Sex debases men. They begin to struggle when they feel they are losing control of their emotions in any way. For a woman to easily change the way a man feels or the way he acts just by being female and attractive is enough to drive men insane. William Shakespeare's plays, Othello and Hamlet, demonstrate on paper, on film, and in other art forms that female sexuality and beauty are a threat to patriarchal society and that they must be controlled. Showalter affirms this in her essay by quoting David Laverenze's essay, "The Woman in Hamlet." In this essay he asserts that, " Hamlet's disgust at the feminine passivity in himself translated into violent revulsion against women and into his brutal behavior toward Ophelia" (Showalter 222). As men begin to see feminine aspects within themselves they will go to great lengths to not only deny, but also control these undesirable changes. Shakespeare's two plays are a direct commentary of the male insecurity that exists within relationships.
Shakespeare's message concerning the male preoccupation with masculinity and their resulting fear of feminine sexuality has been portrayed in film, photography, and drawings. The way the women are represented in each genre clearly demonstrates the power of female sexuality. Though separate in style, each artwork clearly shows how the men of the play see the women as sexual powerhouses. The other genres help to reinforce my analysis of the text. In film we can watch hamlet's facial expressions as he reacts to Ophelia's obvious pull over his emotions. Every picture is taken for a reason in photography. Through each frame we are able to analyze the split second of action the photographer intended to capture. Here we are able to see an emotion or movement w...
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...he become and the deeper into his insecurity he falls. Shakespeare's plays, the movies of his plays, and representations of his women through art all work together to create this great social commentary on men in relationships. The plays are obviously extreme since every man who is in love does not kill his lover. The point of the extremity however, is to reveal the gap that may otherwise go unnoticed. Desdemona and Ophelia are far from role models for women. They die and we do not want that. Once again, however their cases are extreme. We learn from them that acting blind to your lover's issues is not what we should strive to achieve. Rather, we should work together to make our sexuality a less foreign object to men. The more comfortable they are with it, the less intimidating it will seem and the more enjoyable it will be for both participants in the relationship.
In the play The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, a quintessential pair of teens fall in love, but their fate ends in misfortune. The pair falls in love in a time where women are seen as unimportant and insignificant. In spite of this, Romeo breaks the boundaries of male dominance and shows a more feminine side. Throughout the play, there is an interesting depiction of gender roles that is contrary to the society of the time period.
William Shakespeare 's play Hamlet focuses on Hamlet, a 30-year old man who tries to seek revenge for his father. Reading the play and looking at it through a contemporary lens, one can assume the title character is homosexual. Even though Shakespeare does not mean for hamlet to be a homosexual, a contemporary reader can assume this argument; through Hamlet’s characterization, portraying his relationship with men all around. As well as his misogynistic relations.
Hamlet, Othello, and King Lear similarly experience an "unhooking" (Tompkins) in the eponymous plays. These tragic figures struggle with internal and external femininity: after realizing their emotions and labeling them feminine, they identify women as the source of this negative femininity. Their inability to deal with the female gender in any form destabilizes their masculinity, causing an unhooking/unlatching within them. The origin of Hamlet's psychological decay lies in his anger towards Gertrude and his inability to adjust to her marrying Claudius. From Hamlet's perspective, Gertrude giving herself to a new husband signifies her failure to honor his father and her abandonment of Hamlet; he is figuratively orphaned, and he resents his sole living parent. Additionally, Hamlet's emotional confidence has been significantly damaged: seeing his mother with another man substantiates the possibility that his future wife could leave him for another man and cause him serious pain. This realization compels Hamlet to mask his feelings for Ophelia with madness, a defense mechanism intended to conceal his vulnerability. Ophelia reports that he appeared "with his doublet all unbrac'd,/No hat upon his head, his stockins fouled,/Ungart'red, and down-gyved to his ankle" (2.1.75-7), but as Hamlet is well-aware of the dress code, he likely intended for his behavior to be viewed as unacceptable and thus mad.
Shakespeare is debatably the greatest poet and writer of all time. However, that does not mean that these plays adapt to the changing times. In Shakespeare’s, Othello, gender plays a large role in understanding the culture of the time and makes the play out of date, if not used properly. Understanding the gender roles and how they are defined in Shakespeare’s culture, looking at each individual women in the play, and the way Shakespeare should be taught today in order to adapt to the times allows readers a deeper appreciation of Shakespeare’s work. Shakespeare is a wonderful artist and writer. Used properly, students today can learn thousands of lessons and insightful ways to insult one another from the great play writer. “Students have trouble
In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet degrades women by the means of the motif of the whore, and its parallel, the virgin. Femininity is constructed in two very opposite ways within the world of Hamlet. Hamlet’s characterization of the two most important women in his life fall in the two polarities of the spectrum, and even within the discourse of determining which side Ophelia and Gertrude fall, he never considers the possibility of a dual nature residing in either character. If not a virgin, a woman is automatically labeled as a whore in Hamlet’s mind, and this very concept extends to not only the society of Elizabethan England from the time which Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, but it also can apply to the ideology of our current society to an extent.
