The Significance of the Manner in Which Ophelia Dies

There on the p abateant boughs her coronet widows weeds/ Clambering to hang, an envious sliver broke, When d birth her weedy trophies and herself/ Fell in the crying brook. Her clothes spread wide, And mermaid-like awhile they bore her up (line 197-201 , sham 4, pictorial matter 7). Shakespeare, by letting Aphelia dr suffers herself, to some ex ten-spotts alleviates the pain of death and pictures a stunning Aphelia drowned In water with her beauty minded and preserved.By comparing Aphelia to a mermaid-like figure, Shakespeare gives unsubstantial characteristics to her death and makes it smoother for Aphelia, whose liveness has been tragic enough. The fact that Aphelia was suffocated under her own dress and that her feminine clothes made her impossible to swim is a metaphor of womens helplessness at the time being Aphelia dies with turn up any self- self-abnegation or mobility. Shakespeare implies the role of women in society and how being a cleaning lady gives Aphelia no chanc e to react even in death.At the same time, Aphelia peps apprisal Which time she chanted snatches of old lauds/ As one incapable of her own distress/ Or Like a creature native and endued/ Unto that element. (line 202-205, act as 4, Scene 7). Her cantillate reminds audience of her madness In Scene 5 and 6, In which she sings songs about men and death. Audience may Identify Aphelions chanting as a trace of madness, but also her singing on the verge of death portrays a passive let-go of Life Aphelia clearly has no Intention of fighting back or even crying out for help. Compared to Aphelions conversations with Polonium andHamlet throughout the play, it is clear that Aphelia never has any voice or reaction to the events of her life her madness, her destiny and even her death are caused and retold by others. For several times throughout the play Aphelia is pictured with flowers. At the end of Act 4, Scene 7, her death is again associated with symbolic floral images therewith fantastic garlands did she make/ Of cornflowers, nettles, daisies, and long purples/ That liberal shepherds give a grosser fall upon/ But our cold maids do dead mens fingers call them. baseball club 193-196, Act 4, Scene 7). Flowers are symbols of Aphelions tragic life, being a victim of disruptive events mostly caused by men. Cornflower symbolizes a dream of lover, characterization a dying Aphelia still thinking about Hamlet and his lovel. Nettles have in mind her bad luck and tragic destiny while daisies represent detached love2. The long purples represent Aphelions loss in love Wendell at ten same time audience can assume Tanat a grosser depict raters to sexuality3.By calling long purples dead mens fingers, Shakespeare implies the causes of Aphelions death as her life is destined by men (Hamlet, Polonium and Alerts) reminding audience of the song which she sings prior Larded all with sweet flowers/ Which between to the ground did not go/ With true-love showers. (line 43-45, Act 4, Scene 5). By associating Aphelions figure with the presence of flowers, Shakespeare also lets audience shaft about womens beauty and fragility as that of flowers although women are romantic and passably outside, they are truly somber and vulnerable indeed.