How Does Gertrude Present Ophelia's Treatment Of Women In Hamlet

One of many tragedies written by William Shakespeare, Hamlet, takes place in the Kingdom of Denmark and is about the revenge of a grieving prince for the death of his father. Hamlet has a very low perspective of women, as past experiences have influenced him and make him think that they are subservient to him. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the two main woman are portrayed in contrast, as lustful and in search of one’s love, which deceives Hamlet of his opinion of them. At first, Hamlet believes that his mother and father, Hamlet Sr. and Gertrude, had infinite love for each other but after marrying the King’s brother only months after his death, Hamlet is given a bad impression of his mother and love itself. Month’s after the death of his father,

Because Shakespeare's Hamlet centers on the internal struggle of the Prince of Denmark, the reader focuses primarily on his words and actions.  An often overlooked or under appreciated aspect of the play is the portrayal of the female characters, particularly Queen Gertrude and Ophelia.  There are two scenes in particular that provide insight into this topic.  In Act I Scene III, Ophelia receives advice from her father, Polonius, and her brother, Laertes.  Similarly, Gertrude is confronted and advised by Hamlet in Act III Scene

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,

In today’s world, women of all ages are given equal rights and freedom. In Shakespeare’s time, woman’s obligations were to follow the rules of the men and obey the men in their lives’. “Frailty, thy name is woman;” Hamlet implies the powerlessness of the two women characters in the play. In Hamlet, the roles of Gertrude and Ophelia are very important in that they are the only two female characters in the play. Gertrude, the Queen of Denmark and mother of Hamlet, and Ophelia, the lover of Hamlet, are characterized as controlled and lost in their lives because they are being used by the men throughout the play. Fundamentally, Shakespeare illustrates the nature of Gertrude and Ophelia as powerless victims by the women being subjects of men,

Making use of her dutiful and obedient personality, Hamlet victimizes Ophelia and her lack of resistance to his treatment is paralleled in her surrender to the water and subsequent drowning. In a fit of rage, Hamlet angrily denounces Ophelia and claims to have fallen out of love with her:

Yet to Hamlet, Ophelia is no better than another Gertrude: both are tender of heart but submissive to the will of importunate men, and so are forced into uncharacteristic vices. Both would be other than what they are, and both receive Hamlet’s exhortations

Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a compelling tragedy that to this day still captures reader’s attention. In the play there are only two female characters; when considering the time period in which Hamlet was written, it makes sense.It has been theorized that since Shakespeare wrote the parts of Gertrude and Ophelia for male actors they are not nearly as in depth as the male characters. Considering that the reader sees so little of both female characters it’s fascinating how they fit into the play, each with very different parts but some similar characteristics and opposites. Both female characters had very tragic deaths in the play, by their own hands, that related to their characters quite well. An interesting difference between Ophelia and

Ophelia and Gertrude seldom converse with each other throughout the play; however, they both serve as the only women in Hamlet’s life. They both display the traits of the “subordinate woman” which was expected of women in the seventeenth century (Clarke). Ophelia plays the role of the “good daughter.” She is an inferior of both Polonius and Laertes, and obeys them in all matters, including those of the heart. She also plays the role of a “punching bag” for Hamlet when she simply lets him release his anger onto her. In fact, Ophelia does not act independently until her madness consumes her, and even then, it has been argued that she was subordinate to her insanity (Dane, 420). Gertrude, in contrast, does not need madness to demonstrate

Hamlet, a tragic play written by Shakespeare in the 1600s, portrays the struggle of young Hamlet in the face of avenging his father’s death. While major themes throughout this tragedy include death, loss, madness, revenge, and morality, another important theme to include in discussion is the theme of womanhood. The only two female characters in a cast of thirty-five include Queen Gertrude and Ophelia, both of whom die unfortunate deaths. The importance of womanhood and female sexuality is shown through several literary techniques; though, most importantly, the characters Queen Gertrude and Ophelia are both symbols for female sexuality. Both characters are developed as negative and positive sides to womanhood through dialogue as other characters approach them, their own actions, and most importantly, their individual deaths.

