Discuss two interpretations of ophelia’s death. how do both of the interpretations contribute to the tragedy of the play? your answer should be at least 150 words.

Ophelia's death could be understood - as Gertrude contents - as being an accident.  According to this view, Ophelia's branch snapped and she drowned in the river below.  According to this viewpoint, Ophelia's death is tragic because it was a meaningless accident; her life is lost not by her own design or in response to the events transpiring around her, but because of the whims of chance and accident.  On the other hand, Ophelia's death can be understood as being a suicide: Ophelia died, then, due to being driven mad because of her unrequited love for Hamlet and society's unreasonable expectations for women and their behavior.  This understanding of her death is tragic because it shows the extent to which Ophelia was wounded and oppressed.