A Mysogonistic World: Women ` S Treatment Within Shakespeare's Hamlet

A Mysogonistic World: Women’s Treatment Within Shakespeare’s Hamlet It becomes quite clear, while researching the days of old, that the way women were treated in earlier years was different than the way they treated women in the modern era. By reading about earlier periods of time, it is easy to see a time of misogyny and anti-feminism. A great outlet for this time is the famous play, The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, written by the famous William Shakespeare. The play is one of tragedy, skepticism, and thought. It is a world in which everyone has something to hide, and because of it, their actions have a large impact on those around them. A great example of such is the character, Ophelia, who was driven into suicide thanks to the

Virtue itself scapes not calumnious strokes (Shakespeare 1.3.32-37).

Laertes knows that Hamlet has some affection built for Ophelia. However, if she chooses to reciprocate it, there would be dire consequences. Laertes explains that should Ophelia reciprocate those feelings, her reputation could be easily ruined. If a woman should choose to express herself in such ways, she would be ridiculed and outcasted from society, which goes to show how women were seen throughout the Elizabethan era. Laertes’s warning for Ophelia showcases the impact a women’s actions had on her image, which helps to elaborate on the misogyny during the Elizabethan era.

Furthermore, the actions of the male characters toward Ophelia also go to show the mistreatment of women during the Elizabethan era. As the play continues, the characters start to notice a change in Hamlet’s behavior. His assumed melancholy and madness spark concern and debate within the castle. In order for them to understand it’s causation, they utilize Ophelia as a way to calculate what the source of this change in behavior is. The use of Ophelia as a pawn can be seen when Claudius exclaims,

Her father and myself

Will bestow ourselves that seeing

The main conflict with Gertrude comes from the fact she married Claudius after her husband, King Hamlet, died. Because of this, she is constantly portrayed in a negative light, being seen as an incestuous beast throughout the play. This portrayal can be seen when Prince Hamlet exclaims “O most wicked speed, to post / With such dexterity to incestuous sheets” (Shakespeare 1.2.157-158). Gertrude was not portrayed in a positive light, throughout the play. Because of her actions, Gertrude is painted in a negative light. With that, she is constantly condemned throughout the play. During the Elizabethan era, if a woman committed adultery, she would be condemned and shunned, whilst the men who commit the same sin are punished less, and their actions may even be overlooked. This is further supported in the article, “Discovering Feminism through Gertrude and Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet,” as the author talks about the way Gertrude is portrayed, saying, “Her act of hasty marriage to her brother-in-law Claudius, less than two months after the death of her husband is condemned by Hamlet akin to committing incest,” (Rani, et al 247). Because of Gertrude’s actions, she is constantly condemned. The way Shakespeare chooses to portray one of the two female characters within this play, goes to show that during this time,