Feminism

Lazic is a celebrated feminist, so it is no surprise that her work comments on a variety of themes related to women's issues. Ophelia is one of literature's classic examples of an oppressed and inhibited woman, and "Death Sentences" points out the sexism involved in the way that Hamlet and the rest of society treat her. Since long tentacles such as seaweeds often symbolize the instruments of male power, it is even possible that the seaweeds that "entangle" the speaker represent some dark, male force holding her underwater. This would imply that Ophelia is part of a patriarchal, or male-dominated, system that keeps her under control, drives her mad, and is responsible for her death.

Lazic does not imply that Ophelia is a defiant victim of Hamlet. The verbs that the speaker uses to describe the drowning imply that Ophelia may believe in the patriarchal values that lead...