Onyekere 1
Chinelo Onyekere
Julie Rea
Eng 112
Date 08/14/2014
Hamlet 's statement “Frailty, thy name is woman”
In Shakespeare 's, Hamlet is not happy with his mother 's remarriage to his uncle. He is referring
to his mother when he makes the statement “ Let me not think on 't: Frailty, they name is woman / A little month or ere those shoes were old” (Act I.ii.146-147). Hamlet is in state of emotional distress due to his fathers ' death. In the statement,“Frailty, thy name is woman,” frail connotes delicacy, unreliability, and moral corruptibility,
Heilbrun contends that Gertrude is not a weak character who lacks “depth and vigorous intelligence”. She attempts to help Hamlet to adjust his fathers ' death and her marriage to his uncle. She clearly loves her son, and she worries about his increasingly disturbed appearance and behavior (Ellen). Even when Hamlet berates her, in the closet scene, for having given herself to Claudius, "In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, / Stewed in corruption, honeying and making love," Gertrude asks him to stop, but calls him "sweet Hamlet" (3.4.92–97), ( Ellen). Gertrude cares for Hamlet with a motherly love. In (Act I.ii.68) she beg Hamlet to “Cast his nighted color off” and his two months of mourning. It shows how she loves Hamlet, when she begs him “not to go back to Wittenberg University, ” This shows that she cherishes him and want him to stay with her. In (Act II.ii.35) Gertrude also asks Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to visit Hamlet, in order to find out the cause of his madness. This shows that she is concerned about Hamlet 's condition. In (Act III.ii.101) Before the players starts their performance of the murder of Gonzago, Gertrude tells Hamlet to come and sit with her, as a companying her might allow her to prevent any embarrassing behavior at social gathering, that might create conflict. Gertrude also tells Hamlet that he offended Claudius in order to prevent further conflict between Hamlet and
Her brother and father feel free to order her around. For example Laertes say to her, “Whereof he is the head. Then if he say he loves you / it fits your wisdom so far to believe it” ( Act I.iii.24-25). She has no option as a woman in a male-dominated society, and this is what separates her from Hamlet. Her obedience does not allow her to express her feelings and her ability to act is determined by men who control her. She obeys her father when he says, “As to give words or talk with the lord Hamlet / Look to 't I charge you, come your ways / I shall obey, my Lord” (Act I.iii.135-137). In order to determine the cause of Hamlet 's madness without any comment showing that she is not free to object. The king and her father order her to talk to hamlet so the king can spy on the two of them. She has little opportunity to exercise free
... he over re-acts and the ghost of his father appears to remind him of why he was there. Gertrude senses Hamlets anger after he kills Polonius and asked what have I done? Hamlets reply was one full of grief, anxiety and anger. He begins to tell his mother of what he knows and what he expects from her. Not to share her bed with Claudius as well as take part in any more corruption. Gertrude then begins to see that her son is not mad with sickness, but is more mad with anger over her stupidity. Hamlet has let his mother become his main role model for all women in the world and that is why he is so negative towards women.
which express his dissatisfaction with his mother’s choice to marry his father’s inferior brother. Hamlet references his mother’s shoes, which he describes as worn, and how they had not been like that prior to her marrying Claudius. Hamlet’s comment regarding Gertrude’s shoes suggests that he believes that his mother has become somewhat of a slave to Claudius.
he is putting on an act. (I, v). Hamlet also tells his mother that he is
Hamlet's sickness is also shown through his strong relationship, bordering on obsession, with his mother. Throughout the play he constantly worries about her, and becomes angry when thinking of her relationship with Claudius. In his first soliloquy, Hamlet becomes enraged when he thinks about her "incestuous sheet," and in frustration he makes the irrational generalization that, "Frailty, thy name is woman!" (I, ii, 146). In the closet scene, Hamlet treats his mother cruelly, and he accuses her of being involved in the plot to kill his father. Once again, he dwells on her "enseam'd bed/ Stew'd in corruption" (III, iv, 92-93).
Hamlet takes control of the conversation from the very beginning of the scene although it is Gertrude who was meant to be rebuking him and doing much of the talking. Hamlet succeeds in shaming her until the point when she begs him to stop. Hamlet having the upper hand in the conversation, asks his mother to change her ways, which she agrees to and asks for his advice, showing that she has submitted herself to her son. Hamlet does not really show much respect for his mother while reproving her and forcing her to sit down but he does love her. Some critics believe that his love shows sexual connotation and that is a reason why he gets so upset at her remarriage. There is a point in this scene when Gertrude thinks her life is in danger of Hamlet and gets frightened, which shows us that she considers him to be mad and harmful. After this scene she becomes aware that Hamlet isn't mad and starts trusting him as opposed to Claudius. This is exactly how Shakespeare has presented women throughout the play: they are easy to convince, very meek and become submissive to the men (as we can see Ophelia and her response to her father and brother). They are depicted as weak and inferior in comparison to the male figures, who control their lives. After the closet scene Gertrude keeps faith to her son and lies to her husband Claudius for Hamlet saying he killed Polonius in his madness:
Throughout the play, Hamlet discovers who is loyal to him and who his real enemies are. Right away, Hamlet dislikes his uncle. He is already distraught over losing his father but on top of that he has to deal with the marriage of his beloved mother to his uncle, who he perceives as being cruel and cold-hearted. "A little more than kin, and less than kind." (I; ii; 65) This is Hamlets first line in the play, which clearly demonstrates the extreme hatred Hamlet has towards his uncle. Hamlet also feels intense betrayal from his mother. He trusted her and feels like she has disregarded any love she ever felt towards her former husband. " Mother, you have my father much offended." (III; iv; 11) " A bloody deed-almost as bad, good mother, As kill a king, and marry with his brother. (III; iv; 29-30). Hamlet is revolted by the idea of his uncle and his mother married.
