A Feminist Theory on Hamlet Essay

Throughout centuries men have been seen as the gender that have more rights than women. According to Diane Elizabeth Dreher’s 1986 book, Domination & Defiance: Fathers and Daughters in Shakespeare, she explains that a woman during renaissance England, “was to conform patiently and silently to the will of her father and, later, to that of her husband, accepting commands, correction, physical abuse, with sweetness and humility” (16). As a result of a renaissance society that promotes and even encourages this type of behavior, men believe that they have more power. When someone believes that they have more power than another person a pattern of disrespect, and in the most extreme cases, physical and emotional abuse are likely to follow. In Hamlet, Shakespeare contrasts two female leads of the play, Ophelia and Gertrude, through reduction to appearance, instrumentality, and silencing in order to show that during this time period, the objectification of women in the play was parallel to the objectification of women during renaissance England.

Sexism: the belief or attitude that one sex is inherently superior to, more competent than, or more valuable than the other (most commonly used for male superiority). This idea that women are weak is not a new one in the modern world. It has been studied for countless years along with the concept of a patriarchal society. A patriarchy is defined as a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it. Such systems currently exist in several forms and areas around the world; however, the most common place for these patriarchies is in literature. Novels, plays, works of nonfiction, and other forms of literature have shown to either “reinforce or undermine the

Throughout Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet” women are used as method for men to get what they want. The men in Hamlet, either directly or indirectly continuously use women to acquire something from other men. The only two women in the entire play are Gertrude and Ophelia, who are consistently used by the current king, Claudius, Polonius, and Hamlet. Ophelia is exploited by Polonius and the King (mainly together), and is also used by Hamlet. Gertrude is used by the King, as well as Polonius. In “Hamlet,” the women throughout the play are used as pawns for men to get what they want, mainly from the other men.

In the play Hamlet, Shakespeare, the author, creates female characters that occupy very different roles than in his other plays. In this play, Hamlet plays opposite two women who are used by the men around them in order to further their own interests. One woman is named Ophelia. In many of Shakespeare’s other plays, he creates women that are very strong and play a very real role in the life of the protagonist. In Hamlet, however, Ophelia occupies a very different role-she exemplifies a pawn of the men around her. She is used not only by her father and his associate the King, but also by her supposed lover, Hamlet. This is a very different role for a woman in a Shakespearian play. Also, Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude,

Hamlet can be viewed through a feminist lens by focusing on Ophelia and Gertrude and how various other male characters treat them. Ophelia and Gertrude are dismissed as characters through the entire play because they are women. Hamlet refers to women as “frailty,” implying that they are weak and are dependent on men. Reason suggests that with out the males, Ophelia and Gertrude would simply have no story.

The Role of Women in Hamlet in William Shakespeare's Play Gertrude and Ophelia, the only two women in Hamlet, reflect the general status of women in Elizabethan Times. Women were suppressed by the males in their lives (brothers, fathers, and partners) and were always inferior. Ophelia and Gertrude have little or no power due to restricted legal, social and economic rights that were found in Elizabethan society. The male characters in Hamlet reflect this sexist view point, represented by Hamlet’s judgement that “frailty, thy name is woman”. This view was not uncommon in Shakespeare’s time and heavily influenced Shakespeare to present women the way he does in Hamlet.

As stated by Tim Gillespie in his text Doing Literary Criticism, the concept of literary criticism is the field of “interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating” literary works. Thus, literary criticism is not objective; rather, it varies subjectively depending on the critic and the lens, or school, they choose to view the work of literature through. Though the actual content of literature is of extreme importance, the way it is approached is of nearly equal magnitude, as varying approaches open new and insightful views texts previously regarded as static. The feminist lens is one major school of literary criticism.

6. Men and women are held to certain stereotypes in society that often go unbroken due to the restrictions placed onto them. In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the play-write portrays his characters to withhold certain aspects of stereotypes placed onto their gender to bring focus to flaws and how they’re inherently damaged by their own gender. Women, such as Ophelia and Gertrude, are viewed more so as property, as something to acquire and sell in terms of their body and what they have to offer. Gertrude is belittled to be nothing more than an object of sexual appeal as seen when Hamlet says “frailty, thy name is woman (I.vi.6)” to express his disgust to his moms’ lack of control over her sexuality and the disgust it brings upon herself.

