ipl-logo

Gertrude Hamlet Research Paper

1396 Words6 Pages

In today's world, man and woman are of equal status. Women have the same right as men and men have the same rights as women. Though some countries still have women portrayed as the weaker gender, society is beginning to stop that mentality. This is not the case back in the 1600s; women during those times were not given the same social, economic or political status as the males. It is written in an article “it was believed that women always needed someone to look after them. If they were married, their husband was expected to look after them. If they were single, then their father, brother or another male relative was expected to take care of them.” This article explains how women were treated as the weaker gender just because they were women. …show more content…

With this type of mindset that women were weaker towards the male gender during the Elizabethan times in everyone's minds, Shakespeare a (play writer), incorporated that idea into one of his plays which he named Hamlet .In this play, the only two women who are given names, Gertrude and Ophelia are treated as if they were irrelevant. It is thus evident that women in Shakespeare’s Hamlet are the weaker gender due to their inability to live without a male presence, have no voice and the lack of respect given to them from the males.
In the beginning of the play, Gertrude is introduced as the Queen of Denmark. Whose previous husband died and she remarried her husband’s brother. This made Gertrude’s son (Hamlet) whom she conceived with the previous king angry that she had married in less than two months after the death of the previous king. Gertrude could not stay a widow because relies on the male presence to let her know the things she needs to do. An example would …show more content…

With this quote, Aretha explains how respect is a human right and should be given to everyone. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, women were given little to no respect. After Ophelia had committed suicide, two grave diggers were sent to go and dig up the grave for her to be buried in. While they were digging the whole, they were arguing on why Ophelia should not have a proper burial because she committed suicide. Even at her last moments, the women in this play get little to no respect. Instead of acknowledging that another human being had just taken their life, they disrespect her. Luckily, Ophelia’s family is a wealthy one, so she got the burial one deserves after death. Also, in act five scene two when Gertrude wants to drink the wine in the cup, but she did not know it was poisoned. Claudius thought to himself that if she drinks from that cup, she is going to die. All he does is tell her to stop; he does not try physically to stop her from drinking because he knows if she dies, he still stays a king. Lastly, another situation of disrespect towards women is when Hamlet is watching the play “The death of Gonzago”. After the play has finishes, Ophelia says, “Tis brief, my lord” (3.2.140). Hamlet responds with, “As woman’s love” (3.2.141). Ophelia was making a reference to the play being short. Hamlet is making two references with that statement. The first is to his mother for

Show More
Related
1792 Words | 8 Pages

It is far too often that women, in even the most modern of literature, are portrayed as nothing more than snivelling cowards, used merely to motivate the inevitably male heroes. Certainly, this is still the case in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, which is inarguably a product of its time; sexism runs rampant, as Ophelia, the female lead, is told by Hamlet himself to “Get thee to a nunnery” (3.1.121), with not a batted eye nor consideration of why this would be wrong. In this day and age, such blatant disrespect for women would be greatly frowned upon by a modern and discerning audience, no doubt filled with cultured women who would take offence. Bonham-Carter’s Ophelia is far from the frail and tragically beautiful flower that she is often interpreted as; “ she's like a rag doll losing its stuffings” (Hinson).

Read More
439 Words | 2 Pages

Hamlet's words, “frailty thy, name is a woman” (1.2.148), forever redefined femininity in literature. Throughout works such as The Great Gatsby and Hamlet women are never treated as equals to their male counterparts and their role is characterized by misogyny, dependency and utter obedience. According to Aristotle, “the courage of a man lies in commanding, a woman's lies in obeying; that 'matter yearns for form, as the female for the male and the ugly for the beautiful”. Hamlet and The Great Gatsby reveal compelling parallels in their portrayal of the role of women. The mistreatment and inequality of women is a predominant issue in each work and is illustrated through the two main female protagonists, Queen Gertrude and Daisy Buchanan.

Read More
1101 Words | 5 Pages

In Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, gender inequality exists through the scathing perception of Beatrice’s effeminacy and concern over Ophelia’s purity through the paradox of Hamlet’s mindless behavior and Claudio’s concern for his reputation, highlighting

Read More
921 Words | 4 Pages

In Hamlet, Shakespeare relies on male figures like Laertes to emphasize how men often serve as means to control and direct women. This is evident when Laertes warns Ophelia by saying, “And keep you in the rear of your affection out of the shot and danger of desire.” (1.3.34-35) Women are expected to be obedient to men, and this expectation grants men an advantage in dictating how women should lead their lives. In the case of Ophelia, Laertes serves as a means to control and constrain her, ensuring she adheres to traditional gender norms of purity and virtue. In contrast, Williams challenges traditional gender roles as discussed before, through female figures like Blanche.

