Ophelia's death is appropriate for her character. She is
paralyzed in a man's world, caught between her love of Hamlet and her duty to her
father. Both men let her down. When Hamlet kills Polonius, Ophelia loses both her
father and the man she loves. As a result, she cracks. She has an emotional breakdown
and truly goes mad. Whereas Hamlet only pretends madness, Ophelia completely loses her
sanity.
As she goes to gather flowers for a garland, the
slender reed that she climbed upon could not support her weight (much as the men in her
life provide flimsy support), and she falls into the brook. Not having the wits to save
herself, her garments pull her down, and she sinks. So the death is partly accidental
but caused by a paralysis of spirit and wit--and quite representative of her actions
earlier in the play. In spite of herself, she had become caught up in the "corrupted
currents of the world," when she helped Polonius spy on
Hamlet.
If it is suicide, it is a passive suicide. The
priest at Ophelia's funeral believes her death is a suicide, but Laertes does not. The
gravediggers also debate the question. Just as many actions in
Hamlet are difficult to judge, Ophelia's death is no
exception.
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