In the play, Hamlet, by Shakespeare, the theme of gender inequality plays along with the characters’ roles. Each character plays the amount of power each gender stereotypically has. Ophelia is portrayed as the weak daughter of Polonius with little to no say in decisions, is easily disrespected and influenced. Hamlet and Claudius are characterized as the men with the most power, very well respected, taken more into consideration (disregarding their class status), and are very opinionated about all women being the same [Hamlet] and put themselves first no matter what. Gertrude is comparable to Claudius’ shadow, her opinions are taken into consideration, but not as much as the king’s, has almost no involvement over important decisions other than …show more content…
King Claudius shows little respect for Gertrude in the play and tries to represent her as a materialistic character and puts her last before himself. “My fault is past. But O, what form of prayer can serve my turn? Forgive me my foul murder? That cannot be, since I am still possess'd of those effects for which I did the murder, my crown, mine own ambition, and my queen” (3.4.52-55). Claudius is saying all his sins, including the murder of his brother, Hamlet, but the last part of the quote is, “my crown, my own ambition, and my queen.” He puts his royalty and his ambition before Gertrude thinking that she’s always going to be there for him no matter what because she isn’t aware of what he’s done in the past. “Frailty thy name is woman!” (1.2.146). Hamlet supposedly has the stance to say this about women because only one, his mother, has given up so quickly and moved onto Claudius without a second thought. Hamlet considers every women to be weak, Ophelia. He treats women as if they don’t know what they’re doing and violently tries to get them to understand his logic as if they’re stupid. Most men in the play have the mentality that women don’t have the capacity of what they have, even if it’s on a subject they’re completely guessing on and don’t know all the details to. For example, back to when Polonius and Ophelia had a huge discussion about her and Hamlet, he said, “...Set your entreatment at a higher rate than a command to parley. For Lord Hamlet, believe so much in him, that he is young and with a larger tether amy he walk than may be given you: in few, Ophelia, do not believe his brows; for they are brokers, not of that dye which their investments show, but mere implorators of unholy suits, breathing like sanctified and pious bawds...I would not
Hamlet takes control of the conversation from the very beginning of the scene although it is Gertrude who was meant to be rebuking him and doing much of the talking. Hamlet succeeds in shaming her until the point when she begs him to stop. Hamlet having the upper hand in the conversation, asks his mother to change her ways, which she agrees to and asks for his advice, showing that she has submitted herself to her son. Hamlet does not really show much respect for his mother while reproving her and forcing her to sit down but he does love her. Some critics believe that his love shows sexual connotation and that is a reason why he gets so upset at her remarriage. There is a point in this scene when Gertrude thinks her life is in danger of Hamlet and gets frightened, which shows us that she considers him to be mad and harmful. After this scene she becomes aware that Hamlet isn't mad and starts trusting him as opposed to Claudius. This is exactly how Shakespeare has presented women throughout the play: they are easy to convince, very meek and become submissive to the men (as we can see Ophelia and her response to her father and brother). They are depicted as weak and inferior in comparison to the male figures, who control their lives. After the closet scene Gertrude keeps faith to her son and lies to her husband Claudius for Hamlet saying he killed Polonius in his madness:
Throughout this piece, Shakespeare touches on many aspects of Queen Gertrude as a character. In multiple parts of the play Shakespeare refers to Gertrude as an "adulterate beast" which would mean that Gertrude and Claudius would have had to be involved with each other even before the death of King Claudius and that Gertrude was knowledgeable of the plan the entire time. If they were both involved with the murder of the previous king Claudius would have treated Gertrude as accomplice, which he does not. Gertrude allows herself to be called names and accused of adultery all to get Claudius to be more accepting of her. If she were to fight back against the names and numerous accusations placed upon her Claudius might grow annoyed with her constant fighting for her dead husband. He would feel as if she was not as interested in him as she ...
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet takes place in Elsinore, a city in Denmark, during the middle ages, a time populated and controlled by men. In the beginning of the play, two women, Gertrude and Ophelia, appear to be weak, insignificant characters in the play but as time passes their roles and involvement with the main plots is amplified. In the beginning of the play Gertrude has a lot to gain from the actions of others, Ophelia mirrors Hamlet in his decline into insanity due to their struggle with internal conflicts. Throughout the play the frailty of women is a common topic. Even Hamlet himself said, “Frailty, thy name is woman” (Act 1, Scene 2).Thought as the play goes on the audience finds that the women are stronger and of more importance than they appear to be.
