Open Prompt pt. 2 April 12th

2005. In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening (1899), protagonist Edna Pontellier is said to possess
“That outward existence which conforms, the inward life that questions.” In a novel or play that
you have studied, identify a character who outwardly conforms while questioning inwardly.
Then write an essay in which you analyze how this tension between outward conformity and
inward questioning contributes to the meaning of the work. Avoid mere plot summary.


     In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the character Ophelia conforms to society while questioning it inwardly. The difference between what society expects of Ophelia as a young woman and what she actually wants to be eventually leads to her death and contributes to the meaning of the work, moral confusion along with isolation can lead to paranoia and corruption and the upset of the natural order.
     Since Ophelia is a young women in the late middle ages, she has many expectations that she must conform to. For example, she must always listen to what the men in the castle tell her to do. When Polonius warns Ophelia against Hamlet, she immediately cuts all contact with him. Laertes also chides her for being close to Hamlet. Furthermore, when Claudius implores her to spy on Hamlet for him, she complies without argument. Whenever a man tells Ophelia what to do, she must obey him because the nature of the society makes it so she could not survive in the world without one. 
     While Ophelia is constantly following orders, she is divided internally. It is clear that Ophelia has feelings for Hamlet, as shown by the fact that she let him in her closet, but she still follows orders from Polonius and Laertes to stay away from him. The scene where Ophelia is berated by Hamlet shows that Ophelia feels trapped and cannot respond to Hamlet the way she wants to. Eventually, the divide between the expectations and her own reality drives Ophelia mad. In her speech to the court, she discusses taboo topics such as abortion, sex out of wedlock, and adultery. Although Ophelia conforms on the outside, it is obvious that she does not agree with everything she must do. 
     Ophelia's struggle proves the theme of the work. Ophelia experiences moral confusion because she has to choose between the expectations of society and what she feels is right. Since she is not able to leave the castle without a male supervisor, she is totally cut off from the outside world. Both of these factors lead to her insanity and when she kills herself she upsets the natural order. 
     Shakespeare uses Ophelia to demonstrate how the nobility is flawed. This and the struggle between conformity and personal belief help reinforce his theme, that the natural order is agitated when common morality is confused.