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Aphelia has been known as “the good daughter. ” She does whatever is asked of her by any male figure in her life. In the list of characters found in the lay she is simply listed the “daughter of Polonium. ” This implies that she is a minor character who still “belongs” to her father. Amanda Umbilical believes that it is out of love that Aphelia obeys her father’s and brother’s every desire (Umbilical, “Aphelia”).
However, many believe that it is not out of “love” that prompts her obedience, but fear _ When Alerter tells Aphelia to distrust Hamlet, she willingly obeys him and gives him the authority over her heart. In many of the exchanges between herself and her father, she simply responds With, “I Will Obey. ” For instance. In act 2 scene 1. Polonium asks Aphelia if he had denied contact with Hamlet and Aphelia tells him, “… But as you command , I did repel his letters. In Act 3 scene 1 Aphelia is spying on Hamlet at her father’s insistence. We are lead to believe that she truly does love Hamlet but cannot refuse her father, so she betrays her love to spy on him. When Hamlet discovers that Aphelion’s father is listening he calls Polonium a “fishmonger,” which means a pimp, With the same keen, Hamlet is calling Aphelia a prostitute that is being used by her father. Hamlet is not very far off on this assertion.
However, you must also remember that because of the actions of his mother, he believes all women to be harlots and has lost faith in the female, Again, in act 3 scene I Hamlet states: If thou dost marry, I’ll give thee this plague for thy dowry: be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shall not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery, go, farewell. Or if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool; for wise men know well enough vat monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go; and quickly too.