Misogyny In Hamlet Essay

Hamlet knows that she is helping her dad, Polonius, spy on him. He accuses Ophelia, and all women, of being a “breeder of sinners” (Shmoop Editorial Team 1). Hamlet orders Ophelia to a nunnery, but she cannot call him out on it because she is not supposed to know what the word means. This is not the only criticism that Hamlet calls out to Ophelia. He says that if Ophelia is to marry a man, she will turn her husband into a monster because she will cheat on him (Shmoop Editorial Team 1). Hamlet: “If thou dost marry, I’ll give thee this plague for thy dowry: be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery, farewell. Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go, and quickly too. Farewell” (3.1.130-134).

Both Gertrude and Ophelia’s sexualities are seen as detrimental things by the various men in the play, with Hamlet especially focusing on this. For Hamlet, the women in his life are seemingly put on pedestals, and the worst thing they could be are sexually impure. Hamlet begins losing his sanity when Ophelia is kept from him, and when she tries to talk to him, he denounces her crudely and insults her sexuality (“Get thee to a nunnery!” (3.1 135)). After this instance, for Hamlet Ophelia represents “merely a spectre of his psychic fears. This spectre of the dishonest woman figures, in his neurotic projections, as a duplicitous whore.”(Dane, 410). This is another contributing factor to his downfall. Hamlet’s obsession with Gertrude sleeping with Claudius is also a major conflict for him. After the Ghost implores him not to harm his mother, Hamlet internally still blames her for her ‘incestuous act’ with Claudius, saying “O most pernicious woman! O villain, villain, smiling, damned villain!” (1.5 106-107). Hamlet’s disgust with his mother is a recurring theme throughout the play, and it all stems back to the fact that women, to Hamlet, must be kept pure. Since Hamlet is an idealist, he cannot deal with his ‘perfect’ mother “in the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, stew’d in corruption, honeying and making love over the nasty sty” (3.4 92-95). Dealing with this internally, Hamlet becomes more erratic and physically acts out against his mother. Hamlet’s obsession and subsequent rage with his mother’s sexuality also directly affected him in the sense that he, in a fit of passion, killed Polonius who was spying on them. Ophelia went insane after finding out, and Claudius was thus able to convince Laertes to kill Hamlet. This physically led to his ultimate downfall - his

As a child born and raised in the age of tolerance I found myself confused by the blatant sexism so heavily featured in Hamlet. The modern woman being depicted as strong and self-sufficient I wondered how women could have been depicted as weak and submissive. Once my confusion cleared I realized that the depiction of women in Hamlet was one sided, controlled by the misogynistic males dominating the narrative. Gertrude and Ophelia, the only women featured in the play are only characterized by the male influence in their lives and lack full characterization. They are depicted as weak and considered supporting characters in a narrative that requires their involvement.

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.

Shakespeare develops the theme of misogyny through diction around Ophelia and Gertrude in order to depict women as inferior to the men in Hamlet. Shakespeare’s diction through Hamlet’s declaration that “Frailty, thy name is woman!” inserts the idea that weakness is feminine from the first Act of the play. Through placing judgement on his mother for her marriage to Claudius and declaring that frailty is an inherently feminine, Hamlet expresses that he believes himself to be above all women, regardless of who they are. Furthermore, Shakespeare’s diction in stating that women will make “monsters” out of the men they marry indicates the belief that women are manipulative forces who ruin the causes of men, despite the fact that the prominent women

During his initial tirade against Gertrude, Hamlet states “Frailty, thy name is woman!” (Shakespeare, 1, 2, 146) This frailty Hamlet speaks of serves to imply that all women are disloyal and beastlike creatures, as Hamlet continues his tirade to make the claim that “a beast that wants discourse or reason would have mourned longer!” (Shakespeare, 1, 2, 151) Later on while interacting with her, Hamlet attempts to get Ophelia to describe herself as both honest and fair, and then proceeds to say that “…the power of beauty will sooner transform honesty from what it is to a bawd [pimp] than the force of honesty can translate beauty into his likeness. This was sometime a paradox, but the now the time gives it proof.”

