O, Woe is Woman! What is Feminist
Feedback? Ophelia Conclusion General Statement Works Consulted Something else? Regardless of the status or the circumstance, the situation of lady to obey and serve man is general, inside Shakespearean writing and maybe (however less so) even today. Act I, Scene III Shakespeare's Portrayal of Ophelia Treated as to a lesser degree a man and a greater amount of a question
Father secures her as his property
Villa regards her as a negligible sexual protest Questions to remember Why does Hamlet depict ladies as being sub-par? What to consider How ladies are depicted.
How they are dealt with by male characters.
How the females treat the male characters. Gertrude Feminist Criticism This focal point expects to
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demonstrate to me the precarious and prickly approach to paradise, whiles... himself the way of hedonism of dalliance treads" (1.3.50-54). Polonius and Ophelia What is the connection amongst men and ladies? Polonius is leader of the family, unrivaled
Regards Ophelia as property worried about her as a property-proprietor needs her to stay immaculate and pure Repetition of exhortation gives it greater gravity and outcome "I don't have the foggiest idea about, my master, what I ought to think" (1.3. 113) What are the parts of the ladies? Significance of Family Structure Indicator of Ophelia's place in the public arena
She plainly feels her obligation is to her dad over her ruler
Knowledge into her decisions and associations all through the play Theme Ophelia's internal battles to do equity mirror the battles of current ladies, however Polonius' and Hamlet's treatment of her paints her as an obsolete image of the typification of ladies in the Shakespearean time. Present day Interpretation History Marilyn
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All titles would go from father to child or sibling to sibling. (Just special case was the government) Theme Obedient Gertrude is advised to leave, and does as such decisively "I might obey you" (3.1.41) rebuffed for defiance with toxin Passive "The woman doth dissent excessively, methinks." (3.2.254) "Goodness me, what hast thou done." "Slightness thy name is lady!" Peacemaker "Alack, what clamor is this?" versus "Go to. Where is my Switzers? Give them a chance to protect the entryway'" (4.5.104) A women's activist focal point enables us to dissipate the idea of Gertrude as a cliché blundering
Ophelia was an object that male characters, i.e. Hamlet, Polonius, Laertes, etc., used to gain more political power or to get what they want. Polonius was greedy, he told his daughter to hold herself to a higher standard than Hamlet. Because Polonius wanted the marriage of Ophelia and Hamlet to happen, he went to the castle in Elsinore, which lead to his death. A connection through marriage to prince would be a huge power for the family. Ophelia was being used to gain more power. Hamlet only used her for sex and affection, which This show how no one really cared for Ophelia other that to use her.
Hamlet shows much anger and disrespect to the women in his life. Ophelia’s believing her father’s words breaks Hamlets heart, being the reason for his treatment towards not just her but his mother. Ophelia
Ophelia is portrayed as a sensitive, fragile woman. Easily overpowered and controlled by her brother and father, Ophelia is destined to be weak. Ophelia’s brother, Laertes, warns and pushes Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet and is further supported by their father Polonius. “Polonius enters and adds his warning to those of Laertes. He orders Ophelia not to spend time with Hamlet or even talk to him. Ophelia promises to obey” (“Hamlet” 95). Ophelia’s obedience to her father’s directions prove the side she
...She had lost her father and her lover while her brother was away for school, and she was no longer useful as a puppet in a greater scheme. Ophelia was displaced, an Elizabethan woman without the men on whom she had been taught to depend. Therein lies the problem - she lacked independence so much that she could not continue living without Polonius, Laertes, and Hamlet. Ophelia's aloneness led to her insanity and death. The form of her death was the only fitting end for her - she drowned in a nearby river, falling beneath the gentle waters. She finally found peace in her mad world. That is how Ophelia is so useful as a classic feminist study - she evokes imagery of the fragile beauty women are expected to become, but shows what happens to women when they submit as such.
Leaving her only with the response saying “I shall obey, my lord”(1.3.145 ). Why Ophelia is unable to say more than a few simple words is made clear by societal expectations of the time. During this time daughters were the property of their fathers and were obligated to do their bidding. Campbell says “if she refuses Polonius, she risks social ostracism and grave insult to the man who capriciously controls her future” (58). Ophelia fears the backlash of disobeying her father, believing there is no other choice than doing what he has asked her to do. Even though a woman's virtue is a sacred and a very personal choice, her father leaves Ophelia with one option: to do what he says. “The issue of Ophelia’s chastity concerns Polonius as a parent and a politician—a virginal Ophelia has a better chance of attaining Hamlet’s hand in marriage” (Floyd-Wilson 401). This relationship Ophelia has between her father is very one-sided and unhealthy. It is formal and proper with very few emotions attached to each other. However, because Polonius is the only parental figure Ophelia has and loves him, his death was extremely difficult for her. Her father, hasn’t left her like Laertes and hasn’t rejected her like Hamlet. Making his unexpected death the final straw to her losing her sanity. Without someone to guide her, she is lost. She is unable to blindly follow a man but is to racked with emotion to think clearly.