Hardships and sufferings are common in an average person’s life, but enduring a certain amount can push a person past their limits. At times, one's actions can lead to other people's limits being broken resulting in unexpected consequences. Hamlet by William Shakespeare involves two characters named Ophelia and Gertrude who both suffer from Hamlet's verbal and physical abuse; of the two, Ophelia suffers to a greater extent because of her decision to commit suicide. The cruel insults Hamlet addresses Ophelia with hurts her deeply due to them being false, whereas the harsh words Hamlet uses to describe Gertrude with are mostly true. Ophelia gets traumatized from both Hamlet’s sayings and actions, causing her to suffer an incredible amount. Queen Gertrude, who is the mother of Hamlet, is humiliated with abusive language by her son, which causes a particularly large amount of emotional distress on her since these words are coming from her very own child. First, the two suffer major harm from Hamlet due to his insults that cause them to feel worthless and violated. Gertrude becomes extremely offended by everything Hamlet says to her. Ophelia is greatly saddened, but at the same time she is worried about Hamlet. The death of Ophelia’s father causes the devastated daughter to fall into a state of depression, ultimately ending with the young woman taking her own life. On the other hand, the mother of Hamlet does not suffer from her son's torment as much as Ophelia because her death is the result of an accident, not the outcome of tremendous emotional suffering which Ophelia’s death resulted from. Additionally, Ophelia and Gertrude go through emotional suffering due to Hamlet’s verbal insult.

In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Hamlet spews extremely harsh words against his mother Gertrude and his love, Ophelia. Some people may claim that these venomous statements mean that he is misogynistic, but, in fact, Hamlet's anger towards Gertrude and Ophelia stems not from their sex but from their betrayal. Throughout the play, Hamlet viciously attacks more than just the women; he has contempt for every person that betrays him and his father. After he recognizes the magnitude of Claudius' deceptions, Hamlet describes Claudius as a "Bloody, bawdy villain! / Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless / villain!" (Hamlet, II, ii, 607-609). Later, when Hamlet kills Polonius, he feels no remorse and calls the corpse a "wretched, rash,

“Frailty, thy name is woman” (1.2. 150)! This controversial line, followed by several more from the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, displays a common view towards women that portrays them as being weak and reliant on men. Throughout the play, two women, Ophelia and Gertrude, are shown to be dependent on the men in their lives. They both take on a senselessly obedient state of mind. Even though they share this common characteristic, Ophelia and Gertrude are very different characters. Ophelia is a beautiful, young woman who is the love interest of the protagonist, Hamlet. Ophelia obeys her father, Polonius, without hesitation and has very little experience with making her own decisions. Gertrude was the wife of Old Hamlet, and is now the wife of Claudius, the current king and Old Hamlet’s brother. Gertrude desires affection and status more than she cares about the truth of what happened to her late husband. The men in this play have no sense of how they treat the females. This patriarchal way of life was prominent in the late 16th century and early 17th century which was about the time that Hamlet was written and performed. This relationship between the genders is interconnected within the play and with society during that particular time period. The characters of Ophelia and Gertrude were solid examples of how women were viewed as inferior to men during this time in history.

Love in the forms of parent to child and from lover to lover is an addictive element which can result in loneliness and lead to madness to those who lose it forever. Hamlet's relationship with Gertrude and Ophelia is quick to fall apart after he learns key information about his parentage. Both Gertrude and Ophelia provide him with love but are absent at a time when he needs it most; during the reign of his madness. Hamlet's madness is partly evident due to his poor relationship with Gertrude and Ophelia, since they falsely love him then reject him by moving on with their lives. Both females have heavily contributed to the misogyny Hamlet develops. Ophelia and Gertrude disappoint Hamlet which leads him to become a misogynist which

Gertrude desire to stay queen had led to the failure of noticing Hamlet’s attitude towards her resentful new marriage. Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother the widow of old king Hamlet and the wife of claudius the old king’s brother claudius. her feelings for her first husband has not been revealed yet, her relationship with her second husband’s guilt or sons accusation. she plays a major role in Hamlet’s inner life he complains about his mother failure to honor his father's memory, his doubt about her seems to color his response to ophelia. she accidently dies at the end of the play when she drinks a poison that was intended for her son. (Harold Bloom). At the play Queen invites hamlet to sit near her she is definitely trying to make him feel like he had a place in the court of Denmark. She

Hamlet by Shakespeare is about a man who supposedly loses his father by the hand of his uncle, who then marries his mother. This traumatizing event affects Hamlet to the point where he lashes out and ventures off to extreme measures. By only being two women in Hamlet reflect the roles in which they play and the death of the only women in the play displays social commentary. When Hamlet conveys his feelings towards Gertrude and Ophelia it shows how agitated he feels about women. Hamlet’s relationship with both women show who he is as a person and the development he makes with both Gertrude and Ophelia.