Her death is reported by Queen Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, in great poetic detail as though she had witnessed the poor girl’s death. The gravediggers indulge in a spate of black comedy that culminates in Hamlet's matching wits with the adeptly paradoxical First Gravedigger. I don't think her death at this point was murder because she wasn't insane long enough for someone to deem that was really her problem and she must be dealt with. Ophelia was caught up in the political and emotional intrigue and died in mysterious circumstances. He says that Ophelia's death was "doubtful," and "but that great command o'ersways the order, / She should in ground unsanctified have lodged" (5.1.228-229). Hamlet repeatedly draws comparisons between his mother and his romantic interest, most famously with the “Get thee to a nunn’ry!” scene. I've always seen her death as the accidental outcome of her madness. No happy accidental death when it comes to crazy people. Ophelia’s death was a very tragic and sorrowful event in the play. What's your opinion r/shakespeare? Ophelia’s death is, arguably, an honorable one, characterized by her willingness to let go of her submissive, earth-bound self and leave the world no longer a victim. If a dead person was brought to a coroner's inquest, the fact that that person was a lunatic was offered as a demonstration that the death was more likely suicidal that accidental. Regarding Gertrude’s death, your rationale coupled with literary evidence from the text makes me seriously reconsider Gertrude’s death as necessary, and further, a suicide. Whether or not her death was a suicide is the subject of much debate among Shakespearean scholars. And Horatio almost certainly wasn’t Gertrude’s source for the details of Ophelia’s death because after scene V, Horatio was busy with the sailors delivering Hamlet’s letters in scene 6. "It was quite a surprise to find Jane Shaxspere's entry in the coroners' reports - it might just be a coincidence, but the links to Ophelia are certainly tantalising," he said. She did not commit suicide because she wanted to escape the ‘real world,’ she was merely unable to consciously decide her fate. That is, if he had had his way, the "order" for a suicide would have been followed, and Ophelia would have been buried in unsanctified ground, and rocks thrown on her grave. Modern times have shown more often then not, people with mental illnesses are much more likely to die of suicide than anything else. None attending her could swim. What causes Ophelia's death? Outright madness was also considered prima-facie evidence that a suicide had occurred. by Sam Ruck (Circle 5) Ophelia in the fourth act of Hamlet is demonstrably insane, but the direct cause of her slipped sanity is something that remains debatable.While it is evident that Ophelia is grieving over the death of her father, Polonius, as Horatio says of her “She speaks much of her father, says she hears / There’s tricks in the world, and hems, and beats her heart” … Accidental drowning is probably a better fate for Ophelia since her recent bout with craziness was going to get her killed eventually. Tragically, her death also imitated that of Ophelia's in that there was (and remains) dispute over whether the laudanum overdose that proved fatal was purposeful or accidental. There is a great deal of debate whether Ophelia really attempted suicide or that the event was completely accidental. When Gertrude informs Claudius and Laertes of her tragic death, she says that she was singing old lauds by the river before the water took her (4.7.176). 1 Answers. This dialogue introduces the audience to the notion that Ophelia has killed herself, even though Gertrude's report made the death seem accidental. I've been reading and researching Hamlet and find in most of my readings the author talks about "Ophelia's suicide." Only one person was attending Ophelia and she ran for help. However, unlike Watts’s prostitute, Ophelia was an accidental martyr. It is widely believed that “Living life without honor is a tragedy bigger than death itself” and this holds true for Hamlet’s Ophelia. In her essay on the subject, Barbara Smith states, “Freud […] sees even inadvertent actions, including falling or slipping, as carrying out an unconscious death wish Ophelia's death is reported by Gertrude: Hamlet's would-be bride falls from a tree and drowns in a brook. LOGIN TO VIEW ANSWER. She didn’t choose death, it chose her. What do the symbols on the Periodic Table mean? Ophelia’s accidental drowning shows her as a victim of circumstance among people who … In Act 4 Scene 7, Queen Gertrude reports that Ophelia had climbed into a willow tree (There is a willow grows aslant the brook), and that the branch had broken and dropped Ophelia into the brook, where she drowned. When he says “Her death was doubtful,” he refers to the ambiguous circumstances of her death. Or, perhaps, was Ophelia’s death an accident, or a murder? During the scene at her