During the renaissance era, we view that women are a gentry under men when Shakespeare’s play clearly displays women having no voice and action in society. For instance, Hamlet is enraged by how Gertrude had many choices to choose from; out of all the choices she chooses to marry Claudius. This disgusts Hamlet because it is his uncle Gertrude is marrying, which makes Hamlet think, “frailty, thy name is woman” (1.2. 150). Given that women is depicted as a weak figure in society, Gertrude would not be able to remain queen without a king. Thus, her desperate attempt to become queen means that she has to marry Claudius to stay in power, which causes Hamlet to lose all respect for her and he shows this when he only addresses her with the title queen instead of mother because she finally gets all that she
Shakespeare’s Hamlet, shows strong prejudice against woman especially with such characters of Ophelia and Gertrude. Shakespeare created an interesting character with Gertrude; he created a character that sits in the middle of all the conflict and appears to not partake in much of it. However Gertrude does seem intent in defusing it at every possible chance she receives. Gertrude is a central figure in the play. She appears a great deal but doesn’t say much – implying mystery and creating an interesting uncertainty in the audience. Hamlet spends a lot of time dwelling on her marriage to Claudius and Shakespeare leaves many questions unanswered with Gertrude such as did she have an affair with Claudius behind old hamlets back? Why does she drink the poisoned wine that is intended for her son? Does she know it is poisoned? Gertrude is the mother of Hamlet and although they do not have a typical mother son relationship she does love him. Queen Gertrude is often interpreted by many as an adulterate, incestuous woman. Catherine Belsey states that typical interpretations of Hamlet maintain: ‘Gertrude a slut; and Shakespeare a patriarchal bard’ (Belsey,1997:34). Gertrude’s actions throughout the play could be read to show her to be a very passive character, far from a strong independent woman. This is shown with her obedience to Claudius, three times during the play, Gertrude is told to leave and each times she complies without hesitation. In Act 1, scene 2 Claudius says to Gertrude, ‘Madam, come’ (122). Then again, Act 3, scene 1, Claudius says to her, ‘Sweet Gertrude, leave us .’ (28), she complies with ; ‘I shall obey you’ (37). And finally, in Act 4, scene 1, Claudius say, ‘O Gertrude, come away!’ (28). This obedience that Gertrude ...
In the play, Ophelia and Gertrude 's actions and decisions are influenced by the men in the play. The women depend to a great extent on the men that surround them and are extremely weak, when it comes to them having authority and control over things. Ophelia is powerless, when it comes to the men in her life, she allows them to make decisions for her. When she is told to do something she immediately obeys. With such a desire, Ophelia always feels the need to please others, even when it goes against her moral feelings. For example, when Polonius tells Ophelia, “[f]rom this time, daughter, [b]e somewhat scanter of your maiden presense/[l]ook to’t, I charge you”(1.3.120-135), without hesitation, she says, “ I shall obey, my lord”(Shakespeare 1.3.136) . This shows her lack of power when it comes to men and that she has no rights. In relation, Gertrude is a strong woman, who makes decisions on her own, but she constantly relies on the men around her and is also very passive. Gertrude’s passive personality is seen, when Claudius
We first realize in Act I, Scene 2 that poor judgment is her major character flaw. As the mother of a grieving son, Gertrude should have been more sensitive to Hamlet's feelings. Instead, less than two months after King Hamlet's death, Gertrude remarries Claudius, her dead husband's own brother. Gertrude should have realized how humiliated Hamlet would feel as a result, because at that time it was considered incestuous for a widow to marry her husband's brother. There is also jealousy on the part of a son, who feels that his mother should be giving him more attention during the mourning period. Gertrude is not in touch with her own son's feelings to see why he is angry. Hamlet expresses this outrage during his first soliloquy:
Equality is a given.” In the society of William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, inequality is portrayed when the women of their society have a lower social status than men by exploiting their imperfections. As a result of their perceived tragic flaws, the women of Shakespeare’s time are considered inferior to the males of their society. These tragic flaws that these females possess are that they are unfaithful, are easily manipulated and are dependent on men.
