How Does Shakespeare Present Ophelia's Treatment Of Women In Hamlet

Humans often regard flowers as beautiful. In legends and lore, men grant their lover flowers, while women tend to a garden of beauty and grace. The flowers bloom and grow, fawned over by an audience, serving an aesthetic or romantic purpose, or perhaps no purpose at all. Akin to a flower, the young woman leads a life of beauty, blossoming into something pleasing to the eye. Though outdated in the modern day, authors from centuries prior have continually treated female characters as innocent, meek, and, above all, dependent on their male counterparts. The same authors then portray the women as mad without male guidance. Ophelia from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet proves no exception, as she is controlled by her chastity and the desires of the

When Hamlet and Ophelia finally meet, as formulated by Polonius and King Claudius, Hamlet directs his anger at Queen Gertrude towards Ophelia. In their exchange, he repeatedly cries out, “Get thee to a nunnery,” demanding that Ophelia go away to repent for her sins; in reality, Ophelia herself has done little sinning, but Hamlet believes all women to be vile, dishonest creatures. Ophelia is clearly hurt by his words, puzzled by his sudden behavior shift. During the performance of The Murder of Gonzago, Hamlet showers Ophelia with affection and sexual innuendos, an action which obviously confuses her, but as she tells Hamlet of the brevity of the play’s prologue, the prince makes the analogy, “As woman’s love” (Act III, Scene ii, line 159). Despite the love he is showing her, Hamlet insists that women love only for a fleeting second. 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