Custom Essays: Ophelia as a Sexual Being -- GCSE English Literature Cou

Ophelia as a Sexual Being in settlement In Elaine Showalters essay, feminist criticism allows Ophelia to upstage Hamlet and . . . brings to the shine up . . . the cultural links between femininity, and female grammatical gender (221). In well-nigh of his plays, William Shakespeare has many women in secondary roles, only filling dead berth or causing strife between men. During Shakespeares time, thoughts of women bordered on feeble and deceitful images, leading to the idea of frail, yet conniving creatures. In Hamlet, the constitution Ophelia uses her sexual prowess as a source of power when transaction with the opposite sex. As she weaves her way through the background of the play, she affects the men greatly to become a main focus when critiquing the literary work. Interpretations of Ophelia vary establish on the experts view of sexual importance. The influence she has over Hamlets emotions and desires affects the outcome of their flutter relationship and Hamlets sanity. V iewing Ophelia as a sexual being, one bear surmise that she embodies the very essence of female sexuality. Kenneth Branaghs 1996 film version of Hamlet portrays Ophelia as a siren natural, beautiful, and the perfect object of male desire. In Elaine Showalters essay and Kenneth Branaghs film, the representation of Ophelia gives strong evidence regarding the sexuality Ophelia emanates and her effect on the men surrounding her despite her five short scenes in the play. Ophelias rabid sexuality, uncommon in those moral days, constitutes an image of madness and impropriety resultant in her tragic death by her own hand. With the strong sexuality Ophelia radiates, even her brother Laertes cannot resist her charms. Speaking with Ophelia, Laertes warns h... ...h her fire and passion. William Shakespeare produces this female character, which becomes the most important heroine in all of his literary works. As a symbolism for women everywhere, Ophelia depicts the importance of using the power one has to make a diversity in ones own life. Works Cited Hamlet. Dir. Kenneth Barnagh. Perf. Kenneth Branagh, Kate Winslet, Brian Blessed, Richard Briars, Julie Christie, Billy Crystal, Derek Jacobi, Michael Maloney. Castle Rock, 1996. Showalter, Elaine. Representing Ophelia Women, Madness, and the Responsibilities of Feminist Criticism. Hamlet. Ed. Susanne L. Wofford. capital of Massachusetts Bedford Books of St. Martins Press, 1994. 220-238. Wofford, Susanne L., ed. Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism, William Shakespeare The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Boston Bedford Books of St. Martins Press, 1994.