Misogyny In Shakespeare's Hamlet

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Misogyny, as defined by Merriam Webster, is a dislike of women. In Hamlet, by Shakespeare, we see misogyny as the catalyst that leads the two lead women, Gertrude and Ophelia, to their demise. Misogyny in the play impacts how the women are portrayed. Although the roles of the women are rather minor, they are essential to not only the advancement of the plot but also uncover points about the idea of misogyny in Hamlet as well. The play is set in a subtle pool of patriarchy, which then allowed for the misogyny to be carried out for the rest of the play, as Gertrude and Ophelia were used as pawns, with the men manipulating the women how they pleased. The women were portrayed as feeble and (a little too) compliant. Through the women's deaths, the reader should then feel sympathy for the two and blame their deaths on the sexist, narrow-mindedness of the men. This shows Shakespeare's obscured misogynistic keys scattered in the play. …show more content…

This short quote has misogynistic keys when looked at carefully. For example, the dismissal of Polonius’ daughter, Ophelia, in order for his own benefit of find out Hamlet's condition(2,2, 174). This only further strengthens the point that the men of Hamlet use the women as pawns for their own benefit. Yet more so, the word “loose” is also used in cattle and horse breeding, possibly laying a metaphor to say that he is giving his ‘cow’ to no one else but

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