Today we are brought together to honor a girl who we all loved deeply, Ophelia. She had a playful and loving spirit that will stay with us forever. Although not everyone agrees that she deserves a proper Christian burial, we think she is entitled to one. Many people believe Ophelia took her own life, but we do not. Gertrude was the only witness to Ophelia's death which raises several questions. If Gertrude was close enough to see Ophelia why couldn't she help her? No one knows exactly what happened to Ophelia in her final moments or any motives she had, or lack there of. Whether Ophelia took her own life or not, she will be missed as her death brings great grief to us all.
Ophelia was dealing with several issues before her demise. Some say she had become mentally ill because of the stress she had to deal with. Ophelia cherished many of the people closest to her. She had to bear the grief of her father's death and the heartbreak from her relationship with Hamlet, which were in some ways intertwined. Although she was loved by many, Ophelia was loved by Hamlet the most. Hamlet's and Ophelia's love was strong yet forbidden. Polonius, Ophelia's father, refused to let her be with Hamlet and advised her to stop seeing him. After doing so, Hamlet and Ophelia's relationship came to an end and Ophelia was overwhelmed with sadness. What teenage girl wouldn't be? Shortly after, Hamlet murdered her Polonius. Ophelia couldn't help but feel responsible for the death of her father. Hamlet blamed his madness for the killing of Polonius which is ironic, because it was a factor that brought madness to Ophelia. The man who stated he would eat a crocodile for her, sadly contributed to her madness. We're all a little crazy in our own way, so seeing what Ophelia had on her plate helps us realize the struggles she was going through.
Ophelia had such a big heart and so much love for the men in her life. Whether it was Hamlet, Polonius, or Laertes, she adored them all. I think that her eventual madness resulted from the demise of the people around her. Ophelia cared about her friends and family so much that she would tend to experience the same emotions as them. If her brother was upset, she would be too, and the same goes for all of the people she loved. That was one of Ophelia's greatest characteristics and it's hard imagining a world without it.
Ophelia was taken from us at such a young age, it's not fair. Her death was so unexpected and tragic. I wish i could have been there to save her. Gertrude is the only person who knows what happened to Ophelia. She was close enough to see her drown but did not help her, this blows my mind. I think it's safe to say that if anyone here had seen Ophelia fall from that tree, they would have done everything in their power to help her. Sadly, I think Gertrude let Ophelia go. She could have possibly disliked Ophelia for dating Hamlet and taking him away from her. Maybe she felt as though she was being replaced as the only woman in Hamlet's life. I know Ophelia was a fighter and wouldn't have given up. Even though she was going through a tough time, I don't believe Ophelia would take her own life. Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem and I cannot imagine Ophelia seeing it as a solution.
As we all grieve in our own ways, I hope we can represent Ophelia in our everyday lives through cherishing one another and loving our friends and family as deeply as we can. Every hello with Ophelia made you feel like there would never be a goodbye, but here it is. The worst goodbye any of us will ever have to face. Although it's heartbreaking, Ophelia would be happy that we're doing this together. She's in a better place now that is stress free, safe, and next to her father. I know she'll be watching over us. Let us all say our final goodbyes to this beautiful, cherished soul who deserved way more years than she got. We'll say hello again one day. Rest in peace Ophelia.
Nora first I must say your eulogy was very touching and sad. Your writing skills is very outstanding and well organized. I loved the way you exampled to us about Gertrude hatred for Ophelia and why that could have been the reason why she let her drown. I loved your reasoning to a lot of questions that are being asked. This eulogy was well written and it made me feel as if I was there at the funeral. While I was reading this I felt the tears forming in my eyes. Overall I must say this was a really good eulogy by a very smart person.
ReplyDeleteNORA. You totally brought to my attention that Gertrude was the only one who saw her drowning and could've helped her. I like the fact that you really add it seem like y'all were day 1s. I too agree that she loved everyone closest to her and I think having her brother gone and then having to stop talking hamlet who then killed her dad was too much for her to handle. But like you, I don't think she would've taken the whole situation to the extend people thought she did. I think Gertrude had something to do with her death and that's tragic af.
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