Having no influence in your own life makes it difficult to put any thought into your opinions,“Always subordinate to the male, the female finds herself a secondary or nonexistent player in the major social institutions of her culture.” (feminism 183) Hamlet consistently belittles women throughout the play, Ophelia is the main one that he

Women are often thought of as weak, powerless, and obedient, yet literary works written throughout time disprove this stereotype. Shakespeare’s play Hamlet is one such example. Hamlet follows the journey of Prince Hamlet of Denmark as he seeks revenge on his uncle Claudius who marries his mother, Gertrude, and becomes king. Though Hamlet spends most of the play delaying executing his revenge, he succeeds in killing Claudius, and the play concludes with the death of most of the characters, including Queen Gertrude, Hamlet’s love interest, Ophelia, and Hamlet himself. In Hamlet, Shakespeare creates the independent, intelligent characters Ophelia and Gertrude, who present themselves as non-archetypal women, symbolizing how women in Elizabethan times assert strong personal agency in the midst of dubious actions with hidden depths and complex relationships.

In Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, women also remain within a confined space of their chastity that is dictated by men. Claudius’ manipulation of Gertrude defines her submissive character as a woman. The family in Ophelia’s life command her actions due to viewing the purpose of her existence to be innocent. Ophelia is also driven to madness at the mercy of Hamlet, taking her own life. Shakespeare uses the few women in Hamlet, who are portrayed as sinful and weak-willed by being manipulated by men, to further the theme of misogyny.

During Hamlet’s soliloquy after meeting with King Claudius and his mother, Queen Gertrude, Hamlet expresses his anger at how easily his mother has stopped grieving for his father in so little time, and marry his uncle. He believes that her actions reflect those of all women, thus he says frailty can be defined by women. Through the use of a metaphor, Hamlet says “as if increase of appetite had grown” to compare the lust or need his mother felt like a hunger that inclined her to remarry as quickly as she did. Women are used as a symbol by Hamlet to represent weakness and cowardice. Feminist theory can be applied because a patriarchal society existed during the era that the play was written in. The society was ruled by a male based authority and an existing power structure. In the play, the male based power structure is apparent as Claudius is not questioned for his motives in marrying the queen after the recent death of her husband and his brother, the judgement falls onto the woman. The expectation that a

There are two women in this play. Ophelia and Gertrude. They are in the highest position in their country. They are one of the most powerful in that country. Therefore, they have huge part and they play a very important part in this play. But, they are somehow treated differently than other male characters. Their parts are not very influential and their thoughts were usually left ignored.

Shakespeare and Webster represent the female characters in ‘Hamlet’ and ‘The duchess of Malfi’ by using general themes such as the patriarchy and the social control, the female identity and its independence, this institution of marriage, the expressions of sexuality and finally women shown to be either conformist or transgressive. Men were firmly in control in the Elizabethan and Jacobean era, and the expectations for women were to stay home, cook, clean and raise a family. Women’s status and roles were subject to the Tyranny of patriarchy, they were given strict disciplinary rules to follow whether by law or unspoken norms to prevent from rebellion. Women’s rights were restricted, legally, socially and economically, unlike today were women are more powerful and independent. Today women and men are seen to be equal and women can do pretty much everything a man can do (voting, working, becoming president) although there are many people still today who disagree with women having these rights.

The existence of women in the midst of a patriarchal society that dominations the life through controlling women. They view them as properties not as human beings, so they their rights as individuals or giving them them freedom to choose. Shakespeare's ability as a great writer to portray feminine characters' psychological states in a patriarchal society makes the reader identify the real characters rather than the judgment of the society. Even when a powerful woman in England, who is Elizabeth I, controlled England from 1558 to 1603, women are still mistreated by men, silent, weak, subservient to men and lacking freedom to choose. Gertrude and Ophelia are the only two female characters of "Hamlet" by Shakespeare. These female characters struggle the same fact of being marginalized voices in their