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Understanding Ophelia's Madness

Understanding Ophelia's madness in Hamlet plays a key role in understanding her character. The opening of Act IV Scene v shows the extent of her madness, with her incessant singing and prattling worrying everyone. The characters attribute her madness to come “All from her father's death” (IV.v.76). However, according to Carroll Camden, a renowned critic, this is wrong. The cause of her madness is not the tragic death of Polonius, but the death of everything between her and Hamlet.

Ophelia is crestfallen when she is told that she cannot meet with Hamlet anymore. She thinks back on the advice her father and brother had given her about the shallowness of Hamlet's love, and at first she does not believe them. However, her stubbornness against her father's will is tested when Hamlet appears in her bedchamber, looking haggard and unkempt. He grabs her arm, brushes her hair away, and heaves a great sigh. He then leaves, staring at her with an unwavering gaze. This makes Ophelia feel......


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Approximate Word Count: 724
Approximate Pages: 3 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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