Kambili and Ophelia In the novel and play Purple Hibiscus and Hamlet, Adichie and Shakespeare both depict similar characters who are placed in identical situations. At the beginning of Purple Hibiscus, Kambili finds herself in an environment similar to Ophelia's, repressive and severe. Both in the palace and in Enugu, both girls are under the male-dominated influence, which is the cause of their subordinate personality. Although Kambili and Ophelia appear identical in personality and situation, there is one important difference. Ophelia ends up taking her own life while Kambili seems to have improved as a character. The main reason for this is that when Kambili moved to Nsukka with Aunty Ifeoma and her cousins, she was exposed to a completely different environment where she is introduced to freedom and forced to mature. In Nsukka, Kambili has abundant female support, long brotherly support and an encouraging lover. While Ophelia lacks a substantial amount of these factors throughout most of her life. Through relationships with their respective support systems, the difference in outcomes between Kambili and Ophelia reveals the effect of environment and surroundings on their characters and how guidance is vital to those coming of age. The amount of female support Kambili receives in Nsukka from Aunty Ifeoma and Amaka ultimately helps her gain confidence and shows her the meaning of what it means to be free from male domination. Aunty Ifeoma shows that she is not afraid to speak her mind in any situation, especially when you have done nothing wrong. When Papa abused Kambili after she dived behind Papa-Nnukwu's torn painting, Aunt Ifeoma spoke up immediately and said... halfway through the paper... it will be the last time Ophelia hears from Laertes until the end of the opera, when he returns after his father's death. Laertes' absence caused his bond with Ophelia to weaken, because he was simply never there for her when she needed him most. After Ophelia kills herself, Laertes still dislikes his sister. He leaps into her grave saying "Until I have taken her in my arms once more" (5.1 197), implying the literal meaning that this is the last time he will be able to hold her. Ophelia was finally freed after death, and by saying to "take her" into his arms once again, Laertes is implying that he must take his sister one last time before letting her go, just as Jaja did with Kambili, though this time in paradise. Yet it is disrespectful to Ophelia that she cannot even be placed peacefully in the tomb.