Ophelia - The Innocent Victim in Shakespeare's HamletPoor Ophelia has lost her lover, her father, her spirit and, posthumously, her brother. Ophelia is Hamlet's only truly innocent victim. This essay will examine Ophelia's downward spiral from a chaste young girl to a nervous wreck. From the beginning of the play, in Act I, scene iii, Laertes and Polonius try to convince her that Hamlet does not love her and is only interested in her, so he can sleep with her. Laertes says "Perhaps he loves you now, ...... His greatness has weighed, his will is not his own." He tells Ophelia that she will probably be heartbroken because of Hamlet's high birth. He may not be able to choose who he marries, so even if he loves Ophelia, he will never be able to marry her due to the difference in their social classes. This can't have a good effect on Ophélie, her brother telling her that her relationship with the one she loves is doomed to failure from the start! Polonius said to him, "Poo-poo affection! You speak like a green girl, / Untamed in such perilous circumstances. / Do you believe his offers, as you call them?" He means that even though Lord Hamlet showed many signs of affection towards Ophelia, it cannot be real. He says that Ophelia is blinded by Hamlet's charm and that she is inexperienced (untamed) in this kind of situation. He later goes on to say that these affections are just "...springs for catching woodcocks" (traps for catching stupid little birds.) Why does Ophélie's family find it necessary to make her lose morale about his relationship with Hamlet? Can't they let her find out for herself? This, in my opinion, is a good example of how Ophelia is victimized in this play. Later in the play, when Hamle...... middle of paper ...... shows how Ophelia is the real victim in Hamlet. . Everyone who was killed in the play had done at least something wrong to justify their death, but what did Ophelia do? Did Shakespeare intend to make Ophelia an innocent victim? Was this his way of adding to the feeling of loss or waste that one is supposed to feel after seeing the play performed? I believe this to be true, but we can only speculate as to why he did this. Works CitedShakespeare, William. The tragedy of Hamlet, prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html No line nos. Showalter, Elaine. “Representing Ophelia: women, madness and the responsibilities of feminist criticism.” William Shakespeare: Hamlet. Ed. Susanne L. Wofford. Case studies in contemporary criticism. Boston: Saint Martin, 1994. 220-240.