Ophelia in Hamlet

In Hamlet, the character Ophelia plays multiple roles. First is that of an innocent girl. Throughout most of the play, between her father and her brother she is always being told what to do, and she always obeys their demands. At the same time however, Hamlet accuses her of lacking any innocence. He essentially tells her that she belongs in a brothel because she is destined to cheat on her future husband. These insults hurt her even more than they would normally because she is convinced that Hamlet loves her before this. The other role that she plays is that of the victim. Initially she is the victim of Hamlet's madness, whether it is feigned or legitimate. He swings dramatically from loving her to insulting her and denying his love. She is also a victim of the violence in the play. When Hamlet kills Polonius, he is surprisingly indifferent, caring only enough to call Polonius a fool. Gertrude also seems not to care as much as she should. Ophelia is one of the few characters who is hurt both by Hamlet's madness and violence, and serves as a reminder that his actions were indeed terrible things to do.