Ophelia - The innocent victim in Shakespeare's Hamlet Poor Ophelia, lost her lover, her father, her mind and, posthumously, her brother. Ophelia is Hamlet's only truly innocent victim. This essay will examine Ophelia's downward spiral from chaste maiden to 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 weighed, his will is not his own." He is telling Ophelia that she will probably be heartbroken because of Hamlet's noble birth. He may not be able to choose who to marry, so even though he may love 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 Ophelia, her brother tells her that her relationship with the person she loves is doomed to fail from the start! Polonius tells her "Love pooh! You speak like a green girl, / Not sifted in such dangerous circumstances. / Do you believe his offers, what do you call them?" It means that although Lord Hamlet has shown many signs of affection towards Ophelia, it cannot be real. It is saying that Ophelia is blinded by Hamlet's charm and is inexperienced (Not sifted) in this type of situation. He then goes on to say that these affections are simply "...springs for catching woodcocks" (traps for catching stupid little birds). Why does Ophelia's family feel it necessary to bring down her mood regarding her relationship with Hamlet? Can't they just let her figure it out on her own? This, in my opinion, is a good example of how Ophelia is victimized in this play. Later in the play, when Hamle... in the center of the paper... shows how Ophelia is the real victim in Hamlet. . Everyone else killed in the play had done at least something evil to justify their deaths, but what had Ophelia done? Did Shakespeare intend Ophelia to be an innocent victim? Was this his way of increasing the feeling of loss or waste one is supposed to feel after seeing the play performed? I believe this to be true, but we can only speculate as to his reasons for doing so. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. The tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html No lines 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: San Martino, 1994. 220-240.