In today’s day and age, a controversial topic of discussion is gender. Traditionally, there are only two genders: male and female. However, many people are starting to recognize and identify as more than 50 different genders. People are slowly attempting to disassemble gender roles in an effort for equality. However, when Shakespeare wrote Hamlet, women were rarely seen as anything other than a wife, mother, and in the case of some a pawn that could be used to manipulate for the good of someone else. Ophelia and Queen Gertrude are two examples of women who are used as pawns by the men in Hamlet.
When one observes the effects of gender roles in Hamlet, Ophelia is an example of character who is heavily affected by the oppressive standards of her day. Women like Ophelia were expected to remain as pure as the day they were born until the night if their marriage. Just before he leaves for France, Laertes finds Ophelia advises her, “If with too credent ear you list his songs,/or lose your heart, or your chaste treasure open/...And keep within the rear of your affection, out of shot and danger of desire.” (Ham. I.iii.31-35). The purity of woman was considered so valuable that one’s own brother felt it was necessary to lecture his sister to ignore the Hamlet’s pursuits towards her in an effort
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In Hamlet, Gertrude and Ophelia are constantly being used as Polonius’ and Claudius’ pawns. When Claudius and Polonius are in the throne room, they dismiss Gertrude due to her uselessness in the situation and order, “Ophelia, walk you here/...Read on this book/ That show of such an exercise may colour/ Your loneliness.” (Ham. III.i.43-46) while they hide behind a tapestry. Polonius and Claudius feel that they are so superior to Ophelia that they have no regrets using her as
In Shakespeare's Hamlet, the power of the king, the hierarchy of control, and the use of spies and pawns are the factors that lead to the deaths of Claudius, Gertrude, Hamlet, Laertes, Polonius, and Ophelia. Those who wield power are concerned about how they are seen, therefore, they use indirect action by recruiting a pawn regardless of whether there is honor in the process. These pawns then use direct action. Claudius, the center of power, attempts to maintain this royal image by using political pawns who only want to please him. Friendship is a rare luxury in Hamlet, and using pawns does not promote friendship, trust, or honor. It is difficult to discern true intentions when most characters are playing for their own motives. The “something... rotten in the state of Denmark” (1.5.100) and the corrupt political system destroys the code of honor that Hamlet Sr. is made out to embody. This is a theme echoed in history from all empires and kingdoms of any time period. Pawns and spies are universal practice in most hierarchies, much like a code of honor that is almost identical in many cultures throughout history. Hamlet is full of occurrences that are questionable in honor, inspired by revenge, and ruled by emotion.
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.
Ophelia’s father and brother instructed her to cut off all relations with the Prince of Demark because if any word about their affairs were to get out it would most likely ruin their family reputation in the land. Laertes explains to Ophelia that, “Fear it, Ophelia, fear it, my dear sister, And keep you in the rear of your affection, out of the shot and danger of desire” (I.iii. 33-35). The aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid afor Laertes takes the time to discuss with Ophelia the importance of why she should cut off the dangerous relationship with Prince Hamlet. He explains to her how there is no possible way the two could ever truly be with each other due to the difference in social status and power he warns her to clear out before she gets caught up and things get too deep. Along with social class and power, the men represented in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet are portrayed as more powerful and dominant than the women in their play.
Theses various examples illustrate how Shakespeare potrays gender roles unequally within the play Hamlet. Within the play female characters are used as a divergent from the main plot and as distractions to the main characters. The females in the play are protrayed as beining unfaithful and easily manipulated by the various influnces. The women in the play are seen as objects by other characters and they dont serve much of purpose, they dont aid Hamlet in killing Claudis, instead they keep him from acheving his goals. Shakespeares past negative experiences with females has greatly influenced how he potrayes Gertude and Ophelia.
Hamlet’s Ophelia tragically falls victim to the prevailing and unquestioned female stereotypes of her day. Trapping her within the type of the chaste and dutiful woman, Polonius strips Ophelia of her individual identity and silences her voice. He reduces her to a mere pawn, whoring her out to serve his own selfish agendas. It is only in madness that Ophelia is offered an unexpected respite from this puppetry, one that even the finality of death is unable to offer.
Culturally, women have been expected to be soft spoken, gentle, delicate flowers. They should not question a man's opinion or go against their will. Ophelia, in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, is an example of a young naive girl who faces the dangers that come from only following what others want, and not thinking for herself. The men in this play use her for their own benefit and she suffers the repercussions, which leads her to madness and “accidental” death.
