Gertrude and Ophelia are the only two leading ladies in Hamlet and have been seen as similar characters from outside impressions. Both are followers and easily led by the men they love. Also, they are both confused and not in control of their surroundings. However, perhaps Ophelia’s much younger age makes her more innocent and naive than Gertrude and is hence more a victim here than anyone else. Unlike Gertrude, who performed a social boo-boo by marrying her brother-in-law, Ophelia is completely free from any conscious or subconscious wrongdoing in the play. Ophelia’s character cannot be more aptly summed up than William Hazlitt’s description: “Ophelia i