Gertrude's farewell to Ophelia reveals her deep sorrow and empathy for Ophelia's tragic state, highlighting the theme of lost innocence and the impact of madness. Gertrude's heartfelt words indicate her understanding of Ophelia's suffering and her own sense of helplessness in the face of familial turmoil. If Polonius had overheard this, he might have been surprised, as he often viewed Ophelia through a more pragmatic lens, prioritizing political intrigue over emotional depth. This contrast emphasizes the complexities of relationships within the royal family in Hamlet.
Polonius.
Polonius is the chief counselor to the king, and also the father of Ophelia and Laertes.
Polonius tells Claudius and Gertrude that Ophelia and Hamlet have had a relationship which Polonius had Ophelia break off, and that this might be the cause of Hamlet's wild behaviour.
Hamlet was her boyfriend. Polonius was her father. Laertes was her brother. Claudius was her father's employer and her boyfriend's father. Gertrude seems to have been a bit of a surrogate mother to Ophelia.
Ophelia tells her father polonius that her boyfriend Hamlet has gone insane.
Polonius: Mad for thy love? Ophelia: My lord I do not know, but truly do I fear it.
Polonius is sure that Hamlet has gone mad with love for Ophelia. See these lines by Polonius in Act 2 scene 1: ~Polonius: Come, go with me! I will go seek the King;This is the very ecstasy of love,...Ophelia: ... I did repel his letters, and denied His access to me.Polonius: That hath made him mad;~ So Polonius thinks Hamlet is suffering from the "ecstasy of love" for Ophelia, which has driven him mad.
Polonius, Ophelia, Gertrude, Hamlet, Claudius, and Laertes.
Ophelia is the daughter of Polonius (the king's main advisor), the sister of Laertes, and the beloved of Hamlet.
Ophelia is the daughter of Polonius. She is also the sister to Laertes and potential wife of Prince Hamlet.
She was blown away by it. Polonius was her father, and she had relied on him almost totally to tell her what to do.
Is it? I would have said it was Polonius's death.