Shakespeare's Hamlet - Book Report/Review Example

(Showalter Elan 77-94) Ophelia is an imaginary character in Shakespeare's play, Hamlet. She is a dignified young woman of Denmark and is the daughter of Polonius, Laertes' sister and the love of Prince Hamlet. Though Ophelia has a possibility of turning out to be a tragic heroin by overcoming atrocities afflicted to her, she succumbs to insanity and becomes just a catastrophic character. She is not used in the play to represent the overall nature of women, but simply to show how her love Hamlet view women due to the attitude he has towards his mother.

(Showalter Elan 77) She is portrayed as one who is the essence of goodness, very nave and unaware of difficulties of life. She is also loyal to her father and brother in that when they advice her to keep away from Hamlet, she agrees to it without questioning even though her love for Hamlet is strong.She has a pure heart and is very honest in that the only time when she tells a lie, about her eavesdropping father, she does it out of fear. She is timid in response to her suffering in such a way as not to defend herself from Hamlet's brutality when he killed her father but loves him to the very end when she dies tragically (Showalter Elan 78) Getrude is Hamlet's mother and is the direct opposite of her.

According to Hamlet, his mother has betrayed his real father, He says" a bloody deed almost as bad, good mother, as kill a king and marry with his brother." Getrude is nave to the injustices being committed in Denmark. (Showalter Elan 87)She marries her brother in law who had murdered her husband and does not show any guilt about it. Also, when she is dying after taking a cup of poison meant for Hamlet by the king she does not acknowledge any of the sins. She is a passionate mother as she tries to cheer her son when she realizes how he has been affected by his father's death and Ophelia's rejection.

She sends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to raise Hamlets spirit and asks him to sit next to her as they watch the play ("The murder of Gonzago"). (Showalter Elan 97) Gertrude is repugnant to the truth. She deceives herself about the consequences of her deeds and lies to those around her. When Hamlet confronts her for what he considers incestuous act, she does not want to comprehend why her son is so furious with her. However her falsehoods are not wicked and cruel but she feels that she must tell those lies so that both herself and those around her can remain safe.

For instant, she does not tell Claudius that Hamlet has killed Polonius, but, she decides to protect Hamlet by telling the king that, he is weeping because of what she has done. (Showalter Elan 87)Gertrude receives great devotion from Hamlet, his father, and Claudius due to the way she shows great emotion. For instance, when Hamlet becomes furious and confronts her she becomes so emotional and replies, (Showalter Elan 87) "O Hamlet, speak no more: Thou turn'st my very eyes into my soul, And there I see such black and grained