During Hamlet, Polonius and Laertes use Ophelia for their own self-gain not taking her feelings in consideration. In the article “Jephthah's Daughter's Daughter: Ophelia,” Cameron Hunt reveals that Polonius disregards Ophelia’s wants for his ...
He tells Ophelia that no matter how good she is as a wife she will always be perceived as a harlot, and that if she was to marry she needed to marry a fool because no one else would believe her loyalty. This quotation is filled with rage towards the female sex. Polonius and Laertes also attack Ophelia many times during the play for being a women. Warning her that men (Hamlet) only want her for body and chastity. Gabrielle Dane in his paper, “Reading Ophelia’s Madness” relates the way they treat her as an incestous stranglehold. They have made themselves Ophelia’s decision makers in every matter. Polonius makes remarks such as, “You do not understand yourself so clearly” and “Think yourself a baby” (1. 3. 96, 105) to Ophelia. These show that even her own family treat Ophelia with no respect or dignity
Ophelia, in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, represents a self-confident and aware female character. She analyzes the world around her and recognizes the multitude of male figures attempting to control her life. Her actions display not only this awareness, but also maturity in her non-confrontational discussions. Though she is demeaned by Laertes, Polonius, and Hamlet, Ophelia exhibits intelligence and independence and ultimately resorts to suicide in order to free herself from the power of the men around her.
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).
Mostly, men are the ones included in the dialogue while rarely women were allowed to make their own decisions in this play. Hamlet by William Shakespeare shows that females are often looked down upon and mistreated, this is shown through the two female characters Ophelia and Gertrude. Often, women are looked at as objects; this happens to Ophelia when she returns love letters to Hamlet. In act three, Ophelia tries to give Hamlet his love letters that he had written for her back.
For a character that only appears in five of the 20 scenes in Hamlet, Ophelia has garnered a great deal of attention from analysts, critics, artists, actresses, fiction writers, psychologists, and adolescent girls alike. Readers are consistently struck by her character that seems relatively insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Ophelia is many times viewed as only important in relation to Hamlet and the effect she has on him. Ophelia is not just important in this respect, but also in respect to what she tells us about the society she came out of and the society we live in today. First analyzing Shakespeare and his precursors then concentrating on the modern day prominence of ...
In the play Hamlet Ophelia is portrayed as an innocent young woman who does not have a say in anything. All the men control Hamlet, her father Polonius, and her brother Laertes. She is portrayed as inferior to all of them and lets herself be pushed around by them. She is unable to convey her opinions or emotions throughout the play. The men dominate her thoughts and behaviors. In Hamlet, Ophelia’s obedience to her father and brother, along with her dismissal by Hamlet, reveals that women were not allowed to assert their opinions, emotions, or desires in a courtly setting.
Despite Ophelia’s weak will, the male characters respond dramatically to her actions, proving that women indeed have a large impact in Hamlet. Her obedience is actually her downfall, because it allows the male characters to control and use her in their schemes. Ophelia’s betrayal ends up putting Hamlet over the edge, motivating him in his quest for revenge. Ophelia is one of the two women in the play. As the daughter of Polonius, she only speaks in the company of several men, or directly to her brother or father. Since we never see her interactions with women, she suppresses her own thoughts in order to please her superiors. Yet however weak and dependent her character is on the surface, Ophelia is a cornerstone to the play’s progression. One way that her manipulation is key to Hamlet’s plot is when Polonius orders her “in plain terms, from this time forth/ Have you so slander any moment leisure/As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet,” (1.3.131-133). She complies with his wishes, agreeing to return any tokens of Hamlet’s love to him, verify t...
It is evident that Hamlet defines Ophelia by her sexuality. Hamlet does not value her as the woman she is. Instead, Hamlet views her as a mere object. Hamlet makes various sexual innuendos towards Ophelia. For example, this is apparent in 2.3, when Hamlet is speaking to Ophelia. Hamlet says, “It would cost you a groaning to take off mine edge” (3.2.250). Hamlet is making this regard to her in public and Ophelia lets him continue. Ophelia because of her gender continues to let Hamlet exploit and oppress her. Ophelia embodies a mutual assessment of femininity. Author Pragati Das writes, “Ophelia, it would seem, wholly at the mercy of the male figures throughout her life, is certainly a victim character” (Das 38). Ophelia does not have any alternative thoughts; she only responds with a simple sentence, “Still better and worse” (3.2.251). Ophelia is not standing up for herself, instead of she “…expresses acquiescence, uncertainty, and obeisance; she utters half lines” (Fischer 2). The power of Hamlet is manipulating Ophelia and it this shown through from her dull reaction of such crudities. Hamlet sums his vulgar and suggestive speech with, “For, oh, for, oh, the hobby-horse is forgot” (3.2.23–24). After Hamlet’s pressures of sexual suggestions, Ophelia is found to be under the absolute dominance of Hamlet’s demands, and as a result, her sanity diminishes. Ophelia’s song reflects on Hamlet, her father, and life
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.