Ophelia is caught between her emotional ties to Hamlet and her love and obedience to her father Polonius who forbids her to speak further with Hamlet. Hamlet's combined cruelty and tenderness to Ophelia (in the "get thee to a nunnery" scene in 3.1 and at the play within a play in 3.2) confuse her. And his murder of her father drives her to madness, resulting in her death--but not before the sight of her as a victim fuels Laertes' desire for revenge against Hamlet.

Hamlet (Kenneth Branagh) brutally berates Ophelia (Kate Winslet) in Branagh's 1996 film, knowing that the King is spying on them. copyright Rolf Konow & Peter Mountain