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 Settle Egypt her lessons privately from a tutor since she was a black woman. Later, she became a social worker in southeast Washington, D.C. and was the director of their first Planned Parenthood clinic, Parklands Planned Parenthood Clinic, which was named for her in 1981, three years after she died. Ophelia Settle Egypt Ophelia Settle Egypt (1903-1984) was a social worker and sociologist who conducted some of the first interviews with former slaves. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and from Columbia University School of Social Work. She was a researcher for the black sociologist Charles S. Johnson at Fisk University