(Kibwe's) English III Blog: Eulogy for Ophelia

    As we are all gathered year today, we honor and remember the beloved Ophelia. It's such a shame that she died so young, and in an eccentric mental state. We grief in disbelief to not only the cause of her death, but also to the events leading up to it. Everyone in attendance can remember a time when this beautiful, lively, young woman treated everyone with respect. Aside from being respectful, Ophelia was a joy to be around because she was very friendly and she had a wonderful personality. I can't fully comprehend how or why Ophelia went mad to the extent of possibly killing herself, but the fact that people are questioning whether it's appropriate to have a Christian burial for her is beyond me. I believe that Ophelia deserves this Christian burial, regardless of how she lived her last few days on this planet.

   Ophelia was the type of person that anyone could get along with, and her relationship with Hamlet was pretty much well known throughout Denmark. However, once Hamlet went insane, he abruptly ended their relationship, and this probably caused Ophelia's mental state to deteriorate. Then, Hamlet ruthlessly killed her father Polonius, and the King didn't even give him a proper burial. Because of this, Ophelia's loopy behavior was displayed when she began to sing songs about her father's death. I watched in shock as my friend was transformed into a completely different person, one that is mentally ill. And as I began gathering information about the origins of Ophelia's deranged state, I concluded that Hamlet was the cause of it. He's the man that went insane, that broke her heart, and the man that murdered her father.

    Just before Ophelia drowned, Gertrude said that she was still singing bits of old hymns as her clothes absorbed the water and submerged her into the willow. Even though her mind wasn't in the right place, I find it very hard to believe that Ophelia's last words were a song, instead of cry for help. How could she not realize that she was drowning? If Ophelia fell into the water and drowned because of her heavy dress, then why are some many people accusing her of committing suicide? Who's to say that Ophelia really did call for help, Gertrude was the only one that witnessed it all. Whatever the reason is, I'm just glad Ophelia will be in a better place. May Ophelia and Polonius rest in peace.