Hamlet treats Ophelia like property and because he does not care for her. This is proven because he insults Ophelia, uses her to get his revenge on Claudius and uses her as a way to get attention. To begin with, Hamlet abuses Ophelia by accusing her of having impure motives. To him she “jig[s]… amble and …lisp” (3.1.145) to seduce other men. He also accuses her of being deceitful because she changes the “one face [that]…God hath given” to her by putting on cosmetics. Hamlet verbally abuses Ophelia because he believes that she is worthless. Hamlet is not concerned about the effect that these insult have on Ophelia’s psyche. In addition to verbally abusing Ophelia, Hamlet uses Ophelia as a pawn. Hamlet uses Ophelia as a way to get to Claudius by also physically abusing her. Ophelia description of Hamlet’s abuse exhibits Hamlet’s unruly behaviour towards her: “He took me by the wrist and held me hard; then goes he to the length of all his arm” (2.1.88-89). Hamlet physically abuses Ophelia because he knows that Ophelia will report it to her father who in turn will tell Claudius. By doing this, Claudius will think Hamlet is insane and will then lower his guard and will not suspect that Hamlet intents to kill him. Hamlet does not stop to consider what kind mental toll will take on Ophelia, all he cares about is to finishing what his father asked of him. It is apparent
In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, women are oversexualized, and are given no role other than to be the item of a man’s desire. The promiscuity of the only two women in the play, Gertrude and Ophelia, detracts from their power and integrity, and allows Hamlet a certain amount of control over them. Gertrude’s sexual lifestyle is often mentioned by her son, Hamlet, and Hamlet uses his knowledge of Gertrude’s sexuality as a means to criticize her. Ophelia’s sexuality initially appears to be controlled by Laertes and Polonius, and Hamlet takes advantage of the naive image that she is required to keep. However, in her later madness, Ophelia taints this image by revealing that her innocence is feigned. By exposing the sexual natures of both Gertrude and Ophelia, Hamlet strips these women of any influence they may have had, and damages their once-honourable names.
When reading the text, one can comprehend that Ophelia is caught in the middle between two opposite sides. Her family (father and brother) believe that Hamlet is a womanizer rather then the philosopher that he is. They also believe that he will use her in order to achieve his own purposes, and that he would take her precious virginity only to discard it because he would never be her husband. But, Ophelia's heart mesmerized by Hamlets cunning linguistics is set on the fact that Hamlet truly loves her or loved her, even though he swears he never did. In the eye of her father and brother, she will always be a pure, wholesome girl, an eternal virgin in a sense, (due to a parents nature to always see their offspring as a child) they want her to ascend into her stereotypical role in life as a vessel of morality whose sole purpose of existence is to be a obedient wife and a committed mother. However, to Hamlet she is simply an object used to satisfy and fulfill his sexual needs. He also seems to hold her at a distant which suggests that he may...
There is much similarity between Gertrude and Ophelia in the play. Both are attractive and simple minded, and are easily shaped by opinion, desires and ideas of others. Ophelia and Gertrude seem to be the same women at different stages in their lives. This may be one of the reasons why Hamlet was first attracted to Ophelia and now the reason why Hamlet rejects Ophelia.
In Elizabethan times, Ophelia is restricted as a woman. She is obedient to the commands of the men in her life although she often attempts to do the right thing. Polonius, Laertes, and Hamlet all have a grasp on Ophelia and who she is. She does not have the freedom to change her fate as Hamlet does. Shawna Maki states, “Ophelia’s life is determined by the whims of men who control her” (1). Polonius takes advantage of his relationship with Ophelia by using her to achieve a better relationship with Claudius. Polonius and Laertes teach Ophelia how to behave, therefore, abusing their power in allowing Ophelia to become who she wants to be (Brown 2).
In Shakespeare’s dramatic works there is no room for the heroic or the strong woman, and therefore many of his plays can be perceived as being antifeminist. Often he portrays women as weak, mad, sexual, and as even witches. Hamlet is no exception. The only women in the play, Ophelia and Queen Gertrude, are given confined and limited roles. These roles are from a male-dominated viewpoint and only add focus to the male characters instead of incorporating the insight and the impact of the women as well.
William Shakespeare incorporates many themes and ideas into his play, Hamlet. Of the multiple important ideas, one potentially overlooked is the role of women. Only two of the characters in the play are female. Their lines are scarce, but hold huge importance in relation to the progression and plot of the play. Ophelia, the implied lover of Prince Hamlet, and Queen Gertrude, his mother, do not appear significant, but their actions and characters allow for other events to unfold. Gertrude and Ophelia are manipulated and belittled. In their weak will, they end up betraying Hamlet. Observing their manipulation by other people, Hamlet is able to justify and go through with his actions.
For many years in the past women played a small role socially, economically, and politically. As a result of this many works in literature were reflective of this diminutive role of women. In Elizabethan theatres small boys dressed and played the roles of women. In contrast to this trend, in Shakespeare's Hamlet the women in the play are driving factors for the actions of many other characters. Both Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, and Ophelia, Hamlet's love, affected many of the decisions and actions done by Hamlet.
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.