Sunday, January 4, 2015

Why isn't Ophelia's burial celebrated like a typical Christian burial would be?

In Hamlet, Ophelia's burial raises serious political and religious issues because she committed suicide and should therefore not be entitled to a Christian burial. Nevertheless, she is granted one through the providence of the King.
Act V, Scene 1 portrays the funeral of Ophelia, the daughter of the King's adviser. Ophelia had killed herself earlier in the play: her death was described in Act IV, Scene 7 in a way that makes it very likely that she was committing suicide.
In the early modern era, suicide was considered one of the worst possible crimes that one could commit. It was so serious, in fact, that churches refused to bury people who had committed suicide.
Nevertheless, because of Ophelia's close relationship with King Claudius, she is provided with a Christian burial despite her suicide. The controversy of this decision is exemplified with the conversation between the "Clowns" (gravediggers) at the beginning of Act V, Scene 1 with one of them taking the religious line that Ophelia should not be buried, while the other merely shrugs and says that it is the King's will.

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