Hamlet A Misogynist Analysis

620 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The portrayal of women in Shakespeare's plays

Hamlet is another Shakespearian play in which the problem of gender and social constructs is posed. Through Gertrude’s character, the tragedy emphasis the misogynist reasons for a window to remarry. (Kemp 93) Gertrude embodies the role of mother on one side and the role of the woman who remarries shortly after the death of her husband, driven by passion and sexual desires. Even though her character is not very well depicted and she is appearing in a few scenes, Gertrude can be integrated among other female characters who imposed themselves and who are neglecting their female gender roles established by the social norms. The image of Gertrude is portrayed much from Hamlet’s words and other’s characters than her own words. Taking this into consideration …show more content…

(Female friendship alliances in Shakespeare, 63) But, for Hamlet, this motherly image has been starting to fall apart and to lose relevance. The fact that Gertrude has married with Claudius very soon after her husband’s death affects her maternal image and changes Hamlet’s perception about …show more content…

And also; these canons accept that a widow has to wear lament clothes two years after death, and she cannot take place in society for at least one year for that reason Gertrude is seen as guilty in the play in this period.” (GÜNENÇ 168) At the same time, the fact that the Queen has married only two months after her Old Hamlet’s death shows the importance of power for her. She is also blameworthy for marring with Claudius which means that she theoreticaly took away “Hamlet’s heirship:the command of Denmark. Because Gertrude has married Claudius, who is the king of Denmark, Hamlet cannot get the kingdom directly”(qt. Graf in Günenç 168) By acting this way, she has diregarding the patriachal norms according to which her role was to protect his son heritage. (Günenç

Show More
Related

  • Incest and Sexism in Hamlet

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    In my readings of Hamlet, sexism was a immense element in the story. It is not fairly unambiguous where the incest comes in and who is involved, but the unorthodox relationships that have taken place shows how things were during the Elizabethan Age, or were they? My goal in this paper is to research the gender roles between the males and females in the story and to prove how women were treated during these times, and to determine who was involved in incest and sexism. The characters in focus will be Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, and son of the deceased King Hamlet; Polonius, counselor to Claudius; Laertes, Polonius’ son who has returned home due to King Hamlet’s death; Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother and Queen of Denmark; and Ophelia, daughter of Polonius and the sister of Laertes, also Hamlet’s girlfriend.

    Read More

  • Exploring Hamlet’s State of Mind

    1131 Words  | 3 Pages

    Clearly, Hamlet’s concern for the Queen, his mother, is of genuine association to the death of King Hamlet. Within this solitary thought, Hamlet realizes the severity of his mother’s actions while also attempting to rationalize her mentality so that he may understand, and perhaps, cope with the untimely nature of the Queen’s marriage to Claudius. Understandably, Hamlet is disturbed. Gertrude causes such confusion in Hamlet that throughout the play, he constantly wonders how it could be possible that events would turn out the way they did.

    Read More

  • Hamlet from a Feminist Perspective

    1151 Words  | 3 Pages

    Shakespeare’s Hamlet, shows strong prejudice against woman especially with such characters of Ophelia and Gertrude. Shakespeare created an interesting character with Gertrude; he created a character that sits in the middle of all the conflict and appears to not partake in much of it. However Gertrude does seem intent in defusing it at every possible chance she receives. Gertrude is a central figure in the play. She appears a great deal but doesn’t say much – implying mystery and creating an interesting uncertainty in the audience. Hamlet spends a lot of time dwelling on her marriage to Claudius and Shakespeare leaves many questions unanswered with Gertrude such as did she have an affair with Claudius behind old hamlets back? Why does she drink the poisoned wine that is intended for her son? Does she know it is poisoned? Gertrude is the mother of Hamlet and although they do not have a typical mother son relationship she does love him. Queen Gertrude is often interpreted by many as an adulterate, incestuous woman. Catherine Belsey states that typical interpretations of Hamlet maintain: ‘Gertrude a slut; and Shakespeare a patriarchal bard’ (Belsey,1997:34). Gertrude’s actions throughout the play could be read to show her to be a very passive character, far from a strong independent woman. This is shown with her obedience to Claudius, three times during the play, Gertrude is told to leave and each times she complies without hesitation. In Act 1, scene 2 Claudius says to Gertrude, ‘Madam, come’ (122). Then again, Act 3, scene 1, Claudius says to her, ‘Sweet Gertrude, leave us .’ (28), she complies with ; ‘I shall obey you’ (37). And finally, in Act 4, scene 1, Claudius say, ‘O Gertrude, come away!’ (28). This obedience that Gertrude ...

    Read More

  • Carolen G Heilbrun Analysis

    901 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, plays a vital role throughout the play of Hamlet. In Carolyn G. Heilbrun’s essay she argues that Gertrude was the main character that holds everyone together. She has a tie to all of the main characters, Hamlet’s mother, a widow of the first king, and eventually she married the current king, her brother in law. Throughout the play her motives are often questioned while she plays one of the most important parts of the play. It is argues in Heilbrun’s essay that Gertrude is dull and shallow.

    Read More

  • Misogyny In Hamlet Essay

    1133 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hamlet is one of the most controversial characters from all of the Shakespeare’s play. His character is strong and complicated, but his jealousy is what conduces him to hate women. He sees them as weak, frail, and untrustworthy. He treats Ophelia, the women he loves, unfair and with cruelty. Similarly, he blames his mother for marrying her dead husband’s brother, who is now the King of Denmark. Hamlet’s treatment for women stems from his mother’s impulsive marriage to his uncle who he hates and Ophelia choosing her father’s advice over him.

