Her father causes Ophelia's madness as well as Hamlet's rejection, added to his weakness of character, will and lack of independence. However, the character of Ophelia helps to really examine the personalities of the other characters as well as the role of women during that particular time in Denmark and most likely during the Elizabethan era. In the tragedy of Hamlet, Ophelia becomes the character that everyone else abuses when things go wrong. Everyone tries to mold her according to the image they have in mind, with the result that she ends up without her own personality, and this, in addition to her unhappiness, causes her madness. It is only when she becomes mad that her desolation and sadness can be released. This liberation allows her to be happy and, most likely, her fear of returning to this depressing phase of life is the reason why