Ophelia's Treatment Of Women In Hamlet

Hamlet’s story with women is a difficult one. The two women in his life, Gertrude (his mother) and Ophelia, were the ones forced to receive and bear all of Hamlet’s rage. Hamlet made Gertrude one of his prime victims having persistently berating her for marrying Claudius. Ophelia fared no better. Hamlet toyed with Ophelia’s emotions, leaving Ophelia to decipher his messages on whether or not he loved her. Then in Hamlet’s climactic rage, he murdered Polonius, Ophelia's father, which pushed Ophelia to madness and ultimate suicide. As a result, Hamlet is found imposing his anger over his father’s death onto the women in his life. Straddling Gertrude and Ophelia with high behavioral expectations and forcing them to endure his turmoil, Hamlet’s treatment of women is irrational, and almost

Gertrude, although having had a speedy marriage with sub-par Claudius after the death of her husband, made her own decision – one that Hamlet tried to reverse. Constantly berating her for her remarriage, Hamlet mistreats Gertrude by attempting to control her life, which leads to Gertrude’s sadness over Hamlet’s accusations. Ophelia suffered Hamlet’s rollercoaster like love, in which he loved her and then took that back, leaving Ophelia confused. For both women, Hamlet tried to assert control over their lives, whether it is to not marry Claudius (Gertrude) or to love him against Polonius’ wishes (Ophelia), and therefore led to Gertrude and Ophelia’s miserableness. Hamlet unfairly mistreated these women because although he logically reasoned that the women acted unfavorably according to his expectations, he took a course of action that emotionally harmed them. Unjustifiable. In the case of Ophelia, Hamlet’s actions led to her tragic death and there is no excuse for that. Hamlet took out his inner anger over his father’s death and forced it upon the women in the