Ophelia Portrayals

In "Hamlet" by Shakespeare, in the third scene of act one, Ophelia is portrayed as a sassy sister and daughter. She seems like the stereotypical girl teenager. She dates this guy and her brother and dad try to stop her from dating him because they think he will break her heart and he is not right for her. When they try to tell her, she just listens and says that she understands, but really she will just keep dating him and doing the same thing. Ophelia seems to match this category perfectly to me. Her sass shows when she says "do not, as some ungracious pastors do,/ show me the steep and thorny way to heaven,/whiles, like a puffed and reckless libertine,/ himself the primrose path of dalliance treads,/ and recks not his own read" (1.3.51-55). Ophelia is being sassy when she comments how he should do as he preaches. She says don't go to France and go crazy while you tell me not to go crazy and be cautious with Hamlet.

In the first video, the actress portrays Ophelia very accurately to me. she seems sassy to her brother, in a friendly way. She listens to him, but doesn't believe him and thinks in the mindset of "I'll do what I want, you don't know what's best for me." She seems like an older teenager and like her and her brother can have an actual talk. But we see from her actions how they interact well, but she doesn't want to act as he says she should. She listens, but she doesn't show she is at all interested in acting how he says. When Polonius comes in, she gets more defensive. She says how Hamlet says he loves her and means it. She is loud and tries to defend her loving Hamlet. 

In the second video, the actress portrays Ophelia much differently. She looks much younger and much more innocent. She seems more helpless. She seems like the type of girl who you could affect her opinions and ideas very easily. She acts innocent and looks up to her brother and father. She also gets distracted easily, making her seem younger as well. The two actresses clearly portray Ophelia differently, one portraying her as older and able to make her own decisions and stuck in her ways. The other portrays her as mindful and actually listening. She is young and innocent and easily able to have her opinions changed.