Thought and affliction, passion, hell itself / She turns to favour and to prettiness.
Act IV, Scene 5 · Laertes
Context
Laertes observes his sister's mad behavior and remarks on the strange transformation of her suffering into something aesthetically pleasing.
Analysis
The juxtaposition of 'hell itself' with 'favour and to prettiness' names the disturbing aestheticization of Ophelia's madness—Laertes notices that her breakdown is being turned into a spectacle, something pleasing to watch. The passive construction 'she turns' leaves ambiguous whether Ophelia is doing this herself or whether the observers are doing it to her, highlighting the court's complicity in making tragedy decorative.
Essay Tip
Support a thesis that the play is self-conscious about how it represents female madness—Laertes's line draws attention to the way suffering gets repackaged as beauty, and by having a character notice this, Shakespeare invites the audience to question their own voyeuristic consumption of Ophelia's breakdown.