Strength And Madness: The Women Of Shakespeare's Hamlet

Strength and Madness: The Women of Hamlet The theatrical play Hamlet by William Shakespeare is dominated by male leads, so much so, that there only two female characters within the whole play. Whether Shakespeare chose to do this for casting reasons or for the storyline, the choice to only have two females dramatically impacts the tone and mood of the play. Both females draw close connection to the play’s main character Prince Hamlet, greatly influencing and shaping the decisions that he makes. The portrayal of women within this play is a strange mix of hidden strengths, beauty, and madness. These women are also represented with weakness, a common trait of females in plays of that era. Without the female roles in Shakespeare’s Hamlet the tone of the play would be one of anger and revenge, but both Ophelia and Gertrude introduce an unusual dynamic through their dialogue and personality. Ophelia is the love interest of the lead, Prince Hamlet. Easily manipulated, Ophelia is bombarded with opinions and lies that

They disrespect her as if she is less of a person than they are” (Rani). Even Hamlet chooses to abuse his relationship with Ophelia in Act 3, scene i when he tells her to “go thy ways to a nunnery.” Hamlet is upset that he cannot have Ophelia and so he decides that if is not able to, then nobody is. Ophelia is treated poorly by the men who are supposed to love her and respect her the most. Hamlet speaks highly offensive words to his love without even batting an eyelid. The language he uses is not an uncommon way in which women would have been spoken to in the Elizabethan era, this means that although offensive to a modern audience, his words may have been deemed socially acceptable for the time. Hamlet does not become aware of how poorly he has treated Ophelia until he truly cannot get her back, and by this point it is too late to apologize. “Ophelia becomes Hamlet’s ‘impossible’ object of desire since she is dead”