Hamlet, by William Shakespeare

Throughout history scholars have noted that men have a different social construction than women. Linguists, philosophers, psychologists and even lay people can attest to the striking separation between the sexes when it comes to how we speak to those of our own gender and those of the opposite. In Hamlet this is no exception. However, the more fascinating dynamic to note is how men speak to other men and use the relationships with younger men for their own agenda. Who better knows the way to ignite a young man’s soul to action than a man many years his senior?

The older gentlemen in this play use the younger males as pawns. To be mindful this is not all the time, but it is frequent. For example, Polonius sends Reynaldo to collect information about his son and to spread rumors that he likes to have a bit of fun. We don’t exactly know from the text if Reynaldo is a young man per say but one can infer that he is because few young men would talk about the habits of a peer with a man who could easily be his father. Doing so could get their peer in to trouble and themselves in to “hot water” with said peer, a disquieting situation that could risk the cordial relationship between the two young males. We, also, see the caution a young man might have in protecting themselves if sent on such a fact finding mission by a friend’s father in Claudius’ use of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on hamlet. The King tells these two to spy on his stepson under the guise of finding out what is the matter with him. It is quiet obvious Claudius’ agenda is only to find out if Hamlet suspects him of murdering the old king. Furthermore, Claudius even goes so far as to use Laertes as a pawn against Hamlet to rid of the hassle he would be should he spea...

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...d ridden garden. These thoughts are necessary for the play as they give the reader insight and understanding of the events to that point but the fact he says these things to his mother violates an unspoken social order that Gertrude is not happy about.

Hamlet down right scares Ophelia during his outburst with her in the offstage of act two scene one. In this scene she’s telling her father what has occurred. At the risk of being autobiographical, from her description I imagine the actions in the “emote” style of a popular web based “MMORG” called “Rune Scope,” because the flailing she describes. Of course her father asks questions in the direction of one purpose, to determine if she’s chaste or if he’s robbed her of that virtue. Hamlet, though, scares the snot out of her because of his presentation and demeanor not because he’s necessarily laid an ill hand on her.