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Hamlet-Feminist Lens

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Analytical Essay, Hamlet Lance Hoffman There were various lenses of reference available throughout the play, Hamlet by William Shakespeare. The feminist lens is one lens I will focus on. It was easy to detect that the text had some anti-feminist sentiment. Yet, there were other points in the play that were surprisingly feminist for the period. Ophelia played the anti-feminist stereotype of the time when Hamlet was written, while Gertrude performed the feminist part. Women didn't have any rights, had to follow men, couldn't work, and couldn't possess property throughout the Elizabethan age. which is what Ophelia stands for. Except for the one instance when she is speaking to her brother Laertes, Ophelia never challenges the patriarchy. Laertes was attempting to counsel her over her actions in Act 1, Scene 3 during their exchange. Ophelia rebuffed the advice, yelling at Laertes to stop instructing her how to live and to go about living his own life without interfering with hers. He tells Ophelia not to be afraid (Act 1, Scene 3). Hence, he portrays the patriarchal idea by demonstrating his lack of regard for Ophelia and her thoughts. In Hamlet, Ophelia was treated like an object in addition to the patriarchal purpose. …show more content…

In Hamlet, men in Ophelia's life took advantage of her to get what they sought, political power or something else. For instance, Polonius desired Ophelia to marry a powerful man so badly that it caused him to die. He thought Ophelia could fulfill his goals if she held herself to a higher standard (Act 1, Scene 3). Polonius misinterpreted Hamlet's return to Ophelia later in the play as a show of love because he needed to be seen as belonging to the upper class. He thinks Hamlet admires Ophelia and wants the two of them to wed. Even though he passed dead in the Elsinore

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3. 6-11). Clearly, “by stating such powerfully dismissive words, Laertes exhibits his objectification of Ophelia” (Olivas, 2015, p. 13). He rejects Hamlet’s affection towards her as false and short-lived before ordering that they end their relationship. However, despite this outwardly cruel manipulation of his sister to benefit his personal reputation “Laertes thinks that Hamlet will eventually hurt Ophelia” and thus his warning does truly look out for her genuine wellbeing (Tovsen, 2012, p. 8).

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In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia is portrayed as an obedient and innocent young woman. Many critics believe that these attributes represent the full extent of Ophelia’s being and that she is simply an object that moves the plot along, giving the male characters more depth. Although Ophelia may appear weak and passive at first glance, when examined at a deeper level, her character expresses strength and defiance as she overcomes the stress imposed upon her by her male superiors. In her article “Hearing Ophelia: Gender and Tragic Discourse in Hamlet,” Sandra Fischer analyzes Ophelia’s silence in the play, describing her inability to express her opinions against the loud male characters. While Fischer recognizes Ophelia’s battle, she fails to see her power as she voices her opinions and stands up against the male patriarchy.

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Hamlet is affected by hegemonic masculinity in a patriarchal society, where he wants to “reinforce his superiority”, by “[devaluting] women” (Amaefula 2). This can be seen when Hamlet “tumbled” Ophelia and promised to “wed” after. However, not only did Hamlet break his promise after taking Ophelia’s virginity, Hamlet gaslights Ophelia, telling her he would have married her if “thou hadst not come” to his bed (4.5 l.62). Hamlet lies to Ophelia and even blames her for trusting him. The toxic masculinity from Hamlet’s surroundings causes Hamlet to assert his dominance by using Ophelia and throwing her away like an useless object, going as far as manipulating her and saying it's her fault for listening to him.

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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.

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Throughout the play is Hamlet quite spiteful toward women. Some would say to a misogynistic extent. He orders Ophelia, for example, to "go to a nunnery" and tells his mother, Gertrude, "frailty, thy name is woman" even though Hamlet is not very strong willed person. He is always split between his decisions and can never make up his mind. Hamlet is not a solid character with a clear path to achieve his goal.

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If we analyze the character of Ophelia, comes out as a classic example of a female character who is subjugated and marginalized by the men around her (Moore, 2019). The text displayed that Ophelia had to obey the expectations and demands of her father, Polonius, and her lover, Hamlet, and ultimately pays a heavy price for their actions. The quote exposes that Ophelia was oppressed “Get thee to a nunnery" - Hamlet (Act III, Scene 1) as Hamlet charges Ophelia and oppresses her to be a

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A quote from Megan Wray states, “Patriarchy has infiltrated our society so deeply that if women don’t follow a strict set of ‘proper’ behaviours, they’re immediately deemed wicked. That’s default-evil until proven good” (Wray, 2021). This quote relates to Shakespeare’s misogynistic depiction of women as evil if they are not subservient to their husbands, quiet, and naive. Consequently, when analyzing Hamlet written by Shakespeare from a feminist perspective it is evident that women are portrayed as wicked, impulsive, and superficial. These sexist stereotypes are greatly depicted in Act 1 Scene 5 of the play.

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Justine Leleng Mrs. Wojciechowicz English 12 March 29, 2023 Viewing Hamlet through a Feminism Lens Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a timeless tale known for its revenge, betrayal, and tragedy. While the play is known for its character, Hamlet, viewing the story through a feminist lens offers us a fresh perspective on the story. Hamlet's actions and behavior throughout the play directly contribute to the tragic demise of his mother Gertrude and his lover Ophelia, showing us the destructive consequences of unresolved emotional trauma and the dangerous effects of toxic masculinity on relationships. Toxic masculinity is a recurring theme in Shakespeare's Hamlet, as male characters often treat women with condescension and control. An example of this masculine

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(3.1.6). Here, Hamlet is making fun of Ophelia for doing girly things because he, like many other people, has no respect for women, he only sees Ophelia as an object for men to

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Instead of relying on his love for Ophelia, Hamlet turns to societal expectations to rule if he belongs with her or not. Ophelia is meant to be seen as fragile and pure, partly because that is the old societal standard for women, and partly because her mind is controlled by all the men in her life. Hamlet is very insulting to Opehlia just because she is a young and pretty woman. Ophelia is used by all the men in her life, Polonius, Hamlet and Laertes because they all have some sense of authority over women to fufill. Eventually, it is Hamlet’s disregard for Ophelias own thoughts that lead her to madness.

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In Hamlet, Ophelia and Gertrude are the only two female characters. This already shows the imbalance of power and influence the female characters start with. On top of being so limited in numbers, the female characters in Hamlet are very limited in obvious character development. Characters like Claudius, Hamlet, and Laertes are all given obvious goals and desires, whereas the female characters never have the opportunity to take affirmative actions for their needs. Despite not having much influence in the storyline, there are situations where the female characters are able to stand up for themselves.

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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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Ophelia subsequently enters the room to speak with her father and clarifies that Hamlet appeared unexpectedly and entered her room and grabbed her "by the wrist" (2.1.87). Ophelia has been refusing to talk to Hamlet and sending him letters under Polonius' orders, "but as you did command" (2.1.106). This passage demonstrates the dominance of men over women throughout this literary era. Additionally, Ophelia's revelation to her father that Hamlet actually loves her encourages Polonius to alert Claudius of Hamlet's actions, “. Come, go we to the king.

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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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Furthermore, knowing that Gertrude and Ophelia are dependent and obedient towards their male authorities, they are a little more than pawns for the scheming men in their lives. For example, when Polonius discovers Hamlet 's craziness from Ophelia, Polonius says, " Come, go with me: I will go seek the king / That is the very ecstasy of love / Whose violent property fordoes itself / And leads the will to desperate undertaking / As oft as any passion under heaven / That does afflict our natures"(2.I.101-106).

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