William Shakespeare's Hamlet

In the contemporary world of today, women are allowed to express their feelings, thoughts and they have unlimited amount of freedom, however during William Shakespeare’s time women were not allowed to act on stage as men were the ones who played the roles of women. In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet the female characters are characterized with very little roles, however they directly or indirectly influence the actions by the men in their lives. Literary and historical scholars conclude that women were not interested political, economic, or social equality with men during this time in history. In the play the female characters are restricted in a patriarchal society as they are portrayed firstly as weak, secondly as obedient and lastly as dependent. These characters include, Gertrude who is the queen of Denmark, and Ophelia who is the love interest of Hamlet. The play revolves around the theme of revenge and how these women had a big influence in the plot of the play.

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,

Quintessentially speaking, revenge is a thing that many have sought in response to a tragic event unfolding. Typically, as a result, vengeance is contemplated upon by the victim as a means of retribution, a way of making things right and seeking justice on the behest of the victim, if the law will not grant justice through due process due to corrupt forces stemmed deep within it- corrupt seeds of a corrupt plant. Therefore, revenge become an apparent option for those willing to walk that path [of no return]. However, instances of revenge not being attained in the “clear cut” way it is ordinarily acquired have occurred from time to time throughout history. One of the most prominent examples of unconventional revenge attainment can be found within the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, entailing the revenge path walked by its eponymously named main character, Prince Hamlet. Specifically, his intentful delay in attaining his revenge against his uncle Claudius for his direct role in the death of his father, King Hamlet. This literary conundrum has dumbfounded literary critics for over 400 years and counting- due to the fact that a universally accepted consensus amongst them as well as the general public as to why Hamlet delayed his revenge has not yet been reached.

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

From Hamlet’s point of view, it becomes evident that genuine love for Gertrude was not the settling motive behind the marriage. Regarding his mother, such action only emphasizes her dependency on men. Such actions parallel with Ophelia’s as well, as she too, abandons her pursuit of love for Hamlet by obeying her father’s heartbreaking commands to stay away from Hamlet. Gertrude’s instantaneous marriage without motives alike of Claudius renders a strong dependency for men, representing female as a weak image. In Act 1, Hamlet speaks, “Frailty is thy name” (Act 1.

As the play progresses, the audience is introduced to Queen Gertrude, who was had married the murderer of her first husband, and Ophelia, Hamlet's love interest. Throughout the play, the interactions and words of Hamlet and the other male figures surrounding the two ladies contribute to the overall message about gender hierarchy that Shakespeare seems to be expressing to his audience. Throughout the play, Hamlet's diction and tone in his soliloquies, Laertes' tone and action, the foil developed between the characters, as well as the actions of the women themselves serve to emphasize Shakespeare's and his time period's views towards women. Hamlet reinforces the Elizabethan idea that women, being weak emotionally and mentally, require the guidance of a strong male figure to guide them through their

Dramatic literature is told through a story of dialogue about a character that experiences conflict throughout the play. These kinds of plays are often performed on the stage. One of the most famous playwrights of the 16th through the early 17th century was William Shakespeare, and his work continues to live on in the 21st century. The longest play Shakespeare had ever written was Hamlet, which is about a young prince who grieves over the death of his father and seeks revenge as he learns that it was King Claudius responsible for his father’s death. Throughout the play Hamlet expresses his thoughts through different soliloquys. Hamlets soliloquy in Act I, “O that this too, too sullied flesh”, contrasts from his famous soliloquy in Act III, “To Be or Not to Be”, and both reflect issues of the times in which Shakespeare had lived in.

As Ahmed Al-Ali writes, “Gertrude’s most boisterous critic is but her own very son. Hamlet’s contempt of his mother’s conduct in her hasty marriage is emphasized even before he learns of his father’s unlawful murder” (Hussein Al-Ali). Hamlet expresses his haste for his mother in a soliloquy saying, “But two months dead---nay, not so much, not two. So excellent a king, that was to this...As if increase of appetite had grown…(Let me not think on‘t: frailty, thy name is woman!)” (Shakespeare, 16). Two months following the death of Hamlet’s father, King Hamlet, his mother, Gertrude, decides to marry King Hamlet’s brother, Claudius. At this stage in the play, Hamlet does not know that Claudius murdered his father. Therefore, Hamlet’s anger stems from the unloyal actions of his mother. Hamlet’s anger leads him to become jealous of his mother’s relationship, and even consider taking his own life. Due to Gertrude’s action, Hamlet spends a majority of the play contemplating revenge on her and Claudius, conveying revenge as one of the major themes of the play. While Claudius hurts Hamlet by murdering his father, Gertrude’s lack of sorrow over King Hamlet’s death and her tendency to move on quickly to another husband leads Hamlet to believe Gertrude does not love his father, and does not love him.

