Lisa Klein’s YA novel Ophelia (and movie) approaches the events of Hamlet from Ophelia’s point of view, suggesting what might happen to her between and beyond the lines of Shakespeare’s play.
Ophelia (/ oʊˈfiːliə / oh-FEE-lee-ə) is a character in William Shakespeare 's drama Hamlet (1599–1601). She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet. Due to Hamlet's actions, Ophelia ultimately becomes mad and drowns.
Soon enough, Ophelia captures the affections of the young Prince Hamlet. A passionate romance kindles between the 2 in secret as the kingdom is on the brink of war amidst its own political intrigue and betrayal.
Ophelia’s role in the play revolves around her relationships with three men. She is the daughter of Polonius, the sister of Laertes, and up until the beginning of the play’s events, she has also been romantically involved with Hamlet.
We will start discussing the famous Ophelia (1851–1852) by John Everett Millais with a brief contextual analysis exploring the subject matter based on Hamlet and the artist’s process of creating the composition.
Ophelia, daughter of Polonius, sister to Laertes, and rejected lover of Hamlet in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet. Ophelia’s mad scene (Act IV, scene 5) is one of the best known in Western literature, and her tragic figure, that of innocence gone mad, has often been portrayed in art.
Of all the pivotal characters in Hamlet, Ophelia is the most static and one-dimensional. She has the potential to become a tragic heroine -- to overcome the adversities inflicted upon her -- but she instead crumbles into insanity, becoming merely tragic.