Is Ophelia A Victim Of The Patriarchy?

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

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

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