Laertes and Polonius on "Protecting" more like CONTROLING Ophy.

Both Laertes and Polonius are clearly trying to control Ophelia and her actions and love towards Hamlet. At the end of the day, it is only Ophelia who has the power to control her true feelings for Hamlet, and her father and brother obviously do not understand this. They try to do all they can to prevent a relationship from happening and because of that their true characters show, and we see how they want all the power and are only concerned with being superior, rather then looking out for Ophelia. They exclaim that their family would be tainted and ruined, when really they shouldn't be preoccupied with their reputation and should allow their daughter, or in Laerte's case, sister, have what she really wants. If anything, Laerte's argument seems more fair because he is less controlling then her father. In act 1 scene iii, we see their true intentions. At the end of the day, they want control and they both feel that they are superior to women. They have a very inferior outlook of women in these times, and they treat Ophelia as any other woman that they know, not as a daughter or sister that they love and care about.