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 ...
After the death of Old Hamlet and Gertrude’s remarriage to Claudius, Hamlet feels extremely angry and bitter. “How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable / Seem to me all the uses of this world!” (1.2.133-134). Due to the death of his father, he is already in a state of despair and the lack of sympathy that his mother has towards his sorrow does not aid him in recovering from this stage of grief. “Good Hamlet, cast thy knighted colour off, / And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark” (1.2.68-69). Hamlet is struggling to accept the fashion in which Gertrude is responding to the death of Old Hamlet; she seems quite content with her new life with Claudius, which is a difficult concept for him to accept as after the d...
Hamlets ridiculed feelings for women was because of his mother’s disappointing action. Hamlets mothers’ marriage with Claudius not so long after his father’s death did not show her devotion to her husband’s memory in the way a loving wife should. ”O god a beast that wants discourse of reason would have mourned longer” (l.2.150) degrading Gertrude, as he believes an animal would find the loss of its mate more upsetting than the queen did when she lost her husband. In his mind women are frail and weak this is why he says that women is just another name for weakness. “Frailty, thy name is woman” (l.2.148) generalizing that all women are frail and incapable to withstand temptation. His bitterness has lead him to believe that all women are dishonest and untrustworthy because his mother easily moved on from the husband she so thought to have loved and worse married his brother a month after his death. Hamlet starts to torment his mother by telling her that she is sleeping with her husband’s killer. “But you live in the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, stewed in corruption and making love over that nasty sty” (3.4.100) trying to make her realize the wrong that she has done, being easy to fall in love with another man because she required comfort. To Hamlet his mother is weak, surrendering to lust, changing Hamlets view and sparking his hate for women, seeing how they are not loyal. “When the compulsive ardour gives
In this paper I will be analyzing and discussing how these four soliloquies reflect changes in Hamlet’s mental state; his
Though this first soliloquy occurs rather promptly in the play, there are still a lot of proceedings that lead up to it. Hamlet comes back from school to find all is not well in the state of Denmark. His father has died a mysterious death, and his mother has already remarried his father’s brother. In royal times it was customary to mourn the death of royalty for a year, yet his mother only waited two months to remarry. She not only waited two months, but she was committing what Hamlet and others considered incest. This anomalous marriage paired with the recent meeting whit his mother and stepfather, where Hamlet is embar...
Hamlet however, continues his rude remarks by say what lies between maids laps is “nothing” (III.ii.128). In this case the word nothing does not mean what is usually does and instead has a double meaning for a vagina. With his vulgar language and his profane comments Hamlet takes out his anger on someone with less power than he has, praying in the weak in order to make himself feel better. Another character who weathers Hamlet’s coarse commentary is his mother, Gertrude, whom he disrespects the most using her as a punching bag in order to vent out his own anger. After the play has taken place and the king leaves in the middle of it, clearly troubled by Hamlet’s scene resembling his father’s death, Gertrude calls her son to come to her bedchamber. There, Hamlet says to his mother in response to her questioning him, “Go, go, you question with a wicked tongue” (III.iiii.15). Gertrude is the only character in the play to call Hamlet out on his nasty remarks because she is one of the only characters who Hamlet’s has a personal relationship with. Even his schoolboy friends whom he has known for years he
Hamlet has the disillusion that women are frail after his mother’s rushed remarriage as shown by “Frailty, thy name is woman!” He also believes women do not have the power to reason. (“O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason.”) Ophelia has the power to change his view but her unexplained rejection of him only adds to Hamlet’s disillusion. The ghost’s revelation that Gertrude dishonored Hamlet’s father but also their marriage by the adultery with Claudius is contemplated by Hamlet until he goes into Ophelia’s room to look upon her. As Hamlet searches Ophelia’s face for some sign that might restore his faith in her, he instead believes her face shows guilt and thinks she is another false Gertrude.
In Act 3, scene 4 lines 52 through 93, Hamlet confronts his mother, Gertrude and explains his suspicions about his uncle, Claudius, being a poison that infected and ruined his mother’s soul. The passage gives readers a deep insight into both Hamlet and Gertrude Hamlet’s true feelings for his mother are exposed in a verbal attack as he explains Claudius is an unworthy man who seduced his mother and murdered his father. The conversation is important to the storyline of Hamlet because Gertrude’s character becomes more defined through her interactions with her son and greatly impacts how the tragedy plays out as she refuses to believe Hamlet when he explains Claudius is a villian.
To begin, Gertrude is presented in differing manners throughout Hamlet the play versus Hamlet (2000) the film. In Shakespeare’s play, she originally is cast as a woman who has power due to her husband, but sits as a trophy wife. Craving power, safety, and comfort, she depends on men for her position and control. Seeming to have poor judgment, she never expresses self-reflection throughout the play and just seems to be a bit oblivious to everything, ultimately resulting in her death as an unaware victim of a game she ensnared herself