Hamlet - Shakespeares Ophelia as Modern Icon Essay

Hamlet - Shakespeares Ophelia as Modern Icon Shakespeares Ophelia is not lacking in attention. As one of Shakespeares most popular female characters she has enjoyed many appellations from the bard. Fair Ophelia. Most beautified Ophelia. Pretty Ophelia. Sweet Ophelia. Dear Ophelia. Beautiful Ophelia†¦sweet maid†¦poor wretch. Poor Ophelia. (Vest 1) All of these names for Ophelia can be found in Shakespeares The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Since Shakespeares incarnation of Ophelia many have felt the need to offer their opinions of Ophelia as a character. Poor wispy Ophelia. Devastated and emotionally exhausted Ophelia. Pensive, fair-haired, blue-eyed daughter of the north. Ophelia the young, the†¦show more content†¦The Influence of Saxo Grammaticus Saxo Grammaticus completed his Danorum Regum Heroumque Historiae around 1208 and this work was translated, and modified, by Belleforest around 1570. This was how the story of Amleth, Prince of Denmark came to Shakespeare. This Danish history details the story of Amleth and his madness due to the fact that his mother has married his fathers murderer. The resemblance of Shakespeares tragedy to this story is undeniable. The part Ophelia plays is small in this work, but in this case she serves as a tool of deception just as she does for Shakespeare. A nameless maiden is sent to tempt Amleth. The two of them have intercourse and the nameless maiden understands what is happening to Amleth. Her understanding causes her to later deny the fact that the two of them had intercourse to the people who organized the trap. She appears no where else in the story, but later when Amleth has a shield made for battle in the tradition of antiquity, two out of four of the panels on his shield depict his r elations with the unnamed maiden. One of the few changes Belleforest made to this story was to make it uncertain whether the two had intercourse despite Saxo Grammaticus clarity in the original work. (Vest 7-23) The nameless woman and Ophelia suffer the same conflict, but are interpreted very differently by the two writers. Both Ophelia and the nameless woman she was based onShow MoreRelatedGender In Romeo, Juliet And William Shakespeares Romeo And Juliet1500 Words   |  6 Pagesboth films being contrasted in this essay; William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet (Luhrmann Martinelli, 1996) and Hamlet (Davey, Lovell Zeferelli 1990). The two films were released six years apart in the decade of the nineties; Zeffirelli does not seek to embody an evolved gender presentation at all, while Luhrmann embraces a more modern and progressive view in the selection of actors, costume and plot. Androgynous fashion and gender ambiguous icons exploded in the eighties and continued to captivateRead MoreBob Dylan and Popular Music3164 Words   |  13 Pagesthen go ahead and tell em’, but im not gonna have to answer to it†(Black Bristol, 2007).Dylan responds to the interviewers question alm ost with contempt at the labels that are being placed on him, however, the fact that people saw him as a cultural icon and a â€Å"voice† of the people, shows just what a huge impact he had on the time, and the same influence carries through to today. My essay intends to deal with understanding the cultural significance that Bob Dylan had on 1960s America, and how theRead MoreSAT Top 30 Essay Evidence18536 Words   |  75 Pagesactivist) ................................................................. 23 Jesse Owens (Track star and civil rights icon).......................................................................................... 25 Muhammad Ali (â€Å"The Greatest† boxer of all time) .................................................................................. 27 Fiction and Literature: Hamlet by William Shakespeare (â€Å"To be? Or not to be?†) ....................................................................