Ophelia what the other characters interpret as grief for her father. She talks in riddles and rhymes, and sings some "mad" and bawdy songs about death and a maiden losing her virginity. She exits after bidding everyone a "good night". The last time Ophelia appears in the play is after Laertes comes to the castle to challenge Claudius over the death of his father, Polonius. Ophelia sings more songs and hands out flowers, citing their symbolic meanings, although interpretations of the meanings differ. The only herb that Shakespeare gives Ophelia herself is rue; "...there's rue for you, and here's some for
Critical approaches to Hamlet attention. Even more important was the question of decorum, which in the case of "Hamlet" focused on the play's violation of tragic unity of time and place, and on the characters. Jeremy Collier attacked the play on both counts in his "Short View of the Immorality and Profaneness of the English Stage", published in 1698. Comparing Ophelia to Electra, he condemns Shakespeare for allowing his heroine to become "immodest" in her insanity, particularly in the "Flower Scene". Collier's attack occasioned a widespread, often vituperative controversy. "Hamlet" in general and Ophelia in particular were defended by Thomas D'urfey and George Drake