In Hamlet, the female characters can be seen as being subservient to men. This goes on to show how Shakespeare, goes against the feminist theory by not creating equality between all the characters. One of the main character’s Ophelia can be seen as being weak and undermined in the play. She spends most of her time following the actions of her father, Polonius and boyfriend, Hamlet, with little to no say in her own opinion on topics. Polonius displays his dominance over Ophelia when he expresses his opinion on her relationship with Hamlet. He informs Ophelia on exactly what her next actions need to be when dealing with Hamlet. He even goes as far as warning her to not go against his wishes because it will “ tender [him] a fool”, showing his superiority over Ophelia’s actions (I . iii. 109). The inequality can also be shown when comparing Laertes’s life with Ophelia's. Laertes is left alone to travel France, while Ophelia is stuck to follow her father's orders. Hamlet also tries to show his

Hamlet is not only angered with the fact of his father’s death, but also with his mother’s decision to marry Claudius. Devastated by his mother’s decision to marry so soon after her husband’s death, Hamlet becomes skeptical about women in general. He shows a particular obsession with what he perceives to be a connection with female sexuality and moral corruption. He almost develops hatred towards women because of his mother’s decision. This hatred occurs and is shown with his relationship with Ophelia. He urges Ophelia to go to a nunnery rather than experience the dishonesty of sexuality. This hinders Hamlet from experiencing a love that is really needed at this time of his loss. One can say that this is another flaw, which Hamlet is unaware of.

“Hamlet’s trust in women is undermined and his identification with his father threatened. Dr. Lidz shows how the generational loyalty, respect, and love between husband and wife are crucial for children in resolving their own oedipal situations” (Bandler). This shows that because Hamlet’s mother remarried the way she did, affected the way Hamlet viewed women which led him to think he could treat Ophelia poorly, which lead to him going crazy. The whole play is one issue after another and looking deep enough into it, it is understood that everything worked together and caused Hamlet to lose his

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,

“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.

Hamlet has been known throughout literary history as the melancholy prince. Hamlet arguably is one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, aside from Romeo and Juliet. However, Hamlet the character and Hamlet the play are cesspools for a misogynistic rhetoric. Shakespeare had a common theme of misogyny that ran throughout most of his works but Hamlet truly as a stand-alone piece is important for analysis. While one could argue that the way that women and men were portrayed in Hamlet were simply true to the time, Shakespeare often wrote very controversial things, such as his blatant anti-Semitism in his popular “comedy,” The Merchant of Venice.

Although it may not be clear to the naked eye, the women in Hamlet display certain acts of disobedience through small deeds. Ophelia, Hamlet’s love interest in the play, showcases her lack of obedience and wit through two separate scenes. She first portrays these rebellious characteristics when she first tells her father of the relationship she has with Hamlet. Many people would argue that this does not show any of Ophelia's stray from the norm and some may argue that this scene would more portray a father

     The treatment of women in Hamlet is very troubling. The leading female characters, Queen Gertrude and Ophelia, are pawns or puppets for the men around them. Like chess pieces, they are moved about and influenced by the men they love with little say of their own; in fact, Shakespeare does not even develop their characters.

In the play Hamlet, the two women are shamed by the main protagonist due to his harsh words. Ophelia, the lover of Hamlet, is verbally abused by Hamlet causing her to feel worthless. While Claudius and Polonius are spying on Ophelia and Hamlet, Hamlet says, “Get thee to a nunnery. Why, wouldst thou be a breeder/ of sinners?” (3.1.121-122). Hamlet humiliates Ophelia by calling her unpleasant names and telling her that she should not reproduce because she would only bring evil to the world. Hearing such a comment from her romantic