One of the reasons she is so intriguing is that Shakespeare leaves much of her character up to interpretation. I believe that's why artists have been drawn to her over the years, and one of the reasons actresses love to play her even though she is a small role.
In my production last year I played her madness with a good dose of rage, a freedom from social norms, a desire to implicate and expose the corruption she saw around her. And later, with her brother, the sadness of her loss. If I had the opportunity to play her again, I might toy around with the idea of her madness bringing her a great sense of calm. As if all her sadness were too much to bear so she just disconnected from them and entered another realm.
So first I have to decide where in Ophelia's timeline we are in my piece. I said originally that I wanted to avoid an Ophelia who is simply "looking back" on all that has happened to her. But I also would love to see her after everything has already happened to her with a sense of acceptance. I said earlier that I want her to be reacting to what the professor is saying, but I think that could be through image rather than a direct reference. Always better to show than to tell. Part of me wants her first entrance to be the opposite of the professor's first entrance. We could have her distraught, in her father's jacket (an image I love though I haven't used it), with a soundscape occurring while she is in silence. The verbal, intellectual appearing against the nonverbal feeler. This would also give me room to have two complete character arcs that cross in the center. Ophelia begins in pieces, and ends with a sense of acceptance. The professor begins with a firm grasp of things and ends in pieces.
But who is this Ophelia? I guess I should start with my character analysis from when I played the role. She can begin where I feel the character is, and then go beyond that, to a place where Shakespeare's Ophelia was unable to go.
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