In one of the most influential essays ever written about Hamlet, A. C. Bradley raised nine compelling questions about Ophelia. Each of these questions raised some doubts about what Bradley called “the popular view” that “Hamlet’s love for Ophelia never changed” (153).
In your essay respond to Bradley’s observations about Ophelia and to his observation concerning Hamlet’s silence about her.
How might you answer one or two of Bradley’s questions? If you wish, briefly discuss how Ophelia may be like (or unlike) other characters we have encountered this semester in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and The Merchant of Venice.
Do any of these characters shed light on the problems posed by Ophelia?
