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Contrast the character of Gertrude and Ophelia in Hamlet
The role of ophelia and gertrude in hamlet
The role of women in Hamlet
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Gender plays as much of a role in the modern day as it did in the time that Shakespeare wrote his wonderful play, Hamlet. With the men in the society often premeditating what happens in the life of the women. In the case of Shakespeare’s Hamlet we are able to see that the true nature of gender as we have characters like Ophelia,and Gertrude. As Ophelia has her life dominated by men as they are able to cloud her judgement. Shakespeare’s use of Ophelia is only to improve the stock that men have. The men around Ophilia are portrayed as clever, smart, courageous yet, always remaining to be the one that is seen as the mad and unstable women that is pushed to become. While Gertrude is a character who is an affectionate, and caring character that tries to make the best out of the situations that she is placed in. This is nevertheless, unimportant as the misogynist thoughts that the men in the play have towards her lead her. Shakespeare’s portrayal of women in the play Hamlet is that of one to serve only the men that are in the play catering to their emotional, sexual, financial and other needs that they have never able to develop. A feminist is needed in women because without this feminist identity women will be easily manipulated by men. Ophelia role for Hamlet the man that she believes to love uses Ophelia is for …show more content…
Shakespeare is also uses women as a vessel as he is able to have a psychoanalytic criticism of Hamlet as he is able to comment of the way that his depression and sadness of his father’s death, failed loves and how all of this results in the way that he treats women. As shakespeare is able to expand on the complexity of a character like Hamlet who appears as crazy, mysognostic, and disrespectful, expanding on the motives behind why Hamlet acts the way that he
In every story, a female character always seems to play a significant position. No matter how big or minimal their role is, their impact will be of great importance. More than oftentimes the female character will be portrayed in a depressing manner, overall being weak. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the female protagonist Ophelia’s character is conveyed as an obedient woman who tries to please those around her all the while only displeasing herself and the man she loves leading her to live a tragedy that ends her life. This play focuses on Hamlet striving to avenge his father’s death; ruining his life and those around him because of his choices. Ophelia is the girlfriend that tries to abide by him and make him the happiest man he can be but Hamlet is a man full of doubts and internal dilemmas. In regards to
Plot Context: King Claudius is talking about Hamlet mourning the death of his father still. His mother Gertrude says she also still misses her husband but you have to move on.
"Through the lens of Gender theory, Shakespeare's characterization of men and women in Hamlet demonstrate a patriarchal approach throughout the play. In particular, we may explore the female characters of Gertrude and Ophelia and how they challenge -or fail to challenge- the domination of male characters. Throughout the play, Ophelia is represented as incoherent, silent, and a quintessential mad woman. Whilst Gertrude is represented as solely dependent on men, and
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet takes place in Elsinore, a city in Denmark, during the middle ages, a time populated and controlled by men. In the beginning of the play, two women, Gertrude and Ophelia, appear to be weak, insignificant characters in the play but as time passes their roles and involvement with the main plots is amplified. In the beginning of the play Gertrude has a lot to gain from the actions of others, Ophelia mirrors Hamlet in his decline into insanity due to their struggle with internal conflicts. Throughout the play the frailty of women is a common topic. Even Hamlet himself said, “Frailty, thy name is woman” (Act 1, Scene 2).Thought as the play goes on the audience finds that the women are stronger and of more importance than they appear to be.
Do the males in Hamlet’s society feel that women are inferior to them? It certainly seems that way, but is it possible that the males behave in this manner due to their own self-loathing? Hamlet by Shakespeare is considered to one the most tragic plays ever written. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, has one of the worst mothers. She knowingly marries her husband’s murderer, Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle. In one of the most convoluted plots in literature, Hamlet is on a mission to avenge his father’s murder, punish Gertrude, and rid himself of Ophelia, whom he has driven to madness. In the end, Hamlet’s intense need for revenge is his ultimate downfall. Even though Hamlet seems to be the victim, in some ways, he is actually the villain because of the ways that he treats his mother, Gertrude, and Ophelia. The women meet their fate due to their lack of independence. After a closer examination, there is evidence to show that the women's actions, or lack thereof, are the reasons behind their demise. In particular, three factors come into play in terms of a Feminist standpoint. First, upon closer examination of the text, it becomes apparent that women lack wise decision-making in matters of love. Secondly, women's feeble minds deter them to make shrewd decisions, as they are immature and weak. Finally, a male-dominated society affects the females’ decision making ability because they are being controlled by the men around them. Therefore, an obvious focus for the audience in Shakespeare’s, Hamlet is the prince’s indecisiveness; however, what is more noteworthy is the overt suggestion in this play that females are incapable of reaching wise decisions. Clearly the patriarchal values displayed by the men in their conversations with women in Hamlet, u...
One way that feminism is shown is through how the characters think that the men in the book act like women. Since the beginning of the book the author subtlety hint that the way Hamlet acts loses his respect because of the way he acts. Such as when the king states” ‘Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet, to give these mourning duties to your father.... but to persever in obstinate condolement is a course of impious stubbornness. 'Tis unmanly grief. It shows a will most incorrect to heaven, a heart unfortified, a mind impatient, an understanding simple and unschooled” (1.2.90-92; 96-101). For this reason just because he shows his emotions he gets called a girl. Meanwhile hamlet soon starts making horrible comments about how he acts.
