Ophelian Women In Hamlet Essay

The story of Hamlet is a morbid tale of tragedy, commitment, and manipulation; this is especially evident within the character of Ophelia. Throughout the play, Ophelia is torn between obeying and following the different commitments that she has to men in her life. She is constantly torn between the choice of obeying the decisions and wishes of her family or that of Hamlet. She is a constant subject of manipulation and brain washing from both her father and brother. Ophelia is not only subject to the torture of others using her for their intentions but she is also susceptible to abuse from Hamlet. Both her father and her brother believe that Hamlet is using her to achieve his own personal goals.

These two passages are engaging to the reader because they provide a rare glimpse into the characters of Gertrude and Ophelia.  For the most part, Hamlet is a male-centered play; it is interesting to observe the role of women within this structure.  Given the small roles assigned to Gertrude and Ophelia, it is imperative to closely examine their descriptions and words, especially in reference to the male characters.

     Gertrude as well is exploited by men throughout the play. Gertrude is seen as a prize to Claudius, a way for him to succeed to the thrown without having Hamlet take over. Although it is not doubted that he loves her, but he first uses her to get the kingship without question. Claudius has been wooing Gertrude even before the death of the king, which a reason for the “most wicked speed” in which they were married. (Act 1, scene 2. line 156) Gertrude is also used by Polonius, but more so she allows him to spy on her having a discussion with Hamlet. Polonius tells the Queen that Hamlet is coming to her private chambers and that she should have a discussion with him on his lately “unrestrained” acts. She replies to Polonius that she will “warrant” him, and “fear [her] not” for she is on his side. (Act 3 Scene 4 Lines 1-7) Gertrude however is not an unintelligent woman, so a reader would wonder why she would allow herself to be exploited by Claudius. Carolyn G. Heliburn agrees with Gertrude’s intelligence saying that her speeches are “not the mark of a dull and shallow woman.”

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,

When looking at Hamlet through a feminist lens, Ophelia and Gertrude gain the spotlight. However, with the spotlight on them, they are shown to be dependent upon men and men’s affection, Gertrude needing the affection of Claudius, and Ophelia needing the affection of Hamlet. This shows the women in the play to be seen as weak minded and easily exploited. In the end, not only is Claudius the reason for Gertrude’s death, but Hamlet is the reason for Ophelia’s death. The men they are dependent on control Ophelia and Gertrude’s stories; yet, those men are what drive them to the grave.

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,

Laertes tries his best to convince Ophelia that “if [Hamlet] says he loves [her],/ it fits [her] wisdom [...] to believe it” (1.3.24). By this, it could be assumed that Laertes is predicting that it would seem likely that Ophelia would fall under the impression of Hamlet loving her, regardless if it was true. As her brother takes his leave, Ophelia tells him that she will lock his warnings in her mind with Laertes holding the key to this memory. In this instance, Ophelia’s place in her family is shown as being the lesser of the siblings. Her father tries to convince her that “when the blood burns, how prodigal the soul/Lends the tongue vows” (1.3.116). By this, Polonius’s words reinforce the idea that Ophelia’s ideas of Hamlet are led by passion rather than logic. If she were to be thinking logically, it is assumed that she would not have been confused about the meaning of Hamlet 's words that were said to her in their moments of passion. Ophelia’s agreement with her father that she will not believe Hamlet’s words of passion led to the push of Hamlet becoming obsessed with his hatred of her.

    Queen Gertrude and Ophelia, the main female characters in Shakespeare’s dramatic tragedy Hamlet, have a variety of personal qualities and experiences in common. This essay, with the help of literary critics, will explore this commonality.

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’s interactions with the male characters of the play reveal her limited agency. As Ophelia tells her brother about her relationship with Hamlet, Laertes responds, “For Hamlet, and the trifling of his favor, hold it a fashion and a toy in blood, a violet in the youth of primy nature, forward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting, the perfume and suppliance of a minute, no more” (1.3.5-10). By instructing Ophelia on how to behave in her relationship with Hamlet, Laertes implies that he does not trust Ophelia’s judgement and she needs guidance with her personal affairs.

     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.

    The Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet features two female characters in main roles, Ophelia and Gertrude. They are similar in a surprising number of ways. This essay proposes to elucidate the reader on their likeness or similarity.

In his tragic play, Hamlet, Shakespeare demonstrates how corrupt the society is in Denmark. Through Ophelia’s death, Shakespeare conveys that women–during the Renaissance–are portrayed as powerless figures in which men determine the role of women in society. In act 4 scene 7, Gertrude’s speech reveals Ophelia’s burden of living in this patriarchal society of Denmark, which causes Ophelia to lose sanity when she comes to realize that she is isolated from the dominance of men and that she has no way of escaping. When reporting Ophelia’s death, Gertrude illustrates that she sees “a willow grow[ing] akant the brook/ That shows his hoar leaves in the glassy stream” (4.7. 190-191).

To begin with, Laertes before leaving for England warns Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet because he only wants her for her virtue and has no intentions of marrying her. He believes that Hamlet may not be able to choose his own bride in the future because he will have to make a decision that is best for his country. Laertes does not want Hamlet to take Ophelia’s virginity and use her for his benefit and discard her when he does not need her. Ophelia is naïve and easily manipulated and she is incapable of ignoring her brothers warning. Laertes tells Ophelia negative things about Hamlet in an effort to persuade her to stay away from him. He tells Ophelia that Hamlet may “love” her now but Hamlet is subject to the desires of his state and will necessarily break her heart. Additionally, Laertes believes that once Ophelia loses her virginity she will not be of any value and only bring shame to herself and her family. Her father and brother want to marry Ophelia off to a wealthy man and without her virginity she would not be as valuable. This leads us to believe that Laertes thinks that Ophelia has no worth of her own and the only valuable thing she has is her virtue. Laertes is manipulating Ophelia for his own selfish purposes and does not seem to care if Ophelia gets hurt in the process.

Since Gertrude caused the death of King Hamlet, she is unable to be granted to heaven. Gertrude is viewed as an incenstous person to Hamlet since he tells her God will judge her based upon her acts of incest and murder. Gertrude's involvement with the murder of King Hamlet has cost her the mother-son connection with Hamlet which leads to him having an unstable relationship with Gertrude.