The Powerlessness Of Women In Shakespeare's Hamlet

In another scene, Polonius orders Ophelia to return the gifts that Hamlet gave her, and to make her rejection of him unmistakable and absolute. Polonius believes that if she is the cause of Hamlet’s madness, this would be the proof. “That Hamlet loses his mental stability is arguable from his behavior toward Ophelia…” (Foster, par.16) In Branagh’s version, we see how terribly this tears Ophelia’s heart. When Hamlet sees her, he walks up to her, telling her how much he loves her. After Hamlet kisses her, she returns the love letters that he wrote back to him. She sees how crushed he is, which makes her feel even worse; but she also believes she has to do this because her father ordered her to. Hamlet tells her “Get thee to a nunnery” (William

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.

Ophelia’s father, Polonius, wishes to keep his family’s honor in tact, and fears that Ophelia’s open regard for Hamlet will diminish his honor. Both Polonius and Laertes, Ophelia’s brother, believe that Ophelia’s preference for Hamlet will only end in disgrace for their family, as Hamlet would never marry her due to her lower social standing, therefore, they counsel her to break off any understanding with Hamlet. As a woman, Ophelia realizes her duty to her father and her brother, and therefore decides to disregard her own feelings about Hamlet and do as her father and brother wish.

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.

This is emphasized by Laertes’ and Polonius’ concern to protect Ophelia. Ophelia tells her father of Hamlet “he hath importuned me with love in honourable fashion”. Polonius insists that Hamlet will only use Ophelia for sex which Laertes supports. He describes her virginity as a ‘chaste treasure’. Ophelia is viewed by her father, brother, and consequently the audience as a virginal naïve girl.

Polonius teams up with King Claudius and once again places demands on Ophelia which require her to disregard her own self to fulfill their wishes of deceiving Hamlet into revealing the cause of his erratic behavior. And once again, it is Ophelia’s duty to her father and this time to the king to be obedient. Disobedience to the king and his advisor are not an option. Polonius wants the king to look on him in good favor and he is willing to step on his daughter to get this admiration. He neglects Ophelia’s feelings by not even thinking of how his requests will affect her. He feels at liberty to request whatever he would like. He is purely worried about himself. Polonius holds a position of unquestioning authority over his daughter. He treats her as though she is not intelligent enough to make her own decisions and he knows that she will inherently obey him. To him her feelings are irrelevant and immature which he states when saying “Affection, puh, you speak like a green girl.”(1.3.101) Following her fathers instructions, she loses her lover and a piece of her happiness.

While we humans live in a society governed largely by men we have little idea of what a matriarchal society would be like as it clearly doesn’t exist in today’s society. For centuries we have fought for gender equality, but we are reminded in films, plays and novels that Women are submissive and the weaker gender. Shakespeare’s written tragedies had clearly showed his patriarchal perspective with his character Ophelia from Hamlet, whose motivation and dominance is powered by Her father Polonius. Gertrude is another women from Hamlet who is represented as a weak minded, dependant character who has no power or control over what she does. If we look at these two characters from a Feminists point

The first instance of Polonius’ overbearing nature is seen in Act 1, scene 3, where Polonius is giving “advice” to his daughter about Hamlet. Once Laertes heads to the ship, Polonius instantly demands Ophelia to tell him what her brother told her. Polonius hears his daughter talk about Hamlet and immediately states her reputation in the eyes of others. He states, “Have of your audience been most free and bounteous…you do not understand you so clearly as it behooves my daughter and your honor,” (Act 1, scene 3, 93-98). He makes it clear that she is making herself very available for Hamlet and not conducting herself in a fashion that is appealing to her name. It’s obvious that Ophelia fancies Hamlet’s romantic advances on her, but Polonius doesn’t care for her independent thinking. He ridicules her calling her a “green girl” a “baby” for thinking that Hamlet’s offers of affection are real (Act I, scene 3, 101-105). The scene ends with Polonius reminding Ophelia that Hamlet’s intentions are not to love, but empty promises sought to advance in sexual acts. Although Ophelia strongly feels love for Hamlet, she listens to her father’s advice and ends the scene with “I shall obey, my lord,” (Act 1, Scene 3, 136).

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

     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.