Hamlet, a tragedy written by William Shakespeare in the 16th century, has been subject to evaluation for centuries. Each character has been broken down and analyzed. The psychology of each character has been examined. Every relationship has been studied to find more answer surrounding the play. Harold Bloom and Sigmund Freud have examined it extensively. Scholars have dissected all parts of the play. One character that has recently been analyzed more and more is Ophelia. She has been defended by feminists and criticized by many who believed she was mad. In their article and revisions, “Representing Ophelia: Women, Madness, and the Responsibilities of Feminist Criticism,” from Shakespeare and the Question of Theory, edited by Patricia Parker and Geoffrey Hartman, the authors, being feminist critics, defend Ophelia and criticize the way she is treated and undermined as a minor character. The role of Ophelia in the play Hamlet is underappreciated and over criticized due to her developed psychosis following her rejection by Hamlet. However, Ophelia’s role is more than just a sexual arousal for Hamlet and psychosis for psychiatrist and specifically male critics to examine.
Women play a vastly important role in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Gertrude, the Queen and Hamlets mother and Ophelia, Hamlets love interest, are the two main women in Hamlet. These women are constantly manipulated, controlled, and taken advantage of by male characters in Hamlet.
Just as every other male in this time, he viewed feminine characteristics as unthinkably negative. When considering the vengeance his father’s death, he goes as far as declaring: “Why, what an ass am I! This is most brave, That I, the son of a dear father murdered, Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words and fall a-cursing like a very drab, A stallion! Fie upon’t! Foh!” (2.2.611-616) Hamlet seems to believe that a “whore,” a “drab,” or a “stallion” is comparable to not avenging his father’s death. One of the more famous lines of the play states, “Must I remember? Why, she hang on him As if increase of appetite had grown By what it fed on. And yet, within a month (Let me not think on ‘t, frailty, thy name is woman!)” (1.2.147-150) Hamlet begins this bold statement by being disgusted with the ways of his mother, however, ends the quote by stereotyping the female gender as a whole. He believes that women’s sexual “appetites” lead only to betrayal and corruption of relationships, which undoubtedly stems from his disgust with his mother’s sexual actions with his uncle and new king, Claudius. However, labeling all women as frail is a bold statement coming from the same character that overthinks every given situation and doubts every move he makes. Every male role in Hamlet exemplifies frailty in more than one way.
“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
Women in Shakespeare’s Hamlet Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays. In this essay I will look at Hamlets perception of women in general, but particularly Gertrude and Ophelia. I will also look at the historical presentation of women, comparing Hamlets time to today and seeing if the symbolic role that the female characters have is related to the period. Also I will look at Hamlets madness, whether it was real or not and also whether women could be the cause of it. Finally, I will look at a possible ‘Oedipus complex’ in Hamlet.
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.
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.
This is demonstrated through Hamlet’s relationship with the two known women in his life, Gertrude and Ophelia. The presence of only two named female characters creates a statement about the role of women within Hamlet, and their oppressive role in Elizabethan society at whole. Ophelia’s burgeoning relationship with Hamlet perpetuates the theme of patriarchy. “Get thee to a nunnery” adopts a double entendre ambiguously referencing both sexual abstinence and sexual perversity, symbolising Hamlet’s antithesis of platonic love and vacillations of ‘deprived love’, and highlights Hamlet’s misogynistic perception of women. From a feminist reading, Juliet Dustinbere states that “Ophelia had no chance to develop independent conscience of her, so stifled is she by the authority of the male world”, emphasising the dominance Hamlet has over Ophelia, thus reflecting the suppression of women in the Elizabethan era. Shakespeare conveys Hamlet’s cathartic antiphon to Gertrude’s disloyalty through the utilisation of the metaphoric sibilance “incestuous sheets”, emphasising the sexual sin that pervades human principles. He holds this assumption to all women with his scathing remark “Frailty, thy name is woman”, proving the prevalence of male hegemony. In response to Claudius, “little more than kin, and less than kind”, serves as an antithesis that highlights the “uncle-father” and “aunt-mothers’” incestuous affair, signifying their disregard for a true marital relationship. The death of both women indicates a social commentary, as Shakespeare explores the role of women in Hamlet, reflecting on the impression of women in Elizabethan times. By addressing the relationships Hamlet shares with women, Shakespeare is able to invoke theoretical revisionism due to the play’s textual integrity in regards to the subject of
The term “woman” is defined in the dictionary as an adult female human being having characteristics such as courtesy, kindness, gentility, and nurturing abilities. They are bearers of children and so forth on. Women are considered the opposite sex of men and in past times as slaves of men. Women have many rights in these days. Women can work, vote, and handle things just as men can. In the past, women were seen as just mothers and just housekeeper. Women were always taught to respect, listen, and serve their husbands or father if they were not married. In the past, this was considered a standard, therefore women had no choice, but to obey and do as they were told. In Hamlet, Shakespeare portrays a similar relationship between men and women. He allows men to hold the higher position in the drama. Women are treated as lesser people, and the belief that women should listen to them, and do as men tell them to, is upheld throughout the play. Women are portrayed in one of two ways; virtuous or promiscuous. Shakespeare uses the character Hamlet to exhibit how men in this era view women. The two main female characters in this play are Gertrude and Ophelia. Shakespeare and Hamlet portray women as either pure, like Ophelia, or impure, like Gertrude. The real question is why do women seem to impact the actions and thoughts of the main character, Hamlet, so much? This research topic, “Frailty thy name is woman”, asks us to look at Hamlet’s view of these two women.