Gertrude’s character is minimized when she is left out of the men’s plans for Hamlet even though she could be a useful source for information. “Sweet Gertrude, leave us too,/ For we have closely sent for Hamlet hither…” (3.1. 28-29). It can be inferred that Gertrude is seen as inferior to Claudius and since he has more “power”, he knows what is best for the situation. Gertrude lives in the shadow of Claudius’s masculinity, seeing as throughout the play they have many confrontations like these. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife” (“In Search of Authority”, p. 193). Claudius desires to marry Gertrude so he may have good fortune as he overtakes the kingdom; therefore, Gertrude is merely objectified throughout the entirety of the play. Likewise, she becomes slightly manipulated by her own son, Hamlet, when he comes to see her about marrying his uncle. Gertrude becomes threatened and fears Hamlet’s wishes as she gives into his demands. “Be thou assured, if words be made of breath,/ And breath of life, I...
The readers first see that in Act 1, Scene 2 the poor judgment of her character is her biggest flaw. A regular mother to a grieving child should know that a child needs their mother to get pass this terrible event and Gertrude does not notice how insensitive she is being to Hamlet. She should of known that remarrying so quickly to the dead man's brother would embarrass Hamlet because it is considered to be incestuous to marry the immediate family of the dead. Then there is Hamlet's jealousy to consider as he is going to want the attention of his mother more than ever.
Shakespeare portrays Gertrude as a woman of power and intelligence - she was Queen for a considerable amount of time - we can safely assume at least 30 years - and she is asked advice on matters by King Claudius - "Do you think 'tis this?" (II.2.152). Gertrude is a woman who married her own brother-in-law; perhaps to remain in her position of power. It is often debated whether or not Gertrude was involved in the killing of King Hamlet - either way, Gertrude seems to have complied fully in her marriage to Claudius - she doesn't seem at all offended by Claudius' presence - perhaps reason to suspect that she was unaware of Claudius' role in Hamlet's death, if she was uninvolved.
If women were the ones to have power over men, it would change the plot completely. Gertrude wouldn’t have even considered marrying Claudius, Hamlet would not seek revenge, and Ophelia would be the one playing with Hamlet's mind. In all, since this is a fictitious story, Shakespeare is to blame for this horrid portrayal of women. In reality, women weren’t as dependent on men as the play states. They were obedient, but they wouldn’t so insane and drown themselves if their father died.
Most of the worlds cultures follow a patriarchal society and this dates back to the beginning of time. In Hamlet the patriarchal society is clearly depicted by the characters throughout the play. Hamlet is portrayed as an indecisive character when it comes to making a serious decision, for example when he contemplates on killing Claudius. This shows the masculinity and femininity aspect of his character, which offends the ideals in a patriarchal society. Claudius, Polonius, Laertes, Ophelia and Gertrude follow the usual gender roles in a patriarchal society, as for Hamlet, his characteristics come from both gender roles.
Gertrude influenced Hamlet significantly throughout the course of the play. Hamlet was very angered by his mother's remarriage. A few months after his father's death, Gertrude married Claudius, Hamlet's uncle. He was driven mad when his father's ghost appeared to him and revealed that Claudius was responsible for the death of Old Hamlet. Hamlet even termed the marriage as incest. Hamlet's fury is displayed when he throws his mother on the bed and says, "Frailty, thy name is woman" (Act #. Scene #. Line #). This shows his extent of anger because he makes a generalization that all women are weak. As a result of his mother's actions, Hamlet strives to seek revenge against Claudius for the death of his father. In order to marry Gertrude, Claudius kills his brother. Therefore, Gertrude is the driving factor for the whole setup of the play.
Ophelia is only one of two female characters in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and when viewed by a modern audience she is seen as timid, meek, innocent, and submissive to the males that surround her. To an audience at the time of the play she would have been seen in a different light, as those traits would have made her an ideal woman. In trying to understand Ophelia’s character one can simply browse the pages of the play and study the few scenes of dialogue she has and examine her language, or lack of it. Taking into consideration the person(s) she is responding to, the context of the dialogue, and her specific word choice all plays a key part in an analysis of her voice.