grave, the priest expresses doubts that Ophelia’s death was accidental as was claimed, though he suggests she killed herself. Posted by AllisonR at 7:52 AM. ? In addition, Ophelia’s death is yet another death caused indirectly by the lust for revenge that Hamlet has, as his words spurn her into madness and into the waters of … Another view about Ophelia's death. Related Questions in English. In reading the play I see a case for both accidental drowning and suicide from madness and depression. Hundreds of years after her death, she remains the picture that comes into people's heads when they hear the name 'Ophelia', even to those who have never heard her name. Ophelia: Accidental Death or Suicide? And what is the difference between apoptosis and necrosis? Gertrude must have been at … What is cell death? Without interrupting the action of the drama, her funeral serves as a brief respite for the audience before the breathless on-rush of the fast approaching and final catastrophe. Boston, Stratford & Co. From the death of Ophelia, we naturally pass to the scene of her burial. Was Ophelia's death an accident or suicide? The audience first learns of Ophelia’s death from Gertrude, who reveals the nature of the incident “as accidental, passive, involuntary, [and] mad” when, in IV.vii.173 she proclaims that “an envious sliver broke” when Ophelia was sitting on a branch of a willow tree singing her mad songs (Neely 326). A branch broke while she was hanging a garland of flowers, and she fell in. In general, people who make accusations about a king, even in a distracted state, don’t last very long. A. the death of his father B. the attack of Fortinbras C. Ophelia's suicide D. the accidental murder of Polonius. This description might support Ophelia's accidental death as a result of her madness. In fact the detail of her narrative is what makes it so suspicious. But Dr Gunn says they were taken aback to find an account of the death of a girl who might have been a young cousin of her contemporary, William Shakespeare. Where did Gertrude get the details of Ophelia’s death? Nobody jumped in to try to save Ophelia. O proud death, What feast is toward in thine eternal cell, ... Of accidental judgments, casual slaughters, Of deaths put on by cunning and forced cause, And, in … Possibilities in favour of accidental death: Horatio, ordered to Follow her close; give her good watch, was absent, having gone to meet Hamlet. For example, Gold-Au, Silver-Ag, Lead-Pb, Potassium-K, Tin-Sn, Iron-Fe, and Mercury-Hg, where did these symbols come from? Ophelia's Burial From The Riddles of Hamlet by Simon Augustine Blackmore. The coroner, it is true, afterwards decided at the inquest (V. i. Ophelia’s madness and suicide are the counterpoint to Hamlet’s feigned madness and accidental death. Bear in mind that in the deeply religious culture that was the basis for the inception of Hamlet, suicide was a mortal sin, bearing with it the consequence of eternal punishment and damnation, burial in unconsecrated ground and shame to be forever associated with the deceased. She had become one of the most interesting characters and madness drives her to her “muddy death” (4.7.182). This might be the thing that I might include my paper which tells … What would Gertrude's motive be? Gertrude explained earlier that Ophelia fell into a water bucket by accident, but made no attempt to save herself. Gertrude also points out that Ophelia did not seem to have any idea of the danger she was in while she sang old songs and sank into the water. AHuxley … About one minute after Ophelia left the palace, Gertrude followed her. English. While there is certainly room for conjecture centering on Aphelion’s murder or on accident, it was in fact, a suicide, Aphelion’s madness and suicide are the counterpoint to Hamlets feigned madness and accidental death. Ophelia’s death symbolizes a life spent passively tolerating Hamlet’s manipulations and the restrictions imposed by those around her, while struggling to maintain the last shred of her dignity. Hamlet’s confrontation with death, manifested primarily in his discovery of Yorick’s skull, is, like Ophelia’s drowning, an enduring image from the play. How do I find the molar mass of the elements on the periodic table? But it's interesting that people would hold Gertrude responsible for her death. Submit your answer. It's actually never seemed to me that Ophelia did commit suicide, in the sense of intending to destroy herself. I thought accident and suicide were the main ones but welcome to different ideas (accidental suicide given her mental state or murder??? Gertrude decides her falling into the water was apparently accidental. Her martyrdom was not in atonement but in merciful preservation of her innocence and chastity. Asked By adminstaff @ 24/12/2019 05:27 PM. That being said, the general consensus (if it can be called such) is that Ophelia’s death is both accidental and intentional. 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