The Role Of Sexuality In Shakespeare's Hamlet

1. Man has no fixed nature, therefore unwillingly forced to create their own identity. William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, encompasses this philosophy of existentialism to an extent through its main character Prince Hamlet of Denmark, whom struggles to find his identity and purpose in a seemingly meaningless world. Shakespeare isolates Hamlet to see the world as it is, stripping away the tunnel vision of order to expose that the world is filled with disorder, corruption, and chaos. In doing so Hamlet questions the meaning of life, the degradation of moral actions, and how to handle situations at hand as he is incapable of deciding what is considered good and evil. In questioning these concepts of good and evil Hamlet is determined to peruse

There is a complex intertwining of sex and the status of sex being a pivotal part of the plot to William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, as in this time ones’ sexual life could be used to label and demean people in society. The topic of virginity becomes in its self a huge ordeal as Hamlet and Ophelia’s sexual life is often questioned throughout the play, we see that Hamlet often spoke to Ophelia in a sexual manner, however, Shakespeare never explicitly tells the audience whether or not they had a sexual relationship. This lack of information therefore paves-way to psychoanalyzing the social concept of virginity. When considering Hamlet’s virginity, the audience can easily assume that he is a virgin, when coming to terms with the Oedipus Complex. This Freudian theory expresses that Hamlet would have a sexual desire for his mom, with that being said readers could interpret that he saw parts of his mother in Ophelia, causing him to fall in love with her and develop an emotional connection to her, however, he would be prevented from having a sexual relationship as she is not Gertrude. The concern of Ophelia’s sexuality, however, is more of a family ordeal, one that concerns both Laertes and Polonius as they’re often commenting on Ophelia remaining a virgin until marriage. They warn her that a woman deflowered before marriage is left vulnerable to society, held with no power nor worth as they’re then considered a damaged good not fit for marriage. Shakespeare expresses this social restraint on women through Laertes and Ophelia’s relationship as Laertes warms her that “the chariest maid is prodigal enough, if she unmasks her beauty to the moon. Virtue itself 'scapes not calumnious strokes (I.iii.40-42)” to explain that a woman is powerless if she loses her virginity before marriage. However, Polonius also explains that all women can be used as a powerful tool when it comes to using their sexuality to corrupt men are persuade information out of them as he attempts to use