It’s always seemed to me that Ophelia is meant to show a contrast with Hamlet. He is in his dither about whether or not to obey his father, or the ghost of his father, if it even is his father… but I digress… Meanwhile, Ophelia has led the more sheltered life of women of her day. She obeyed her father without question — unlike what Hamlet is feeling. She has wished her brother off on his life without ever seeming to want one for herself.

Then, her very real madness is the opposite of his feigned madness. She has gone on to experience the depth of emotion that Hamlet has denied himself — perhaps out of fear of where it could lead. If she were not so tortured, Hamlet would not see the example of what he does not want to have happen to himself.

Technorati : Shakespeare