Ophelia Ophelia Ophelia () is a character in William Shakespeare's drama "Hamlet". She is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, and potential wife of Prince Hamlet. As with virtually all "Hamlet" characters, Ophelia's name is not Danish. It first appeared in Jacopo Sannazaro's 1504 poem "Arcadia" (as "Ofelia"), probably derived from Ancient Greek ὠφέλεια ("ōphéleia", "help"). In Ophelia's first speaking appearance in the play, she is seen with her brother, Laertes, who is leaving for France. Laertes warns her that Hamlet, the heir to the throne of Denmark, does not have the freedom to marry
Ophelia (The Band song) sings the lead vocal. According to Hoskyns, the song has "the same good-humoured regret with which [Helm] infused "Up on Cripple Creek." Garth Hudson plays multiple instruments, including synthesizer and multiple brass and woodwind instruments, which contributes significantly to the Dixieland flavor. As a result of the success of Hudson's playing, DeRiso regards "Ophelia" as "Hudson’s triumph, his musical testament, his masterpiece." Robertson plays a more prominent guitar part than he had typically played on earlier Band songs. According to Robertson, “The chord progression on ‘Ophelia' was something that could have come out of the 1930s. The storytelling was ancient