As many know, in the play Hamlet written by William Shakespeare, the play is dominated by the male role and the need to always be in power and command. But as Shakespeare intended, Hamlet is shot through with many subplots that push the plot forward with not only background information but also foreshadowing of events to come. That said, audiences literally take Ophelia as a character of great misfortune who also grieves over losing Hamlet as her love. In her perceived madness the question is raised as to whether this hysteria is due to a hormonal imbalance resulting from Ophelia carrying Hamlet's child. This fills the gap of why she acts so crazy when he rejects her. Ophelia grieves the loss of her love Hamlet by singing songs whenever she is among people, but what the audience fails to understand is that there is a deeper meaning to the songs. Valentine's Day, all early in the morning, and I'm a maid at your window, to be your Valentine. Then she got up and put on her clothes and lowered the door of the room, let the maid in, that one maid never left again. (4.5 53-60) When Ophelia sings she refers to her and her relationship with Hamlet of how she was a maiden, then Hamlet took her maiden hood and then swept her away as if nothing had happened. That said, it's understandable why she's so upset about being put out because she felt used with nothing but a damaged reputation in return. Which in his case is a very real thing to hide. Many women of the time were ruined due to pregnancy outside of marriage. So, given this, it was perfectly understandable why Ophelia would hide that she was actually pregnant. References to Ophelia's pregnancy among other things Polonius and Laertes... middle of the paper... vivid suggestions that he intended to do so, and so they also consider Ophelia to be a very rounded and brilliant teenager caught in the middle of a very troubled situation. Works Cited Beyond Despair: The Drowned Woman in Victorian Literature and Art. "scholarship.utm.edu. Np, nd Web. December 1, 2013. .Epstein, Alex “By the way, Ophelia is pregnant.” craftyscreenwriting.com. nd Web. March 8, 2008. “Pregnant with madness -.” benz .nchu.edu.tw. December 1, 2013. Shakespeare, William. New Folger ed. New York: Washington Square Press/Pocket Books, 1992. Print.Soon, The Sexual Ophelia Web, February 22, 2011. Weller, Philip Shakespeare Navigators