William Shakespeare s Hamlet - A Feminist Criticism Lens...

There is a great debate surrounding what instigated Ophelia’s madness in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. By examining Ophelia through a feminist criticism lens we can better understand the origin of her madness. Ophelia spend her life devoutly obeying her father. When Ophelia attempts to describe the nature of her and Prince Hamlet’s relationship and discloses that â€Å"He hath, my lord, of late made many tenders / Of his affection to me,† (1. 3. 100-101) her father ridicules her feelings and states â€Å"Affection? Pooh! You speak like a green girl, / Unsifted in such perilous circumstances. / Do you believe his tenders, as you call them?† (1. 3. 102-104). After Polonius demands that Ophelia stop seeing Prince Hamlet she concurs— â€Å"I shall obey, my lord† (1. 4. 136). Furthermore, Polonius uses his daughter to spy on Prince Hamlet (1. 3). Ophelia does all that is asked of her, not once taking consideration for her own feelings. She does not have any control over her own life—that is enough to cause anyone to go insane. Prince Hamlet and Ophelia’s relationship is extremely barbaric due to Prince Hamlet’s cruel behavior towards her. Ophelia is forced by her father to give all the letters he wrote her back: â€Å"My honored lord, you know right well what you did, / And with them words of so sweet breath composed / As made the things more rich. Their perfume lost, / Take these again, for to the noble mind / Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind. / There my lord† (3. 1.