In Hamlet by William Shakespeare i met Ophelia; a beautiful young lady who listens and respects the opinions of others. She seems like a very well presented lady who is easy to like. During Act 1 Scene 3 she really seems to listen to what her brother, Laertes and father, Polonius have to say about her relationship with Prince Hamlet. Not only is she paying attention to what they are saying she's also not arguing or being rude in any manner to them. Most teenagers today when talking to parents about personal subjects like that would be defensive and raise their voice. After reading the two speeches given by Laertes and Polonius i started to enjoy having Ophelia as a character. The one question i don't have a full understanding of is if she likes Hamlet and is pretending to not know that Hamlet is fond of her or she actually doesn't know Hamlet likes her.
A way to gain a better understanding of Ophelia is by watching video clips from Hamlet movies. It's a great way to enjoy what your reading and clarify anything that may be questioned. The first clip i watched was Hamlet by Tennant, Stewart, and Downie. After watching the first 30 or so seconds on the clip i wasn't impressed with how Ophelia was being portrayed by the actress. She wasn't sad that her brother she loves so much was leaving to go back to France. Also, when she was receiving the talks from Laertes and Polonius she didn't really have the courtesy to listen to what they were saying. She had that "i don't really care what you have to say" look on her face. I didn't like that one bit because the Ophelia i know wouldn't be disrespectful, she would be as nice as possible.
The second film of Hamlet i watched was by Zeffirelli and in my opinion Ophelia was much better played than in the first movie i saw. Right at the beginning Ophelia had tear marks on her face and it looked like her eyes were watering. That is perfect considering her beloved brother is now going back to France. Another thing i recognized in this film compared to the first one was she was listening to the talks and took an interest into what her family was saying. The one aspect i really enjoyed was Ophelia seems so innocent, doesn't know of Hamlet's feelings towards her. It's as if she is trying to play "dumb" so her family doesn't know she too likes Hamlet.
A way to gain a better understanding of Ophelia is by watching video clips from Hamlet movies. It's a great way to enjoy what your reading and clarify anything that may be questioned. The first clip i watched was Hamlet by Tennant, Stewart, and Downie. After watching the first 30 or so seconds on the clip i wasn't impressed with how Ophelia was being portrayed by the actress. She wasn't sad that her brother she loves so much was leaving to go back to France. Also, when she was receiving the talks from Laertes and Polonius she didn't really have the courtesy to listen to what they were saying. She had that "i don't really care what you have to say" look on her face. I didn't like that one bit because the Ophelia i know wouldn't be disrespectful, she would be as nice as possible.
The second film of Hamlet i watched was by Zeffirelli and in my opinion Ophelia was much better played than in the first movie i saw. Right at the beginning Ophelia had tear marks on her face and it looked like her eyes were watering. That is perfect considering her beloved brother is now going back to France. Another thing i recognized in this film compared to the first one was she was listening to the talks and took an interest into what her family was saying. The one aspect i really enjoyed was Ophelia seems so innocent, doesn't know of Hamlet's feelings towards her. It's as if she is trying to play "dumb" so her family doesn't know she too likes Hamlet.