“For a character that only appears in five of the 20 scenes in Hamlet, Ophelia has garnered a great deal of attention from analysts, critics, artists, actresses, fiction writers, psychologists, and adolescent girls alike. Readers are consistently struck by her character that seems relatively insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Ophelia is many times viewed as only important in relation to Hamlet and the effect she has on him. Ophelia is not just important in this respect, but also in respect to what she tells us about the society she came out of and the society we live in today.

First analyzing Shakespeare and his precursors then concentrating on the modern day prominence of Ophelia with an overview of feminist criticism and current applications of her story will show that Ophelia is indeed a character with many faces, both positive and negative.

Ophelia is one of the most interpreted and represented characters of Shakespeare. She garners constant attention from critics and re-visionists as well as people who identify with her just as Shakespeare wrote her. Depending on who directs the play or the movie, the interpretation will be different. Depending on the artist, the rendering may have a positive connotation or a negative connotation.  Ophelia may have been a relatively one-dimensional character, but she has certainly become much more than a girl suffering… The fact that so many people do have knowledge of Ophelia is a testament to her immortality. From a nameless maiden, to a pair of erect nipples on canvas, Ophelia has transversed time in a way few characters have.”