Essay on Gertrude and Ophelia’s Death in Shakespeares Hamlet

Gertrude and Ophelia’s Death in Hamlet  Ã‚   The Queen gives a remarkably detailed account of Ophelia’s death leaving one to believe that she may have witnessed the event. We know that she emphasized with Ophelia’s suffering to such an extent that perhaps she realized that the kindest action to take would be to let Ophelia decide her own fate, although she clearly was not in a fit state of mind to do this and was barely aware of her surroundings â€Å"incapable of her own distress.† Ophelia’s death is â€Å"beautified† as she dies in a romantic and beautiful scene befitting her character where she was surrounded by her garland of flowers. (Ophelia herself was â€Å"beautified† in a letter from Hamlet which Polonius found to be a â€Å"vile phrase.†) There is much detail, leading me to believe that Gertrude is trying to soften the blow for Laertes who is already enraged over his father’s death and his sister’s madness; the King says, â€Å"How much I had to do to cl am his rage.† This is a typically selfish reaction of Claudius which serves to emphasize the need for Laertes to control his grief, as he is an extremely fiery character. Ophelia died after collecting flowers from over a brook. I think that she was collecting them to distribute to the court, as she did after her father’s death. Flowers are a symbol of innocence, pure and easily destroyed. The tree she was crawling along whilst collecting these garlands was a willow, which is usually associated with weeping and grief, something we have assigned to the â€Å"watery† (perhaps with tears) character of Ophelia. The branches of a willow hang down towards the ground in a downcast fashion, indicating grief. The personification even extends to her garments that were â€Å"too heavy with heir drink.† The ... ...h his actions do not reflect this thought now, he had previously written her a note saying, â€Å"But that I love thee best, O most best, believe it.† Apart from the ambiguity surrounding her death and her love for Hamlet, Ophelia is described by all as an innocent child, grappling with situations her youth is unprepared for. Even if she had consummated her love for Hamlet, I can still picture Ophelia as a vulnerable and innocent child who has to cope with situations beyond her control in a world where the role of the female is passive. It is this helplessness which Gertrude wants to look after as she â€Å"hoped thou should’st have been my Hamlet’s wife† and her madness which Gertrude wants to save her form by allowing Ophelia to make the decision over life and death. Work Cited Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. 1600? Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: Signet Classic, 1998