Question

Discuss two interpretations of Ophelia’s death. How do both of the interpretations contribute to the tragedy of the play? Your answer should be at least 150 words.

Answer 1

Ophelia is a representation of an oppressed women in the Elizabethan era. During this time hysteria and madness was attributed to women only and hence her death wasn't a surprise. She can be seen as a tragic character who was weak and driven to her death by her male counterparts or she could be seen as headstrong and taking control of her own life in the only way she could.

If her death was an accident, she would have drowned because she did not have the will to save herself, reinforcing the belief that women were weak-willed and foolish. However if she purposefully killed herself she could be seen as independent and someone who subverted the social expectations of a women during that time. She turned her oppression and yielded the only power she had over her life. She also did this without much hesitation, which, in comparison to Hamlet's lengthy indecision to kill himself, could be seen as headstrong and purposeful

Answer 2

Ophelia's death could be understood - as Gertrude contents - as being an accident.  According to this view, Ophelia's branch snapped and she drowned in the river below.  According to this viewpoint, Ophelia's death is tragic because it was a meaningless accident; her life is lost not by her own design or in response to the events transpiring around her, but because of the whims of chance and accident.  On the other hand, Ophelia's death can be understood as being a suicide: Ophelia died, then, due to being driven mad because of her unrequited love for Hamlet and society's unreasonable expectations for women and their behavior.  This understanding of her death is tragic because it shows the extent to which Ophelia was wounded and oppressed.