Read More
295 Words | 2 Pages

Set in early Denmark, Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, specifically victimizes the two major female characters by succumbing to the repercussions of Hamlet’s vicious cycle of vengeance through unfortunate death. Shakespeare’s misogynistic portrayal of Queen Gertrude as lustful and weak for affection causes an unwanted drift between her relationship with her son. Although the queen’s intentions are illustrated as naïve and pure, Gertrude’s motives throughout the play are driven by her infatuation with Claudius and motherly love for Hamlet. On the other hand, sweet innocent Ophelia serves as the epitome of how young women behaves in the 11th century; Ophelia only acts upon the demands of her father and brother, equivalent to a hostage confined to

Read More
928 Words | 4 Pages

The love a mother has for their child is a bond that cannot be broken. Rather, a bond that is inseparable and irreplaceable. In Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude reveals mixed emotions, but offers a glimpse of reality. Gertrude was a woman of trust, yet married into trouble after the death of her husband. Claudius was to blame for the death as told by Ghost Hamlet.

Read More
1860 Words | 8 Pages

The motif of hatred in also found throughout most of Shakespeare’s plays. There exists hatred for women, as they are viewed as less important people in society. Shakespeare portrays how women suffer in relationships, as they are often made accountable for any misfortune. In the play Hamlet, Hamlet shows his disgust and hatred for women, especially in his affair with Ophelia and

Read More
930 Words | 4 Pages

Every modern society since the beginning of time has painted the female as frail and individuals at the mercy of men, unable to reap the same freedoms and aspirations as their male counterparts. The English Renaissance is no different as women were not allowed to play themselves on stage, and more often than not were seen as weak characters in their portrayal. In Shakespeare's “Hamlet”, all the female protagonists all have flaws that eventually leads to them meeting their deaths. The characters of Ophelia and Gertrude are two different women trapped in the same predicament, partly being due to the inefficacy of being taken seriously, and are therefore perceived as feeble women; looking at the persona of Ophelia, she tends to follow the direction

Read More
848 Words | 4 Pages

Her dilemma of having to choose one man over the other is driving her to insanity because she can’t pick just one of them. Certainly she loves both of them or at least that’s what she thought, but Hamlet’s father is her true love while Claudius is the brother of her husband that just so happened to become king after his brother died. In short, she doesn’t know her true feelings for either person. Gertrude feels confused and overwhelmed by everything that just unfolded in front of her. It causes her an undesirable grief that she shouldn’t have had to deal

Read More
1800 Words | 8 Pages

In Hamlet’s personal case, this is that he has a personality that follows the lines of a conventional woman. One of his most iconic phrases is “Let me not think on ’t; frailty, thy name is woman!” (Shakespeare 1.2.150). Hamlet’s self hatred and insecurity is so severe he puts an entire gender under the label of frail regardless of any other trait that a woman has. This implies that his insecurities involve not being seen as masculine by his fellow male peers, so in order to compensate he instead berates women constantly and worships men.

Read More
360 Words | 2 Pages

Hamlet speaks to himself about Gertrude: “By what it fed on, and yet, within a month - let me not think on’t. Frailty, thy name is woman! … O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason would have mourned longer! - married my uncle, my father’s brother, but no more like my father than I to Hercules.

Read More
1441 Words | 6 Pages

Feminism has gained a new definition a new understanding of female roles since the Elizabethan Era. Hamlet, a play written by William Shakespeare, is about a young prince, Hamlet, being visited by his father’s apparition urging him to avenge his death by murdering Prince Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius. All the while, Hamlet is enraged by his mother’s hasty marriage to Claudius and is showering his supposed love, Ophelia, with gifts and words of affection. Queen Gertrude and Ophelia are blindly obedient to male authority due to the influence of the social standards that require women to be submissive to men. Queen Gertrude and Ophelia’s actions and outcomes as characters are affected by male influence, the social norms of this time, and the females’ consequences of following these norms.

Read More
1370 Words | 6 Pages

Hamlet: The Tragedy of Female Oppression Feminism has erupted over the past century. The theme of patriarchy has ruled over women for centuries. With the uprising of the critique of patriarchy, more feminists have analyzed Shakespeare’s literary works as in favor of the male gender roles. In Act 1 scene 3, the station of Polonius and Laertes reveals their patriarchal position over Ophelia by constructing advices that molds their expectations of her and degrading her in ways that exemplify the oppression of women during the 1600’s.

Read More
396 Words | 2 Pages

Shakespearean Misogyny In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the two women in the play, Gertrude and Ophelia, are repeatedly manipulated and exploited by the men in their lives. They submit to male authority and oppressive societal customs because they have no other options. Gertrude and Ophelia are placed in this situation because of a male-dominated society that blames women for sexual immorality and corruption. Hamlet’s views about women are consistent with the commonly-held views of his peers.

Read More
1056 Words | 5 Pages

In act one Gertrude marries her dead husband 's brother Claudius, Hamlet is not very happy that his mother did this. Hamlet feels very betrayed by his own mother because she remarried so quickly. He feels as if this is an unforgivable

Read More

More about Gertrude Hamlet Research Paper

Related Topics

Open Document