The role parents play in a child's development is essential. They have the most influence over them, even affecting most aspects of their adult lives. When a parent's role is too controlling, it can have lasting negative consequences for the child. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the author shows that the loss of an authoritative parent causes people to try to replace the loss of that control with unhealthy means that destroy the person. This can be seen in the lives of Ophelia, Hamlet, and Laertes, all of whom lose controlling fathers. In Ophelia's life, we can see that she is very dependent on Polonius. She obeys him, even if she doesn't want to. When Polonius said to him, “I would not, in plain terms, from now on/You would at any time slander your leisure/To the point of giving words or speaking with the Lord Hamlet./Take care, I charge you . Come to you. » (1.3.132-135), his immediate response is: “I will obey, my lord” (1.3.136). As a woman, Ophelia is not allowed to make many of her own decisions in life and is therefore heavily dependent on her father. When her father orders her not to "give words or speak with the Lord Hamlet", Ophelia obeys, even though she believes that he truly loves her, as she said earlier: "He has, my lord, done later many offers/ Of his affection for me” (1.3.99-100). She immediately promises to obey, demonstrating her habit of following his orders, even if it is not what she desires. By saying “my lord,” she respectfully acknowledges her father’s request and submits to his authority. In doing so, she continues to depend on him. However, after the death of Polonius, Ophelia no longer has an immediate authority figure over her, ...... middle of paper ...... contributing sources to If you had helped him take his first decisions, like how to handle his father's revenge, the consequences would have been very different. Laertes destroys himself trying to take all control. In conclusion, Shakespeare shows throughout the play Hamlet that when people try to deal with the lack of control created by the loss of an authoritative parent, they harm themselves and ultimately destroy themselves. Through the lives of the characters Ophelia, Hamlet and Laertes, this truth is revealed, as they respectively lose their minds, harm those around them and their plans retaliate against themselves because they do not did not cope in a healthy way. When we go through times of trials and tests, positive ways to deal with them involve doing so with close friends, accepting the facts, and moving through life at a pace that is neither too focused on the past, nor on the future..