Part 45: Ophelia's Terrible Awakening and Liberation
Part 45: Ophelia's Terrible Awakening and Liberation Ophelia and Gertrude awaken from earlier naivete and become liberated from aspects of patriarchy, Ophelia from her father, and Gertrude from her husband. Consider Ophelia: Ophelia had been excited to spend “free and bounteous” time with Hamlet [1], to be wooed by him “in honorable fashion” [2], to receive from him “almost all the holy vows of heaven” [3], probably a marriage proposal, not snares [4] to steal her “chaste treasure” [5] as her brother and father fear and suspect. She is forbidden by Polonius to see Hamlet or receive his letters [6], but used as bait by him and Claudius for their spying [7]. Gertrude tells her that she hopes Ophelia’s “virtues” will help to heal Hamlet [8]. Hamlet does not tell her that he has spoken with an apparition like the ghost of his father, but seems to fear that those he loves most may be at risk at least of suffering purgatory for sins, apparently like his father. He tells her to go “to a