Women as the Driving Action of the Play in Macbeth by William Shakespeare
The female characters of the play - Gertrude and Ophelia - are each
given unique personalities which influence the conclusion of the
story. I think that both women play important roles and while each
character is different in individual ways, they share similar
qualities.
Ophelia is the daughter of Polonius (a chief advisor to King
Claudius). Shakespeare does very little to develop her character: she
has very little stage time and few lines. I think that this is partly
because women were not allowed to act on stage in Shakespeare’s time.
Female roles had to be played by men, therefore, there were always
limitations and restrictions for female characters. In the case of
Ophelia, a young and lovely woman, Shakespeare would have been writing
for a boy. This might have prevented the playwright from developing
the character more fully. Nevertheless, Ophelia plays a significant
role which helps determine the outcome of the play.
Ophelia is greatly influenced and controlled by those around her. She
represents the traditional obedient and passive woman and is a victim
in the play. She is unable to express her deep emotions because of
their control and eventually this leads to her madness. It is her
crazed reaction to her father's death, ultimately resulting in her
suicide, which most strongly affects the plays ending.
The other woman in the play is Gertrude. She is the Queen of Denmark
and mother to Hamlet. She is King Hamlet’s widow but married Claudius
shortly after his death. Gertrude is vital to the main plot of the
play, however as with Ophelia, her char...
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... the play as she is a
character that sits in the middle of the conflict, and seems intent in
resolving it at every turn. She is both mother and peacemaker in a
family that has come into an unstable way of life. Gertrude is
thoughtful and sensitive in her attempts to intervene. She is not
simply an ignorant victim of her situation. Ophelia’s also has an
important role in driving the action of the play as madness and
suicide has a huge affect on the other main characters. She has a
major influence on Hamlet, and his return to sanity. Her madness
influences the Queen - upon learning of Ophelia's death, Gertrude
seems to be in a state of confusion over the loss of this innocent
girl. She also influences Laertes - his grief at her death leads to
his alliance with King Claudius to kill Hamlet and avenge Polonius's
death.