    Read More

  • Laertes Use Of Feminism In Shakespeare's Hamlet

    1260 Words  | 3 Pages

    The women are also presented as weak characters in the play through Gertrude. It is evident that Queen Gertrude has the problem of inability to make independent decisions after her husband dies. She has to hurriedly get married to Hamlet’s uncle. The hurry in which Gertrude gets another husband is a clear in indication that women are illustrated as lacking the capacity to survive on their own always have to rely on women for survival .Hamlet is seen to be attacking her mother on the basis that women are weak in character. When Hamlet is frustrated by his mother he made a statement “frailty, thy name is woman”(Cohen,46) and it shows that women are always blamed for having weak characters.

    Read More

  • Destroyed by Sexuality

    990 Words  | 2 Pages

    In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, women are oversexualized, and are given no role other than to be the item of a man’s desire. The promiscuity of the only two women in the play, Gertrude and Ophelia, detracts from their power and integrity, and allows Hamlet a certain amount of control over them. Gertrude’s sexual lifestyle is often mentioned by her son, Hamlet, and Hamlet uses his knowledge of Gertrude’s sexuality as a means to criticize her. Ophelia’s sexuality initially appears to be controlled by Laertes and Polonius, and Hamlet takes advantage of the naive image that she is required to keep. However, in her later madness, Ophelia taints this image by revealing that her innocence is feigned. By exposing the sexual natures of both Gertrude and Ophelia, Hamlet strips these women of any influence they may have had, and damages their once-honourable names.

    Read More

  • Role Of Feminist Criticism In Hamlet

    1539 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Shakespearean play of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is easily criticized from a feministic perspective due to its pronounced gender roles and its pervasively patriarchal biases throughout every scene. The feminist criticism focuses on the relationships between genders and the malicious dominance men have over women both physically and psychologically. It examines the patterns of behavior, power, values, and thought between the sexes. The damage that male dominance has on the females in Hamlet is prominent when considering feminist criticism. It forces these women’s given situations to go from bad to worse. The societal viewpoint held hinders or prevents the female characters from attaining a true sense of identity. Without their own cultural

    Read More

  • Gender Inequality In Hamlet

    2145 Words  | 5 Pages

    William Shakespeare’s famed tragic, Hamlet, is a story centered around sin, suffering, and death. This popular piece is a highly controversial work of interest for critics concerned in regards to gender rights. Hamlet is a play, written from a male-centered viewpoint, and that which primarily stresses the male characters and their experiences as a replacement instead of assimilating the views and impacts of the women as well. Gender inequality is a dominant theme in Hamlet, in which women are considered and labeled as feeble and submissive because control and manipulation use them, by male dominance.

    Read More

  • A Comparison Of Hamlet And Michael Almereyda's Hamlet

    1559 Words  | 4 Pages

    Compared to Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Almereyda’s adaptation creates a new reading and highlights various elements more directly through a change in the characterization of Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother. The movie advances her position as a woman, making her a commanding and prominent figure throughout. This new reading of Gertrude from the movie reflects the changes in societal views regarding women, due to varying time periods, progressing the position of Gertrude as a woman, and exploiting ideas of incest, misogyny, and

    Read More

  • Shakespeare's Portrayal of Women

    1125 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Gertrude’s choice to marry so soon after her husband’s death she transgresses the patriarchal bound of femininity. She refuses to remain in passive grief and obedient devotion to his memory. Gertrude’s sin was her inaction. She was willing to accept Claudius and didn’t think twice of rejecting him. In Hamlet’s eyes his father was the very d...

    Read More

  • Horatio: A True Friend of Hamlet

    823 Words  | 2 Pages

    Gertrude was Hamlet’s mother. She was a selfish and evil woman. She cheated on Hamlet’s father with Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle. She married Claudius a month after her husband’s death. Gertrude wanted Hamlet to stop his grieving. She told Hamlet, “thou know’st ‘tis common, all that lives must die, passing through nature to eternity” (I.2.72-73). When Hamlet was depressed and grieving, it reminded Gertrude of the terrible sin she had committed. She wanted Hamlet to be happy just so she could feel better about herself. Throughout the play Gertrude’s motives do not waiver; she looks out for her own well being.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles in Hamlet

    1513 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Hamlet, gender plays a huge role in the assumed capability of people. Queen Gertrude had to remarry instead of rule the kingdom by herself. If she wouldn’t have gotten remarried, it would have been likely that her kingdom would have been usurped by a chauvinist male ruler; who felt that women couldn’t rule a kingdom.

    Read More

  • Anti-Feminism In Hamlet

    1065 Words  | 3 Pages

    In Shakespeare’s dramatic works there is no room for the heroic or the strong woman, and therefore many of his plays can be perceived as being antifeminist. Often he portrays women as weak, mad, sexual, and as even witches. Hamlet is no exception. The only women in the play, Ophelia and Queen Gertrude, are given confined and limited roles. These roles are from a male-dominated viewpoint and only add focus to the male characters instead of incorporating the insight and the impact of the women as well.

    Read More

  • Free Hamlet Essays: Role of Women in Hamlet

    612 Words  | 2 Pages

    For many years in the past women played a small role socially, economically, and politically. As a result of this many works in literature were reflective of this diminutive role of women. In Elizabethan theatres small boys dressed and played the roles of women. In contrast to this trend, in Shakespeare's Hamlet the women in the play are driving factors for the actions of many other characters. Both Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, and Ophelia, Hamlet's love, affected many of the decisions and actions done by Hamlet.

    Read More

More about Hamlet A Misogynist Analysis

Open Document