Act 4

Ophelia enters adorned with flowers and singing odd songs which foreshadows her death at the end of Act 4.  Her grief has been truly driven by her father's death and her insanity affects the way she communicates with the other characters. Shakespeare demonstrates the motif of insanity to exemplify Ophelia's dependence on the men in her life. Polonius' death and Hamlet's leave is another cause to her insanity. Throughout the the play, Ophelia's insanity strongly contrasts with Hamlet's. They differ primarily in its validity. She does not fabricate madness to achieve an ultimate goal, but is truly driven mad by external burdens.