Ophelia is in love with Hamlet. She shares herself with him and is beginning a relationship, she wants to be with hamlet and believes he loves her "My lord, he hath importuned me with his love in honorable fashion"(pg 17 line 110). Polonius instructs Ophelia to stop seeing Hamlet. Polonius states that Hamlet doesn’t really love her and is only with her for one thing, and as soon as he gets enough he will want no more.

When Ophelia tells Polonius, her father, what she and Laertes were talking about, Polonius reiterates exactly what Laertes said and forbids her from seeing Hamlet, saying later that the prince is “out of [her] star (II.2.150).” Yet, Gertrude later, at Ophelia’s funeral, says that she had hoped that Hamlet and Ophelia would marry, which shows that whether Hamlet, Ophelia, and her family knew it or not, Ophelia would have been approved by the King and Queen for Hamlet and was not considered beneath him, at least not by the Queen (V.1.255). Though, there may be some indication that the Queen was beneath Hamlet’s father’s station as well, so she would be more excepting and sympathetic to Ophelia and her feelings (I.5.55-59). But, when the ‘adults’ discuss the cause of Hamlet’s madness, no one listens to the Queen’s astute understanding that her son is unhappy about her marriage, and the King listens instead to the other man in the discussion, Polonius and Polonius’s idea that Hamlet is mad for love. When Ophelia is sent to talk to Hamlet in Act III, both the King and Polonius hide behind a tapestry instead of trusting her to tell them what was actually said. Perhaps the reason Hamlet is so horrible to her after his soliloquy is because he realizes that the King and Polonius are listening in on them and he feels betrayed.

 In similar fashion does Ophelia manifest great familial affection, agreeing to comply with the advice of her brother Laertes: “I shall the effect of this good lesson keep / As watchman to my heart.”  When her father, Polonius, makes inquiry regarding the “private time” which Hamlet has been giving to Ophelia, she replies unreservedly, “He hath, my lord, of late made many tenders / Of his affection to me,” and elaborates mightily on the subject. Polonius insists that she “from this time forth” not “give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet,” and Ophelia dutifully complies with his wishes: “I shall obey, my lord.” She later even gives him her love-letters from Hamlet. When she acts as a decoy so that Polonius and Claudius can observe the prince, resulting in Ophelia’s chastisement by the protagonist, she nevertheless keeps him as the main focus in her life: “O, what a noble mind is here o'erthrown!” Her love for brother, father, boyfriend, and others generally, override her love of self. Her respect for the opinions of immediate family is greater than her respect for her own opinions even in the matter of her courtship.

Polonius also acquires his daughter to stop courting Hamlet by ordering her to instead of allowing her to decide for herself. He is looking out for his daughter. The King and Queen were very troubled at Hamlet’s superficial insanity. They tell Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that discovery of what is hypocritical with Hamlet would be “the supply and profit of our hope “(Hamlet 2.2.24). They are noticeably embittered at his behavior, and Polonius knows this, and tries to use his daughter to demonstrate his notion. When Ophelia approached and pronounced to him her get-together with Hamlet in Act I, Polonius instantaneously brought her to the King. Polonius, performing on his duty to “both God and to gracious king” (Hamlet 2.2.45) took Ophelia to Claudius to understand if he could be any assistance in demanding to find out what is iniquitous with Hamlet. He rapidly tells the King that he will “loose my daughter to him“(Hamlet 2.2.161) and fabricates a premeditated plan to do so. This plan, and Polonius’ role of Ophelia, is all to gratify the Royal Court, and has no space in it for Ophelia’s feelings. Polonius treats his daughter practically like one would use a mare, with his loos of her and organizes it so just to try and get on the respectable side of Claudius and Gertrude.

Hamlet is one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays. In this essay I will look at Hamlets perception of women in general but particularly Gertrude and Ophelia. I will also look at the historical presentation of women, comparing Hamlets time to today and seeing if the symbolic role that the females characters have is related to the period. Also I will look at Hamlets madness, whether it was real or not and also whether women could be the cause of it. Finally I will look at a possible ‘Oedipus complex’ in Hamlet. ‘Hamlet’ as the title suggests is based around the character Hamlet Prince of Denmark. This is why women are often presented the way that Hamlet sees them. Also Hamlet lives in a very enclosed world