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Feminism In Hamlet

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Hamlet Essay
Feminist theory by definition is the extension of feminism into theoretical or philosophical discourse, aiming to understand the nature of gender inequality. It examines women 's social roles, experiences, interests, and feminist politics in a variety of fields. Shakespeare criticizes misogyny within the play Hamlet by using the monarchy to emotionally strip the female characters of their power; this lack of voice ties directly to sanity and stability, or lack thereof.
Laertes is instructing his sister, Ophelia, to be wary of Hamlet because he may not have the best intentions when it comes to her well being. Instead of Laertes treating his sister with the familial geniality that can often be found between siblings, he views …show more content…

In Hamlet, the women, Ophelia and Gertrude are portrayed as subordinate to the men around them and are dependent on them for their social standing, power, and influence. Hamlet is ranting on his mother 's hasty marriage to his Uncle Claudius. Ophelia laments over Hamlet leaving her in ruins, with nothing left to live for. Let me not think on 't; frailty, thy name is woman!(1.2.141-150). By Gis and by Saint Charity, Alack and fie for shame, Young men will do 't, if they come to 't; By Cock, they are to blame. Quoth she, 'Before you tumbled me, You promised me to wed. ' So would I 'a done, by yonder sun, An thou hadst not come to my bed (4.5.63-71). Hamlet looks down on the female gender with severe disdain when he asserts "Frailty, thy name is woman" which leads the reader to deduce that women are looked down upon as feeble and subordinate. Even though she begins to show signs of becoming her own person by beginning a relationship with Hamlet, unapproved by her father, eventually Ophelia is driven insane, and then later to her grave because of her inability to handle her father 's death and Hamlet 's colic treatment towards her. With her brother away in Paris, Hamlet rejecting their love, and the passing of her father, Ophelia 's frail mindedness leaves her incapable of existing on her own. "More recently, feminist critics, challenging this interpretation, have read Ophelia 's madness as […] constraint or her absolute victimization by patriarchal oppression" …show more content…

In culmination, the only two female characters that are seen in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare are viewed more like props rather than actual characters. While the men are headstrong, zealous and assertive, the women are acquiescent. In the end, both women ended up perishing for men that "loved" them. Often times women are often viewed as inferior and are frequently cast aside as not being imperative in relationships, the workforce and just life in general; this leads to a lack of support that many females repeatedly seek thus driving them

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Thus, Ophelia’s “madness” is determined by the extent to which she subverts female gender expectations. The more she exhibits traits traditionally associated with men, the more “mad” she becomes. In this context, Ophelia serves as both a caricature and a warning against female enlightenment as told through a patriarchal lense. She is ultimately ostracized from society, implying that women who seek freedom will receive the same fate as

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Despite the Elizabethan era being a time of progress in comparison to previous decades, women were still thought to be less than men in almost every aspect of life. In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, there are two main women characters Gertrude and Ophelia. Both fall victim to the patriarchal society of the time. In “Discovering Feminism through Gertrude and Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet” the two women Gertrude and Ophelia were disrespected

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Misogyny, by definition, is the dislike towards women for a particular motive. In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, Shakespeare elucidates his misogynistic tendencies through the characters in the play—particularly Hamlet. The role of women in Hamlet is little short of misogynistic as Hamlet consistently displays throughout the play evidence of misogynistic behavior through his views of women being cruel, adulterous, and frail. Fundamentally, there are merely two female characters in Hamlet; Ophelia and Gertrude. Though Ophelia does not intend on wounding Hamlet emotionally, she does so for being submissive to her father which conforms to the misogynistic attitude of women being powerless and pathetic as Ophelia is under control by

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For the duration of the play, Ophelia was portrayed as a naïve and submissive woman. Her passivity and powerlessness reinforce the voicelessness of women during the Elizabethan era. For example, “I shall obey, my lord” (I.iii.134) shows that Ophelia concedes to her father’s will, even though she believes Hamlet’s love is genuine. She is willing and expected to obey her father despite the fact that she still loves Hamlet, which emphasizes her character’s submissive nature. Furthermore, in Act I Laertes warns Ophelia that it would be shameful of her to love Hamlet, and she responds with “I shall the effect of this good lesson keep as a watchman to my heart” (I.iii.45).

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This provokes him to say that god gives women one face, but they use make up to paint on another one. This quote suggest that Hamlet sees woman as naive and gullible creatures, as he sees Ophelia as nothing but an object that is owned by her father, as she is helping him with all of his dirty work. Hamlet believes that woman cannot be trusted as they have are deceiving. He also sees Ophelia as a grown women who is unable to make her own decisions. Hamlet is utterly disgusted by how feeble Ophelia is as she was following her father's scheme.

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He resents his mother because she did not hesitate to remarry immediately following the passing of King Hamlet; in Hamlet’s eyes, she cannot live independently because she is a fragile, powerless woman as all women are. Hamlet says, after complaining about Gertrude’s hasty remarriage, “frailty, thy name is woman” (1.2 150). His judgment of his mother’s character led to his generalization of all women being frail and helpless. Hamlet extends this judgment to his evaluation of Ophelia’s character. He believes that because she is female, she must be deceitful and adulterous.

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Hamlet: a Feminist Perspective Hamlet by William Shakespeare is considered to be the apogee of canonical texts. Hamlet who is seen to be the hero, seeks revenge of his uncle for killing his beloved father and marrying his mother. In the finale, all characters find an unfortunate end and leave the kingdom of Denmark to prince Fortinbras who coincidentally passes through to invade Poland. The play Hamlet has received great stricture from feminist critics due to the actions and behaviors of many of the characters in the play. Feminism is “the advocacy of woman 's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men” (Dictionary.com).

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This lack of women could be caused by requirements to actors – men played both types of roles, and it could be difficult to find enough amount of travesty. The period of time also affected women’s behavior in the play. Both Ophelia and Gertrude were quite obedient and passive. These traits led to their death. This applies especially to Ophelia who did not demonstrate the presence of own opinion and easily became deranged because of Hamlet’s behavior and father’s death.

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Hamlet does not value Ophelia 's feelings he belittles her. In Hamlets defense this is the way he was brought up to treat women, during that time this was a common way to treat a women. Even though in today 's society it is not at all ok to treat women with such disrespect. He also likes for everything to go as planned and this may result in why he can not have a stable relationship with a woman. This also causes him to have many stumbling blocks in his life that causes some emotional pain

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He did not innately hate all women, but slowly as he reserved rejection after rejection he snapped. Hamlet’s relationships differed between Gertrude and Ophelia, but both had the same goal of Hamlet having someone to love and care about him. With the goal of compassion being accomplished, he spiralled in a growing hatred of the female population. Hamlet’s misogyny is not the result sexual repression , but rather his environment and the interactions with women. Ernest Jones argues that Hamlet’s misogyny stems from the sexual repression of Gertrude and Ophelia.

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For numerous years in the past, women always play a smaller role in society politically, economically, and socially than men do. This was a norm for everyone living during that time period; everything that people do was reflect by it, including the literature written. In William Shakespeare 's Hamlet, the roles of women are just as society would have displayed them during that time. The leading women, Gertrude and Ophelia, are seen as less valuable than men and insignificant because of their dependence on male authorities, obedience, and are easily manipulated by others throughout the play.

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