Farewell Ophelia

Young, beautiful, and noble Ophelia, oh how I wish you could receive the burial rights you truly deserve. They deny you your entitlements to a Christian burial because they believe the cause of your death was that of suicide. Suicide is never the answer but I truly believe your death was a fatality from your mental illness. In essence, one like you should not be blamed for contemplating suicide, especially with all that has happened in your life these past few days. 

Talk of Ophelia being the potential wife for prince Hamlet was always common conversation throughout Denmark. The people loved her and had high hopes for her. She was extremely obedient and was able to follow through with any request given to her without question. The queen loved her and she was a great help in the castle.

Ophelia’s sudden death occurred at the willow not far from the castle. Trying to collect flowers, she climbed a tree and walked out on a weak branch. This frail branch broke, causing her to fall into the water. Her heavy garments were of no help to her distress for they weighed her down, causing her to drown. Ophelia, in the mad state she was in, probably had no idea she was drowning. Instead of crying for help she continued to sing a song about flowers as if she was not aware of her danger. Verse after verse she continued to sing, putting up no fight to the water and then…silence.

As we say our final farewells to the late Ophelia, we hope to remember her as a woman of Denmark, prospective wife to Hamlet, sister to Laertes, and daughter to Polonius. Her last few moments on Earth did not depict her righteous lifestyle at all. For in her final days, Ophelia was struck with madness. This insanity is said to have diverged off from her mourning the death of her father, Polonius. It was far too much for poor Ophelia to handle.