Ophelia's Contribution in Hamlet

One thing critics of Hamlet can agree on is that Ophelia, though brief in appearance, enamored readers and audiences because of her cryptic death and her symbol of innocence in the play. Linda Wagner claims she "is pictured as the epitome of unsophistication and of purity" (Wagner 94). While the play mostly focuses on Hamlet and forces the reader to sympathize and view him as a misunderstood character, it practically brushes over Ophelia's struggle as unimportant. That is unfortunate since there are many aspects to Ophelia's characters that are worth being examined.
In her five scenes of the play, Ophelia proves to be obedient and respectful to the men in her life, Hamlet, her brother, Laertes, and her father, Polonius. When Laertes gives her advice on her love life, she responds, "I shall the effect of this good lesson keep as watchmen to my heart", and then tells him to follow his own advice as well (Shakespeare 21). When Polonius forbids her......

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Title: Ophelia's Contribution In Hamlet
Approximate Word Count: 1256
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