Daughter- Brother Relation in Hamlet

 From the very beginning, the bond between the siblings is clear: Ophelia finds comfort in her brother’s words as he prepares to leave for France. A watershed event in her life occurred during that chat with her brother, when she had her first opportunity to feel special and self-reliant. It is intended that the encounter with the brother stands in stark contrast to the overall impression of weakness that the audience may see in the female characters, as this portrayal of weakness is prevalent throughout Shakespeare’s plays. 

The father’s determination to understand Ophelia’s relationship with Hamlet, despite her efforts to speak about him in a satisfactory way, highlights how the father undermines rather than strengthens his daughter’s position as a strong, independent character in a society that is entirely male-dominated. Furthermore, Polonius, Ophelia’s father, views religion only as a tool of deceit, so he has not taken her efforts to portray Hamlet as someone who values religion seriously. When we compare the two characters, we can see that they represent two distinct worldviews.

Ophelia finds comfort in her brother’s words to her before he leaves for France, establishing the strong bond between the siblings right from the start. It was a watershed moment in her life when she had that talk with her brother because it gave her the opportunity to feel special and self-reliant. Because women in this play and Shakespeare’s other tragedies are typically portrayed as frail, reliant, and easily manipulated, the encounter with the brother is meant to stand in stark contrast to this concept of frailty. 

The father’s determination to understand Ophelia’s relationship with Hamlet, despite her efforts to speak about him in a satisfactory way, highlights how the father undermines rather than strengthens his daughter’s position as a strong, independent character in a society that is entirely male-dominated. Furthermore, Polonius, Ophelia’s father, views religion only as a tool of deceit, so he does not take her efforts to portray Hamlet as someone who values religion seriously. When we compare the two characters, we can see that they represent two distinct worldviews.