Ophelia: To Be or Not To Be

Ophelia: To Be or Not to Be

In Hamlet, did Ophelia commit suicide, did Gertrude kill her or was her fall simply an accident? There are many reasons that Ophelia may have accidentally died or committed suicide. However, why then did Gertrude know so much about how Ophelia died without having saved her? How did she know Ophelia was singing unless she was close enough to hear it and therefore close enough to attempt to save her? There is much evidence that Gertrude may have been at fault for Ophelia’s death. Gertrude was the only character to witness the death of Ophelia, Gertrude talks of guilt before seeing Ophelia the last time in either foreshadowing or in guilt over the entire tragedy, Ophelia dies shortly after she seems to know of Gertrude’s involvement in her first husband’s death, it would help the family theme and Gertrude and Ophelia are foils of each other. Ophelia may have been pushed to the brink of insanity, but even so, why was she not saved if Gertrude was close enough to witness in such detail? Perhaps Gertrude thought it was better to leave Ophelia to drown which is murder even so, out of pure negligence.

Gertrude was the only character to bear witness to Ophelia’s end and, according to her, Ophelia fell into the river when trying to hang her “fantastic garlands” on a tree and a branch broke (Shakespeare 1427). Gertrude recounts that Ophelia was “one incapable of her own distress,” (Shakespeare 1427) thus meaning Gertrude felt Ophelia did not know of the danger she was in. Gertrude tells Hamlet that Ophelia did not struggle to escape the river, and instead sung "snatches of old lauds," (Shakespeare 1427) until finally the weight of the water seeping into her thick and heavy clothes pulled her under the water and she drowned. Gertrude is clearly trying hard to convince her new husband, the King, and Laertes, Ophelia's brother, that Ophelia did not realize the danger she was in or was too insane to care, but for what purpose?

In Act IV Scene 5, Ophelia comes to see Gertrude, who refuses until Horatio points out that Ophelia’s insanity may attract unwanted attention to the royal family and herself. Gertrude subsequently agrees to see Ophelia but just before seeing the extent of Ophelia’s madness, Gertrude comments that “So full of artless jealousy is guilt, It spills itself in fearing to be split” (Shakespeare 1416), which means that a guilty conscience makes you foolishly suspicious to the point where you make your guilt obvious for others to see. This moment could be seen as foreshadowing or it could be seen as a plea of guilt in this whole tragedy. Gertrude played a part in her first husband’s demise, leading to what seems to be her son’s madness, the death of Polonius, and many other misfortunate events yet to happen before her admission of guilt.

Following this, Ophelia enters and the majority of the time sings, seemingly random, bits and pieces of tragic songs about unrequited love, death, and chaos. Both the King and Queen try to speak to her but she does not speak any sense. The King instructs Horatio to follow her when she leaves, however, a few minutes later Ophelia returns without any mention of Horatio returning as well. When Ophelia exits, again, she will not return. It should be noted that Gertrude exits just after Ophelia and there will be no mention of either of them again until Gertrude enters on a conversation between Laertes and the King with news of Ophelia’s drowning. Also to be noted, Horatio was almost certainly not a witness to Ophelia’s demise because after scene V, he was occupied delivering Hamlet’s letters.

When speaking with the King and Queen, Ophelia responded with words that seemed almost passively accusatory although mostly directed at the Queen. Thus begins when Ophelia first enters the room, asking, “Where is the beauteous majesty of Denmark?” (Shakespeare 1416). It is unclear whether Gertrude and Ophelia got along well prior to this, but her opening statement upon gaining entrance to see the Queen is questionable in genuinity regardless.

When Queen Gertrude asks Ophelia why she’s singing, Ophelia responds not with an answer but with more song, “Say you? Nay, pray you mark. He is dead and gone, lady, he is dead and gone; At his head a grass-green turf, At his heels a stone,” later continuing with, “Larded all with sweet flowers; Which bewept to the grave did not go With true-love showers,” (Shakespeare 1417). She’s basically saying, mark my words, he is dead and I know you had something to do with it, you did not weep at his grave with true love.

Due to Gertrude’s status as the only witness and also as the Queen, she could say nearly whatever her heart desired, as for the reason of Ophelia’s death and those listening would have to accept it as truth. Therefore, what if Ophelia was actually drowned by Gertrude? Evidence seems to suggest that Ophelia may have found out that Gertrude was in on the plot against her first husband with his brother King Claudius and Polonius. If Ophelia then found out about Hamlet’s own mother’s involvement in his father’s death, Gertrude would not have wanted Ophelia to tell Hamlet and risk her own death or his, Thus giving Gertrude the perfect motive to kill Ophelia.

It is not unlikely that Ophelia did go mad and become suicidal. For was she not insane and suicidal at least to taunt the Queen in her own court, however passive aggressively she did it? Hamlet, her lover, swears he never loved her. She must live in her former lover’s castle, without any family around as her brother, Laertes, is still in France. Not only is Ophelia without her father and brother but her mother is also dead, so one must realize that Ophelia has not only lost her father but in the same hand been made an orphan.

It would seem that Ophelia is lost without the counsel of the men in her family. The medieval tenet that the father's word is unquestionable seems to govern Ophelia, therefore meaning the loss of her father not only signified the loss of an important family member yet also the loss of an easy life in which all she had to do was listen obediently and stand still and look pretty. In addition to all of her recent loss, Ophelia’s childlike life is now over and she exposed to frightening new freedom, in which she is allowed to think for herself. She’s utterly