| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立彰化師範大學 === 英語學系 === 102 === The thesis explores Shakespeare’s representation of Ophelia, serving to offer a fresh angle of reading Ophelia in Hamlet. Based on the textual analysis, the thesis argues that Ophelia is an essential and important character in the play and her madness signifies the possibility of women’s resistance toward patriarchy and monarchy. She embodies an aggressive force in Shakespeare’s illustration of women.
Chapter One centers on Ophelia’s cultural representation. The first half of the chapter summarizes critical reviews on Ophelia. The second section reviews Ophelia’s historical representation from the seventeenth century to the modern age.
After introducing Ophelia’s cultural image, the second chapter examines the power of Ophelia’s characterization and her compositional influence on the characters. Ophelia is important to the play in which she is necessary to most characters and has power to deepen complexity of others. Through interaction with them, Ophelia also demonstrates her potential power of subversion. Instead of being a dull and unimportant heroine, Ophelia has her own judgment and self-consciousness to criticize authority, posing the potential threat to other characters’ identities.
Chapter Three examines Ophelia’s madness and views it as aggressive force of women. Through madness, Ophelia demonstrates her force of resistance which enables her to express the oppressed self, to criticize patriarchal restraints on women, and to refer to the possibility of subverting the corrupted monarchy.
The last chapter concludes Shakespeare’s representation of Ophelia. By signifying women’s challenge toward monarchy and patriarchy in Hamlet, Ophelia speaks for women whose voice is intimidated by male-dominated society in every century, signifying the aggressive force of women’s resistance.
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