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Is Ophelia A Victim Of The Patriarchy?

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In The Novel Hamlet, How Much Would You Agree With The Idea That Ophelia Is A Victim Of The Patriarchy?
Ophelia is only present in the play Hamlet to be a plot device. She is his love interest, a possible source of his madness, and her becoming a young woman a burden to her father. Her existence is a reflection of the way women were treated in the 1600’s – they exist as objects, easy to intimidate and their emotions simple. However, women are inherently evil for the ways in which they can have power over and manipulate men. We see evidence of this in Hamlets descent into madness; although Ophelia is not explicitly blamed for his behaviour, it is heavily implied that she is the source of it all, that she is affecting him in this way on purpose …show more content…

Although Queen Elizabeth I was reigning at the time of publication, Gertrude remarries and still does not have sole power over her own country. Women were seen only as beings which to marry and have children by, this idea of ownership is further demonstrated by Polonius and the way in which he treats Ophelia. She is simply an object to be passed around; for either sexual or financial gain.
In Act 1 Scene 3 Polonius interrogates Ophelia over her personal life with Hamlet; fathers had the right to intervene and instruct their daughters daily lives without consequence. He reminds her of the responsibility she has as someone of his status’ daughter, “my daughter and your honour”, and also reminds her of the reputation Hamlet has. Oddly, Hamlet too is looked down upon for his apparent sexual freedom, a practise usually reserved for women.
In Act 1 Scene 2 Claudius calls Hamlets entirely justified grieving for his recently deceased father “unmanly”, proclaiming that it will lead to “a heart unfortified” and “a mind impatient”. These comparisons reinforce the idea of ingrained sexism in Shakespeare’s society. To be a woman would be the worst possible thing; to be compared to one a serious …show more content…

Even the ghost comments on how quickly and seriously Hamlet and Ophelia are taking their relationship “you cannot call it love, for at your age [it is] the heyday in the blood”. This is an observation from the audience at the time as well as society. How can the young couple know this is true love when they have so little experience with it? Hamlet seems to be the only man in the play who truly has Ophelia’s best interests at heart; it is easy for a young woman surrounded by a manipulative father and a society that does not value her existence to fall into the arms of the one person who appears to be interested in her as a human being rather than purely an

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After Hamlet's dissolution with Ophelia, the main character carries a misogynistic personality towards all women in the play. QUOTE. In this quote, Hamlet accuses Ophelia (and the entire female population) of being a "breeder of sinners" and orders Ophelia to a "nunnery". Of course, this brash attitude stems from Gertrude's decision to remarry not even two months after the death of the King. Hamlet also believes that if Ophelia were to marry, she'd turn her husband into a "monster" (A "cuckold") because she would inevitably cheat on her spouse.

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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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616 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the play Hamlet by Shakespeare, Gertrude and Ophelia, are controlled and handled by the men. Gertrude is the queen and mother of hamlet, and Ophelia being the daughter of Polonius and love of Hamlet. While the manipulation empowered them,being that is the reason for the male's actions,they are consistently used by the current king, Claudius, Polonius, and Hamlet, their words and actions are dictated by the males, and are used as methods for men to get what they want, mainly from the other men. Throughout the book Ophelia contemplates the love Hamlet has for her.

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Hamlet not only sees the world with a pessimistic attitude, but also is the feeling suicidal. Hamlet shows his inner thoughts on the value of life. Nonetheless, the main reason for his anger and irritation was due to the quick marriage of his mother and uncle, Claudius. Instead, what turndowns him the most seem to be his mother's actions as Hamlet angrily calls out, “frailty thy name is woman!” ( 1.2.146).

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The men in her life were more worried about her image and not her as a person. One of the many themes in the play is that being overlooked and taken advantage of by people closest can lead to madness. Ophelia was an obedient child, she always listened to her father and her brother. “Then weigh what loss your honor may sustain, if with too credent ear you listlists songs, or lose your heart, or chaste treasure open to his unmastered importunity” (1.3.30-32).

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Hamlet’s views on women is adulterous which pertains to the misogynistic tendencies in the play; thus, Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, sparks up his misogynistic approaches. Hamlet is repulsed with Gertrude since she was quick to re-wed immediately following Old Hamlet’s death and cries: “She married. O, most wicked speed, to post / With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!” (1.2.156-157). Hamlet is shocked that his mother remarries to Claudius, Old Hamlet’s brother, before letting the tears on her cheek to dry.

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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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For the duration of the play, Ophelia was portrayed as a naïve and submissive woman. Her passivity and powerlessness reinforce the voicelessness of women during the Elizabethan era. For example, “I shall obey, my lord” (I.iii.134) shows that Ophelia concedes to her father’s will, even though she believes Hamlet’s love is genuine. She is willing and expected to obey her father despite the fact that she still loves Hamlet, which emphasizes her character’s submissive nature. Furthermore, in Act I Laertes warns Ophelia that it would be shameful of her to love Hamlet, and she responds with “I shall the effect of this good lesson keep as a watchman to my heart” (I.iii.45).

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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

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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.

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1370 Words | 6 Pages

As a young woman of the 1600’s Ophelia is most likely unaware of the patriarchy that shadows above her. “I do not know my lord, what should I think?”. Ophelia is so unsure about her affair with Hamlet that she

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910 Words | 4 Pages

This is encapsulated in Hamlet exclaims, “frailty, thy name is woman!” about his mother’s hasty marriage to her deceased husband’s brother (Shakespeare 1.2.150). In this quote, Hamlet is dismissing all women as weak-willed like he believes Gertrude to be, which affects his interactions with Ophelia also. Hamlet is cruel to her because of this anger he has towards women in general, so when pretending to be mad, he goes “full force in the misogynist rage” when telling her he used to love her, but now she should go to a nunnery (Traub 192). Ophelia can be seen as weak in this scene because she protests little against Hamlet and only hopes that his insanity will end.

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Gertrude was unfaithful to King Hamlet and dishonored him by marrying Claudius, so all women including Ophelia must be inherently unfaithful. Hamlet tells Ophelia, “Get thee to a/ nunnery, farewell. Or if thou wilt needs marry,/ marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what/ monsters you make of them” (3.1 148-151). Hamlet essentially calls Ophelia a whore, and blames her and all women for the ruin of

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814 Words | 4 Pages

Another female character portrayed as a “weakling” in Shakespeare’s Hamlet is Ophelia. Ophelia is represented as a character that was typical of women in the 1600s, one who was too submissive and directed by the people around her; sort of a younger reflection of Gertrude. At first, Ophelia 's character seemed much too simplistic- one that is emotionally directed and inconsequential, in a sense. However, when her words are taken apart along with her intentions and state of mind, it appeared that there was a greater sense of understanding, an underlying motive that is well-structured by her words. Unlike Gertrude’s character, Ophelia has her own opinions and standpoints on matters at hand, and possessed a larger capacity for independent thought than the people

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Hamlet’s dislike of women is shown through his behavior and language toward his mother, Ophelia, and women in general. In the play it is very obvious that he is heartless towards the opposite sex by the actions that he takes and the words that he speaks. During the time that this play was written women were viewed as insignificant human beings. Hamlet found himself having feelings for a woman and he does not know how to portray these feelings because he holds his mother responsible for his inability to love Ophelia.

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