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the question of sexuality and the role of women becomes a substantial component in analyzing Hamlet’s character and behavior. The motif of misogyny occurs intermittently throughout the play shown largely through Hamlet's relationships with both Gertrude and Ophelia. Clearly hurt by Gertrude’s marriage to Claudius so soon after his father’s death Hamlet becomes cynical of women and surmises that they are all immoral creatures. He develops a particular obsession with female sexuality and incestuous relations. Hamlet forms a connection between women and immorality, thus using his his mother’s incestous actions as a basis to surmise that all women are

Shakespeare’s tragedies are filled with many commonalities: violent murders, treachery and revenge. However, while Hamlet, Prince of Denmark portrays these same ideas, it effectively fights against the traditional expectations of a Shakespearean tragedy. The play centers on Hamlet’s attempts to avenge his father’s murder, yet his greatest struggles are against himself. Stemming from his constant desire to plot a perfect revenge, Hamlet’s obsessiveness often leads to frustration. Shakespeare uses dramatic irony and lengthy soliloquies to give the reader an omniscient perspective that recognizes that Hamlet must let go of his desire to control the future.

Gertrude’s weakness enables her to place her emotions ahead of moral righteousness and what is the right act for her to do. Her emotions are expressed when she makes the immediate decision of marrying Claudius, while betraying the love she had with her original husband, Old King Hamlet. Hamlet is disgusted by Gertrude’s decisions to marry Claudius and she begins to lose the respect he had for her. For instance in Hamlet’s soliloquy, he declares, “She married. O, most wicked speed, to post/ With such dexterity to incestous sheets!” (I.ii.161-162). This further demonstrates Hamlet’s profound disapproval of such forbidden and violated actions between his mother and uncle. By turning against traditional laws, Hamlet takes Gertrude into different regards and is left unsettle upon his true feelings for her. Despite Gertrude’s impetuous measures, Hamlet is greatly impacted emotionally further triggering his decision of stating, “frailty, thy name is woman!” (I.ii.150). Hamlet illustrates his anger by making the generalization that all women are frail and weak in character, centering his statement towards his mother. More so, Gertrude is morally weak because she clearly did not devote enough time mourning the death of Old King Hamlet, before marrying Claudius. Not only does she establish weakness,but she is also confined in meeting her needs of security and guidance from a male figure. On the other hand, Ophelia is defined

Hamlet displays his understanding of existentialism in the soliloquy “To be, or not to be, that is the question” (3.1.63) and yet his other words and actions lead us to believe he is still unaware of his own truth. Hamlet says "Then are our beggars bodies, and our monarchs and outstretched heroes the beggars ' shadows" (2.2.263-264) and says that we are all beggars, all lowly men, and we only have any greatness because others think we do. This is in direct conflict with his hubris, showing that he can come up with insights that are emotionally valid and yet he does not entirely accept them as he also has the opposite characteristic. He still cares about the hierarchy and wishes to be above people and is, but only because he and others

INTRODUCTION Throughout the course of Hamlet, many statements regarding women and their nature are presented from the characters’. However, none, so sufficiently, captures the thematic overtones of the play than “Frailty, thy name is woman!” (Shakespeare, pg. 29). In this scene, Hamlet, exasperated with his mother, Gertrude’s inability to commit to either himself or Claudius, vents his frustrations with woman-kind as a whole. The only other woman in the play is Ophelia, the, loosely, romantically-involved with Hamlet, daughter of Polonius and sister of Laertes – two other in-play forces working against Hamlet.

Throughout history, women have traditionally played a miniscule part in almost all aspects of life. Consequently, this has been reflected Shakespeare’s Hamlet with the existence of only two named female characters— Gertrude, the queen of Denmark and Ophelia, the prince's lover—who are portrayed as delicate and helpless. Gertrude and Ophelia appear to be trivial, submissive heroines who fade into the background of a patriarchal society then die tragically; however, upon further analysis, they are clearly vital to the plot and flow of the play. Gertrude and Ophelia greatly influence the male characters and abet the action in Hamlet.

“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.