of extremity of revenge for the cleansing of social weakenion. This corruption is portrayed in Ophelia’s end, which also hints at the d takefall of Elsinore. Imagery Hamlet adopts in his first soliloquy implies normal corruption of the world and he states that â€Å"things tell and gross in nature / deliver it” (I.ii. 136-137).\r\nHe at that placefore aims to cleanse what is rotten in Denmark, but his give awayure to do so allows the triumph of disease and decay. Laertes warns Ophelia that  " integrity itself ‘scapes not calumnious strokes,/ the canker galls the infants of the spring. ” In addition to Shakespeare employing many images of disease and decay, he also includes several expressions relating to physical declination such as â€Å"the fatness of these blown times” (III. iv. 154) and â€Å"the drossy age” (V. ii. 181).\r\nOphelia’s own deterioration accentuates the theme but while all others perish due to their weaknesses, her demise is brought abtaboo by her virtues. Ophelia leaves from loving too much and for being too pure. The dominance of a stronger, wiser side to her character (hinted at by her comebacks at Laertes) is never realised. The gritty nature of the songs she sings in her madness shows that the corrupt world has taken its toll on the pure Ophelia. As discussed, throughout the play she represents innocence, emphasised by imagery and language.\r\nHer drowning depicts the remnant of innocence itself, thus indi cates Hamlet’s failure and impending disaster for the court. It has been suggested that Shakespeare’s plays â€Å"reflect and voice a manlike anxiety about the uses of patriarchal ply over women, specifically about man’s control over cleaning lady’s sexuality. i?? ” (i?? Coppelia Kahn 1981 Man’s Estate: Masculine Identity in Shakespeare). This could indeed be true of ‘Hamlet,’ where the political world of Elsinore is shown not to be a place where women matter much, and this leads to their destruction.\r\nThey do not have a say in anything; the world is presented as one where men are dominant and, if necessary, prepared to use women (even their own family) to benefit them in hurt of power. Ophelia exemplifies this, confused by what is happening approximately her as she strives to do what Polonius, Laertes and Hamlet want her to. Polonius does not advise Ophelia to be true to herself as he advises Laertes, but points out that Hamlet has the freedom to do as he wishes whereas she does not. She is subject to the double standardized of the difference between male and female person freedom of choice and action.\r\nLaertes is treated very differently by his father in comparison to the lack of regard he shows Ophelia. Ophelia’s wishes are never considered- women had smaller status. Gertrude, too, has limited influence. Claudius and Polonius wield the power. Both women die but Ophelia’s end bears grouchy significance because she is driven to it by events she cannot control. Her stopping point indicates the corrupting effects of the male-dominated political body politic of Elsinore, in which, as Polonius shows, there is subaltern room for the consideration of love.\r\nAll of the characters fail in the sinful world of Elsinore, where there is no possibility for a effect life. Ophelia’s demise adds to Shakespeare’s crude(a) message that evil can triumph. beat seems inevitable, whether they accept the conditions of Elsinore and live with the deceitful principles of the political world as Polonius does, or attempt out love, as Ophelia does, or attempt to find sense in things, like Hamlet. In conclusion, through Ophelia a great appreciation of other characters is achievable.\r\nShe illuminates aspects of Hamlet- his suspicion of women and irresoluteness and, by comparison and contrast with her, also his strength, nobility and sanity. She gives insight into his nature some(prenominal) prior to and following his father’s death, therefore allowing the audience a intermit understanding of (and more sympathy for) him.\r\n similarly revealed are aspects of Laertes and Polonius’ characters. Shakespeare uses Ophelia to add more profundity to the themes of the play, namely the dangers of patriarchy, illusion and corruption. It is through Ophelia that Shakespeare achieves a genuinely tragic response to the play ‘Hamlet’.\r\n'