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Hearing Opheli Gender And Tragic Discourse

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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. Because she is a woman, Ophelia struggles to vocalize her thoughts in a male-dominated society. However, her insanity allows her …show more content…

Her absorption of this pain and inability to express her feelings in a male supremacist society ultimately drives her mad. Fischer explains, Ophelia's utterances are never allowed free, natural flow; her truncated responses, her uncertain assertions, her conflicting loyalties irrevocably tied to a self-image that tries to accommodate her closest males' expectations - all are determined by external pressures. (3) As a woman living in the Middle Ages, Ophelia is expected to be obedient, acting mannerly and sophisticated to appeal to her male patriarchs. She accepts unauthorized advice from her father and brother, promising to keep their “good lessons” close to “her heart” (Shakespeare 1.3. 45-46). Ophelia also puts up with inappropriate berating from Hamlet who constantly sexualizes and shames her. Because Ophelia is expected to act mannerly and polite, she is never allowed the opportunity to speak freely about her beliefs and

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1342 Words | 6 Pages

Another factor is the constant psychological abusive behaviour by Hamlet towards Ophelia. An example of Hamlet’s mistreatment occurred when he insulted her by stating she is a hoar and telling her to, “…Get thee to a nunnery…"(Act 3 scene 1).Ophelia’s victimization represents the patriarchal oppression she experiences which causes her to lose her mind as Hamlets comments are, “…words like daggers …” (Shakespeare).to her mental state. Lastly, the final instance which significantly impacts her mental well-being is the sudden death of her beloved father.

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478 Words | 2 Pages

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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1268 Words | 6 Pages

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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711 Words | 3 Pages

That does not help the fact that Ophelia needs guidance and wisdom. Her father never her gave that to her during his lifetime. He was so infatuated with making sure his children do not mess up his agenda, that he totally threw their needs as humans to the side. Ophelia never learned how to cope with struggles that come up during one’s lifetime. Ophelia also lets her relationship with hamlet dictate her self worth.

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951 Words | 4 Pages

Hamlet manipulates Ophelia not only because of his erratic behavior but by murdering her father. Without a majority of the men who dictate her life, Ophelia wilts into a state of melancholy, singing songs pertaining to her despair (Act IV, Scene V). Her disheveled likely brought shame upon her family, yet she has become numb to the world around her. Due to Hamlet’s inconsistent behavior and accidental murder of her father, Ophelia becomes little more than a madwoman. The final effect of Hamlet’s insanity on Ophelia occurs when she commits

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932 Words | 4 Pages

Ophelia goes mad throughout the story. She is overwhelmed by the loss of her father and the rejection of Hamlet. Her character is seen spiraling down a dark path that also ends in death. Ophelia is depicted as not having control over her actions; speaking and acting erratically. While Hamlet is speaking erratically and behaving oddly, he still maintains control over his actions and movement throughout the story.

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928 Words | 4 Pages

Though, this is not to say Ophelia is exploiting Hamlet. Ophelia’s character illustrates someone “innocent and childlike, in need of masculine protection” (Serhan). These attributes prove that Ophelia is unaware of her swindling. Though Ophelia possesses a high level of intelligence, it is rarely exhibited on account of the ‘Ophelia Complex’ that Shauna Pomerantz explains as a situation in which “the ‘authentic’ and happy self of the prepubescent girl is tragically transformed into the ‘inauthentic’ self of the pubescent girl, who loses her own voice when she inevitably succumbs to media and peer pressure.” In the play, Ophelia is pressured by the standards by which women of the 1500s were

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1278 Words | 6 Pages

After Hamlet murdered Polonius, Ophelia’s father, she sunk deeply into madness. “Hamlet (2000) gives Ophelia room to protest against the patriarchal order in her madness by her piercing scream and refusal to be silenced by the men around her, providing a rebellious Ophelia who is self-conscious of her suppressed position” (Li 6). This quote from the book called, “The “Rebellious” Ophelia: An Analysis of Film Adaptations of Hamlet,” explains that Ophelia had so much anger built up that she finally breaks loose and refuses to stay silent any longer, which is rebellious because women were told not to speak their mind, especially in public, during this time. This shows us that the woman in this book was very different to how women would have acted in society at that

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1137 Words | 5 Pages

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.

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870 Words | 4 Pages

In “Hamlet” William Shakespeare uses the character Ophelia to get to the men around her. She’s portrayed as a weak, trusting woman that tells her father and brother everything. They see her as a virtuous, unsuspecting, loyal daughter. Hamlet sees her differently. He sees her as an object, easily disposable.

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596 Words | 3 Pages

In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare a feminist theory is shown throughout the play. Nowhere in the play is a women treated the same as a man is treated. A woman’s feelings and opinions do not matter. The play insists that women are just an emotional and unstable wreck if they do not have a man to rely on. Ophelia does not have her opinions or feelings on anything shared.

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993 Words | 4 Pages

Ophelia is the first to defy her gender role when she loses her father. She goes mad and sings songs, one of the lyrics that she sings is “He will never come again” (Hamlet 4.5.191). In this verse she suggests that it is about her father but also Hamlet who has abandoned and pushed her away. She is forced to defy her gender role since all the male-dominant figures are out of her life and cannot make her own decisions. This drives her mad and she dies due to an assumed suicide.

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1451 Words | 6 Pages

Ophelia: An object of Male Patriarchy “Ophelia is the object upon which the three male overlords in her life – Hamlet, Polonius, Laertes – exert their domination and control to further their own personal and political agendas”. (Tynelle, 18). My reading of Ophelia had been shaped by Tynelle Ann Olivas’s Thesis on “Who is Ophelia? An examination of the Objectification and Subjectivity of Shakespeare 's Ophelia”.

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937 Words | 4 Pages

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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1524 Words | 7 Pages

It is no secret that misogyny occurred during the Elizabethan era. This behavior was apparent throughout Hamlet. Hamlet had sexist attitudes towards both his mother and his lover. The young prince tells Ophelia to “Get thee to a nunnery” shaming her for her sexuality (III.i.123). This was moments after he was questioning if he should commit suicide; therefore, showing how Hamlet used Ophelia as an outlet for his frustration.

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