Ophelia's Treatment Of Women In Hamlet

When examining Act IV’s of Shakespeare’s Hamlet through a feminist perspective, it becomes evident that Ophelia is a clear symbol for the oppression women faced by the male patriarchy during the time period Hamlet was written in. Through the marginalization of Ophelia’s independence (The Ophelia effect), Hamlet’s treatment of Ophelia and Ophelia’s subsequent death, Shakespeare shows the types of oppression and malpractice women faced.
Throughout the entire play, Ophelia consistently has decisions made for her by men and this is demonstrative of how women were “puppets” of men, lacking any individuality/independence. For example, her father, Polonius, dictated much of her relationship with Hamlet by telling her what to do and how to act around Hamlet. However, specifically in Act IV, after Ophelia is expressing her latest experiences she says, “My brother (Laertes) shall know of it…Come my good coach!” (insert cite). This shows her dependence on men to provide her insight (or coach) her about what to do when facing any type of adversity. This represents the larger symbol at the time that women, much like Ophelia,

As Ophelia sings “By cock, they are to blame. Quoth she, before you tumbled me, You promised me to wed.” (cite). This is in reference to how Hamlet took Ophelia’s virginity and shows how Hamlet treated Ophelia. Hamlet treats Ophelia as a sex object and nothing more. The only thing Hamlet valued in Ophelia was her virginity and once he took that, he had no value for her after that. When Hamlet promises he would marry Ophelia, it shows the coercive and manipulative nature of Hamlet and of males in general. Shakespeare here shows how men, like Hamlet, are willing to lie and manipulate women for the sake of sex, even if that manipulation results in harm (for Ophelia the loss of her virginity means she has no future as nobody will want to marry