1984 takes place in a totalitarian society where the government is an overbearing presence in the lives of civilians. George Orwell gives readers a perspective of what it would be like if a free country, like England, were to fall under totalitarian rule. England has fallen under the rule of “the Party” lead by a character they all call “Big Brother” (Orwell 2). In this world, people no longer have any natural rights. Cameras and microphones are everywhere and “BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU” (Orwell 2). People in this society have no time to think their own thoughts since the telescreen is always on and it is always filling their minds with propaganda. They only see and hear the things the Party wants them to. History books have been rewritten
Ever since Eve was fashioned from Adam’s rib, men have viewed women as objects that they use and abuse like an extension themselves. This idea exists because over time men have become to see themselves as superior beings. This idea has been reinforced by years of culture and tradition; it can be found in the media, the workplace and has even made its way into literature through the mind of William Shakespeare. In his play Hamlet, he explores themes of sexuality and how men view women. One of the ways he does is through the character, Hamlet, who has the idea that men are superior to women. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare the main character Hamlet, displays characteristics that proves that he is misogynist. These
Hamlets misogyny is not something that was engrained in his culture but what his mother has engrained within him. Hamlet hasn’t always hated women as he does now, his harsh treatment of Gertrude and Ophelia are because of their betrayal of his love. Hamlet knows that even though she has made mistakes she has not stopped being a mother to him, apart from that he stills feels anger towards her and the hate that he now feels for Ophelia is just a displacement of his feelings for his mothers, “the total reaction culminates in the bitter misogyny of his outburst against Ophelia…Hamlet is really expressing his bitter resentment against his mother” (1199) towards the poor and innocent Ophelia. His hate for women is just his frustration for his mother and Ophelia blinding him and not truly him hating women because in Ophelia’s grave he tells Laertes “I loved Ophelia, Forty thousand brothers could not with all their quantity of love make up my sum.” (5.1.262) Hamlets repulsion against women is just him repressing his true love for the women in his life who have hurt him, “the powerful repression to which his sexual feelings are being subjected.”
As long as time has gone we have been able to observe the changes power generates in us humans and the terrible disease that ignorance is.
The number of elders who are abused in this country and around the world each day is growing at an astonishing rate be it from individuals or institutions. As many as one in ten older adults and one in two people with dementia are victims of elder abuse. Unfortunately, for every case that gets reported there are 23 that go unreported. ("Get Info," 2014) as you can see from the statistics elder abuse is not uncommon in the United States. Any elder has the potential of being physically, emotionally, sexually, or financially abused by another individual. Elders can also cause harm to themselves by neglecting their daily needs. At St. Rita’s nursing home, during Katrina, thirty-five elderly residents were trapped inside all eventually drowning in their wheelchairs and beds.
Lack of supervision by families, managers of the institution, and medical staff is another factor that causes elderly abuse. Sometimes families leave their parents in nursing homes with the assumption that they are in better hands. It is important to visit and talk to the elderly every single time that they see them. Most people don’t even know that their parents are suffering from abuse until something bad happens to them. Families usually trust nurses in the care of their loved ones, but it is necessary to be aware of what care the
The article discussed implications strategies for prevention of elder abuse. The major implications are awareness and education, intergenerational relationships, training of professionals, and empowerment of elders. Individuals need to be educated early on so that they will perceive the elderly as contributors to society. Intergenerational relationships will create a closer and positive relationship between generations. It will allow the younger population to respect the older population more. With proper training, professionals will be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of elderly abuse and know when and how to intervene. As a social worker, we play a very
“Frailty, thy name is woman,” a quote stated by Hamlet in the award-winning play “Hamlet,” written by William Shakespeare between the years 1599 and 1601. Many people argue the point that women are defined regarding their sexuality, and they typically have no power compared to stand against sexual expectations. Through analyzing the Hamlet text, it is evident that women are mistreated greatly, especially Ophelia and Gertrude, due to being degraded and are affected by Hamlet, and how he is using his actions for his gain.Gender inequality is a prominent issue in the work of Hamlet as the two leading women are portrayed as weak, obedient, and used as tools of manipulation by the male figures in their lives. Shakespeare demonstrates a sympathetic
The portrayal of gender roles in William Shakespeare’s play Othello, demonstrates the inferior treatment of women and the certain stereotypes of men placed on them by society. Both the male and female characters in the play have these certain gender expectations placed on them. In a society dominated by men, it is understood that the women are to be seen rather than heard. The women are referred to and treated much like property. If indeed they do speak up, they are quickly silenced. One woman’s attempt to be the perfect wife is what ultimately led to her demise. The expectations of men are equally stereotypical. Men are to be leaders and to be in control and dominant especially over the women. The male characters compete for position and use the female characters in the play as leverage to manipulate each other. Shakespeare provides insight in understanding the outcomes of the men and women who are faced with the pressures of trying to live up to society’s expectations, not only in the workplace, but also in the home. The pressure creates jealousy issues amongst the men and they become blind to the voice of reason and are overtaken by jealous rage, leads to the death of many of the characters.
In today’s day and age, a controversial topic of discussion is gender. Traditionally, there are only two genders: male and female. However, many people are starting to recognize and identify as more than 50 different genders. People are slowly attempting to disassemble gender roles in an effort for equality. However, when Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, women were rarely seen as anything other than a wife, mother, and in the case of some a pawn that could be used to manipulate for the good of someone else. Ophelia and Queen Gertrude are two examples of women who are used as pawns by the men in Hamlet.