The agency of mad Ophelia

Ophelia has been an endless subject of fascination, causing heated debates among
critics and theatre lovers alike, and kindling the feminist movements into giving stunning
interpretations of the characters relation to patriarchy. Thus, the choice of who plays Ophelia
is vital, because she will automatically reveal the directors position towards the character.
This essay will focus mostly on Kate Winslets version of maybe Shakespeares most famous
female character.
Firstly, Branaghs adaptation was universally acclaimed by critics, unfortunately
lacking the expected box office success, most probably because of its length, which clearly
deterred the potential audience. Branagh decided to opt for Kate Winslet for a reason which is
not too hard to guess, judging from her past filmography. As a Kate Winslet fan, one can
observe that her roles, from 1994 till 1996, when Hamlet was realized, always portray her as a
woman with a past, this is a phenomenon which also occurred in Branaghs version. In her
debut movie, Heavenly Creatures (1994), she is a promiscuous schoolgirl with a taste for
lesbian adventures, in Sense and Sensibility (1995) she is Marianne Dashwood, who marries
Colonel Brandon only after she is jilted by John Willoughby. Moreover, in the 1996
adaptation of Thomas Hardys bleak novel Jude the Obscure, she brilliantly conveys the revolt
present in Sue Brideheads person towards the hypocrisy of matrimony and the futility of
gibbeted gods. Thus, full-bosomed Kate Winslet, with her rosy cheeks and her exploding
personality, the acknowledged bearer of intense emotions is clearly a statement when she is
cast in the role of Ophelia.
In the notorious mad-scene, Winslet conveys the popular image of the 19th century
madwoman, she runs into walls, causes herself physical pain, she grunts, she shouts, and we
are reminded of the horrid treatments which were used as a remedy against mental illnesses,
as she is subjected to ice-cold water showers as a means of alleviating her condition. She is in
a straitjacket, totally devastated, but then again, this is Kate Winslet she is a woman of intense
feelings, she manifests herself in a powerful way, she is the delicious mlange between candor
and brutality. While Gertrude and Claudius try to talk to her, she is numb, almost mute,
however, she unleashes in a series of obscene gestures, as she is twice afflicted: firstly, by her

fathers death, and secondly by the physical consummation of her love with Hamlet. Thus,
Winslet is the epitome of the post-virginal protagonist which was being promoted by the film
industry beginning with the 90s.
In conclusion, Kate Winslet as Ophelia presents a ripening of the character from
earlier versions, creating a contrast between Helena Bonham-Carters adolescent figure and
the full-grown woman she represents. She is one step closer to liberation because she has the
key in her mouth in the padded room of her confinement, hinting at the idea that words can
free her from the shackles of oppression. However, she remains the perfect image of a
hysteric woman, who is only beginning to understand that the passport to her deliverance lays
only in her acquiring the power of speech.