The Sexism Of Women And Women 's Power, Possibilities, And Fair Treatment

The equality of men and women has been a controversial topic throughout various eras of time. Previously observed as delicate and feeble individual’s incapable of independence, women have not always had to opportunity to voice their own opinions. This is clearly demonstrated within the play, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare by two prominent female characters, Queen Gertrude and the love interest of Prince Hamlet, Ophelia. Depicted as a reserved leader who favors luxury and affection over loyalty and strong morals, Gertrude often seeks guidance from the male figures around her. Similarly, Ophelia has a malleable personality built upon the opinions of her father and the endearment of Hamlet,

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.

People have mostly seen women inferior to men because women have been thought of as simple-minded and could not take care of themselves. Shakespeare’s Hamlet shows how men treated and thought of women during the 1500s. There was an order most did not interfere with; however, some did. In the 1500s, women were supposed to conform to men’s wishes. Throughout the play, Ophelia first obeyed her father and brother’s wishes, ignored the social norms later, and then went mad, which caused her to never gain her own identity.

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.

In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Ophelia and Gertrude limit their abilities by internalizing the patriarchy through the use of the inclusive he, multicultural feminism, traditional gender roles. The women in Hamlet are seen not seen as individuals but rather as the other half as their male counterparts. For example, Ophelia has a lack of free will because she lets the

For many years in the past women played a small role socially, economically and politically. Many works in the literature demonstrate this during the Elizabethan Era. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia, Hamlet’s love and also the daughter of Polonius. She is a prime example of this as her father implores her to see Hamlet further more because of the possibility that he takes her name and her virginity. Ophelia truly loves Hamlet and was devastated when he shuns her in addition to pretending to be mad. She was affected by many of the decisions as well as the actions of the male characters in the play, including Hamlet, Polonius and Laertes. Throughout the play, women are very dependent on men. Men felt superior to women during Hamlet 's lifetime, in which they thought that they could make the women’s decisions and try to change how their thoughts and feelings. During this time, women were treated as the weaker sex because they had no voice of their own. Women were expected to be pure and innocent while men could be as immoral as they so desired. As for Ophelia, she depends on Hamlet for his love and then later on in the play she becomes strongly frightened by Hamlet and his actions.

In life, women are oppressed and seen as inferior to men. Throughout Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, one can see how men oppress women such as Gertrude and Ophelia. One can see how Ophelia is mistreated, how Hamlet thinks less of his mother, how Gertrude uses female roles against Ophelia, and how men look down on women.

In Hamlet, Shakespeare portrays both Gertrude and Ophelia characters who wholly reflects “weakness …, lack of depth and vigorous intelligence” (223). Shakespeare does this in order to express his opinion that women in the Elizabethan period had no other choice than to be dependent on men, which is why they appear weak and unintelligent in the play. Shakespeare shows this through Gertrude by displaying her dependence on Claudius for her livelihood and social status. In the Elizabethan time period “all titles would pass from father to son or brother to brother, depending on the circumstances” (Elizabethi, para 5) although there may be women in the family, the men are always put in front of the

Sexism has been a problem in America for a long time. If a person compares a man to a woman, the man takes it in a negative way. From kids to adults, women get unfair treatment all the time. The privileges women get are almost always inferior to the privileges men get (Forbes). Feminists have stood up for themselves since the 19th century (Greene, Busse, and Haynes). Feminists are women who stand up for their rights and equality. Although women’s rights have gotten better, there are still many disadvantages to overcome. Men have portrayed women in demeaning, submissive, and often sexualized ways for decades. Many people in America believe that sexism is not present in today’s world, but there is plenty of evidence that should convince people to see that that is not the case.

Early literature was “mostly men who composed these works and male critics who vouched for their greatness” (Gardiner 395). Early works of literature typically portrayed the society that was around them. In general, women did not have freedom to do as they chose. They were to listen to the men and do as they were told. The typical culture in a patriarchal society viewed women as objects and not as independent individuals. In Hamlet, Ophelia and Gertrude were merely accessories to the men and served in aiding to the plot.

Throughout William Shakespeare’s play, women are usually illustrated as strong,independent, confident, and self-serving individuals. Previously scene from King Lear with both Regan and Goneril and in Macbeth with Lady Macbeth, these characters show the true strength of a woman. However, in William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, the woman are seen as weak. Being the only female characters in the play, Ophelia and Gertrude allow us to observe the role of women in Hamlet. The men surrounding them continuously control both Ophelia and Gertrude, as they agree to be pawns in several plans for the men that are in their lives. Both women eventually choose another man over Hamlet , while playing a big role in his life, they betray him. The betrayal

Women in the 1600’s were typically expected to be weaker than a man, to bear children, and to have some sort of education as long as it didn’t surpass that of a man’s. Shakespeare wrote two women, Gertrude and Ophelia, that fit some of the stereotypical characteristics of women in this time period and some that do not. Shakespeare’s Hamlet portrays a variety of stereotypical feminine traits and ideals within two distinctly different female characters, expressing along with them a large spectrum of interactions and reactions that open a potential window into Shakespeare’s mindset about women. Gertrude, the Queen of Denmark, is given a set of traits that would generally be associated with an older woman.

In the play Hamlet, author William Shakespeare points out a few differences between the men and women of this time. They were treated very differently based on their gender. This goes to show that men are favored more than women. Almost all of the women in Hamlet are either disrespected or taken advantage of by men. The women in Hamlet may be disrespected and denied many privileges, but they still worked their hardest to earn more equality with men.

For many years in the past women played a small role socially, economically and politically. Many works in the literature demonstrate this during the Elizabethan Era. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia, Hamlet’s love and the daughter of Polonius is a prime example of this and he forbids Ophelia to see Hamlet because of the possibility that he implore her name and her virginity. Ophelia truly loves Hamlet and is devastated when he shuns her and pretends to be mad. She is affected by many of the decisions and actions of the male characters in the play, including Hamlet, Polonius and Laertes. Throughout the play, women are very dependent on men. Men felt superior to women during Hamlet's lifetime, in which they thought that they could

The gender construction and patriarchal power structure of Hamlet displays how women in the play are viewed, treated and controlled. Throughout the play, Hamlet expresses numerous sexist and stereotypical opinions about the role of women. In his first soliloquy, Hamlet states “… Frailty, thy name is woman!” (I. II. 146). Hamlet definitely has a sexist attitude toward women, and it stems from his opposition and disgust with his mother’s sexuality and seemingly unfaithfulness to his dead father for only mourning him for a short period of time