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Morality in hamlet
Hamlet's conception of women in hamlet
Hamlet explanation
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Morality in hamlet
Hamlet's conception of women in hamlet
Hamlet explanation
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Act 1 of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet reveals a plethora of flaws within each character, specifically Gertrude. Hamlet has no trouble in pointing out that after the death of Gertrude’s husband, King Hamlet, she wastes no time in remarrying. Hamlet also criticizes Gertrude because she doesn’t just remarry; she marries King Hamlet’s brother, Claudius. Furthermore, Claudius is accused of being an adulterer by the Ghost, “that incestuous, that adulterate beast” (1.5.42). The Ghost’s accusation can suggest that Claudius may have been with Gertrude while King Hamlet was still alive.
The next night Hamlet was on lookout for the ghost. The ghost told him that Claudius killed him by putting poison in his ear. Hamlet accidentally killed Polonius thinking it was Claudius; he also killed Laertes (Polonius’s son). Did Hamlet have a reason for his actions? The treatment of Gertrude, treatment of Ophelia, delaying and killing of Claudius is yet to be determined.
Where hamlets actions justified? Did he really avenge is father? Well I don’t think so. Because of him Gertrude was treated very poorly and because of the got her killed, the treatment to Ophelia was not justified and it made her go crazy, he delayed the killing of the king which caused a lot of bad stuff to happen, but the killing of Claudius was justified because he avenged his father. So, the question are his actions justified?
Claudius gives Hamlet a sea of reasons to commit revenge. The largest reason by far is that he killed King Hamlet, married his wife, and took his throne (Act 1, Scene 4). Plus he has the nerve to scold Hamet for mourning his father (Act 1, Scene 2). Claudius even turns Hamlet's friends on him. He asks Guildenstern and Rosencrantz to speak with Hamlet and report his every action (Act 2, Scene 2).
The big question is “Are Hamlet’s actions justified.” Well Hamlet was both justified and not justified. Some things he did were for a reason others were just possibly because he was pretending to have gone insane. Examples of this are the way Hamlet treated his own mother, Gertrude, and the way he treated his love Ophelia, one thing he is not justified in is delaying the murder of his uncle and his mother’s new husband Claudius. But the thing that is justified is actually killing Claudius.
In marrying her husband’s brother, Gertrude eliminated the chance of losing her son Hamlet, because she was still part of the same family. William Shakespeare, in Hamlet constructs a patriarchy invested in biological essentialism, and ownership. As a result, none of the conspirators would have trusted Gertrude with the knowledge of Old King Hamlet's murder. There is a patriarchy of Denmark throughout the whole play to make clear that Gertrude did not have a leadership role in the kingdom or the main murder. In her report, Lamichhane noted, “Women were expected to perform the duties of a housewife; they had no political rights...
Are Hamlet’s actions justified? Did he do the right thing? In the story “Hamlet” by William Shakespeare, Hamlets father (The Ghost) comes to him in a dream and tells him that his uncle (who is now married to his mother Gertrude just after two mother after Hamlet’s father’s death and the new king) killed him and that Hamlet needs to get revenge so that his father can move on. As the story continues Hamlet puts together a play and adds some lines about how his father was killed to see the reaction from his uncle.
Claudius betrays just about every character he interacts with. Former King Hamlet is betrayed the most by Claudius, as he murdered his own brother in order to keep the crown. However, to save himself from being found out, he continues to try and murder the only one who knows what he had done, Hamlet. The continued attempts to cover up his murder led to Laertes eventually confessing “The King. The King’s to blame” for the accidental death of Gertrude.
Were Hamlet’s actions justified, or were they not? So, to first start off Hamlet has been really depressed because of recent events in which have happened in his life his father who was the king had mysteriously died, and Hamlet’s uncle Claudius has gone out to marry Hamlet’s mother Gertrude in hopes of being the king to rule over. Claudius has decided to take King Hamlets spot over to rule over. So, this understandably upset Hamlet a lot. Just like any other sane person, just imagine your father being killed by your uncle then marrying your mother…
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.
This is what causes Hamlet to compromise his love for Ophelia, as she is stunned and disrespected by his attitude. Similarly, Claudius wanted to gain power, and uses his ambitious attitude to murder his brother, quickly marry his widow, and take the throne himself. Despite their similar nature the two men are driven by different goals. Claudius works to gain and keep power, while Hamlet is working to seek revenge for his father. However, Claudius continues to rule in his power, and dwell in his wronged achievements allowing himself to pursue his
Hamlet once again fails to understand that Ophelia much like himself is only trying to stay loyal to her father, much like what he is doing himself. In addition, Hamlet blames woman for giving birth to such evil and deceiving men like Claudius and himself. When he was talking to Ophelia he told her "Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest, but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better
The way that Gertrude acted, lead to pain and trust issues when it came to other women in Hamlet’s life. “Frailty thy name is woman” (I.ii,146) is how Hamlet states his feelings towards females in his first soliloquy. Not only does Hamlet blame his mother for doing damage in his life, but he goes further to blame all women for not being as strong as men just because of Gertrude’s acts. “The mother's confusing relationship to the father is the cause of the ambiguity and confusion” (Brewer). The sole cause of Hamlet's confusion and chaotic behavior can be traced back to the death of his father and the remarriage of his mother.
Throughout Hamlet, the thoughts, intentions, and actions of all of the characters can be explained through predisposed gender roles in the play. Hamlet is a tragedy in which the main character, Hamlet, attempts to seek vengeance for his father’s murder, while the relationships with him and around him begin to strain. In the play, gender plays a huge role in assuming the capability and worth of people. Women are most commonly depicted as being weak, powerless, and confused, while men are commonly shown as being strong, analytical, and intuitive. Hamlet features Ophelia and Gertrude as the only two female roles, and even then they show little independence from the males.
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.