William Shakespeare s Hamlet - Conversation Enabler

Conversation-Enabler In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia is one of the most elusive characters of the play and her importance is very hard to pinpoint and has raised eyebrows for centuries. For example, the scene of her death is one that artists have depicted over and over, yet that iconic moment is merely alluded to and happens off stage. This reflects Ophelia’s character very well considering that she is often at the periphery of the action; more talked about then talked to. There are many questions surrounding Ophelia and many interpretations to her character. Is she as virtuous as her father and brother want her to be? Does her madness really drive her to suicide or is her drowning actually an accident? Is she more than a pawn? All of those are at the back of the reader’s mind when Hamlet is concerned and her importance can easily be questioned considering how little is known about her. Yet, despite the lack of information about her and her past, and despite how very small her actua l presence in the play is Ophelia remains essential if not to the audience, then at least to the characters surrounding her. She serves as a conversation-enabler in relation to many of the chore themes of the play. Ophelia might be a very passive character, but by her mere presence she allows themes of suicide, madness, and grief to be pushed further by the protagonists that surround her. Both because of what happens to her and because of the way people around her react to those events, Ophelia