First Wave Feminism In Hamlet

Women in Hamlet “A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle.” The quote is from a seemingly anonymous source but various feminist activists use this quote to state that women are capable of living their lives without a man. In fact, popular feminists including Gloria Steinem, Irina Dunn, Erica Jong, Florynce Kennedy, and Charles S. Harris have used similar versions of the quote. These activists promote feminism, a movement that supports the advocation of gender equality for both sexes. Feminists seek to promote the equality of both men and women in areas such as education, employment, culture, economics, and personal rights. Like other historical movements, the feminist movement is analyzed by time period, waves are used to

In order to understand the gender inequalities in Hamlet, it is important to first understand the feminist movement and the significance of the advocation for gender equality. Prior to current feminism, there are three other “waves” of feminism. Each wave refers to a specific time period and generally focuses on a specific type of issue. (Rampton) First-Wave Feminism officially spans from 1910 to 1950 and its primary focus was legal inequalities between men and women. (Freedman) However, the beginning First-Wave Feminism had a primary focus on various inequalities between men and women. Feminists were still developing the courage to speak up for their rights. A famous example of an early feminist work is A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, a book written in 1792 by a woman named Mary Wollstonecraft. The author, Wollstonecraft was an early English feminist, she is famous for her written works, mainly those regarding equality for women. The book, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman, argues in favor of the education of women, that females are not accesories for their husbands. In chapter two, section nine,