Hamlet’s attitude towards women
In William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, often shortened to Hamlet, the main character of the play Hamlet shows a negative view towards the women in his life. He considers that both his mother Gertrude and Ophelia have deceived him through their actions; Gertrude married only a month after Hamlet’s father’s death, and Ophelia heeds her father’s command not to see Hamlet despite confessing her love for him. Hamlet sees both women as fragile and too dependent on the men in their lives which makes him say, “Frailty, thy name is women (Hamlet, 1:2:150 ). ’Now, it is to be discussed that whether the claim of being misogynist is justified on the character of Hamlet in the play Hamlet.
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Hamlet was greatly disturbed by his mother’s quick dismissal of his father and marrying his uncle it was described by hamlet as “Great haste”. He considers this remarriage as an inconsiderable sin. He wished the mother to mourn his father for like a month which was never the case. Hamlet becomes more unsympathetic towards Gertrude after his father, who appears as a ghost and tells him of the murderous act his uncle committed. He seemed to be more concerned about what his mother has done. Before vowing for revenge, he expressed his deep torment for the crime committed by the mother. The scene continues to explain how Hamlet treats women. He holds his mother for the failing to marry Ophelia his love which makes Gertrude …show more content…
When, with an endeavor to expose King Claudius to Gertrude, Hamlet starts to speak with his mother he gets interrupted by the ghost of his father who warns Hamlet not to tell his mother. The ghost wants Hamlet to be concerned more about avenging his father’s murder than about disclosing it to his mother. During this scene Queen Gertrude is unable to see her dead husband which in Elizabethan times implied she was “unable to see the gracious figure‟ of her husband because her eyes are held by the adultery she has committed. The ghost steals away from the closet when he realizes his widow cannot see him, causing Hamlet to hate Gertrude even more because he felt the same rejection when Ophelia rejected him. He can feel his father’s grief as a son and as a lover. Perhaps the best quote of Hamlet's attitude towards women is where he mentions in an early soliloquy with the words: "Frailty, thy name is woman!" (Act 1, Scene 1, line 146). He has come to this conclusion because of his mother's infidelity to her death husband. He thinks she married Claudius, not because she was wicked, but because she was weak and therefore easily
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
Hamlet is even guilty of oppressing women, whether it is the queen/mother or a common girl/girlfriend, because he reduces the women in his life to archetypes—that is, the cunning lover and the frenetic past lover. Hamlet’s oppression of women was a result of his mother’s action to remarry with his uncle, and this causes Hamlet to despise and loath women. Though Hamlet has known these women before the death of his father, he is so wrapped up in revenge that he cannot treat them fairly. Hamlet insulted Gertrude by yelling out, “frailty, thy name is woman!” (1.2.150) When Hamlet talks about frailty, he is talking about weakness.
There are many ways that Hamlet and his mother express their feelings for each other. In the beginning, they show tenderness and overwhelming love towards each other. It is Gertrude’s actions that bring out the anger in Hamlet. He cannot understand how his mother could be so disrespectful by remarrying so quickly. Although he honors his mother, he cannot do this upon learning of her engagement.
Hamlet is first tormented by the death of his father, the king of Denmark. Then he is cast into utter agony when Gertrude, the mother he loves dearly is hastily married to his uncle, Claudius. Through a ghostly revelation, Hamlet learns that his suspicions that Claudius murdered his father are true. He becomes incensed and wants to enact revenge upon the guilty party. From this point on, Hamlet struggles with his plan for revenge that conflicts with his opposite contemplative nature.
Hamlet, a young prince preparing to become King of Denmark, cannot understand or cope with the catastrophes in his life. After his father dies, Hamlet is filled with confusion. However, when his father's ghost appears, the ghost explains that his brother, Hamlet's Uncle Claudius, murdered him. In awe of the supposed truth, Hamlet decides he must seek revenge and kill his uncle. This becomes his goal and sole purpose in life. However, it is more awkward for Hamlet because his uncle has now become his stepfather. He is in shock by his mother's hurried remarriage and is very confused and hurt by these circumstances. Along with these familial dysfunctions, Hamlet's love life is diminishing. It is an "emotional overload" for Hamlet (Fallon 40). The encounter with the ghost also understandably causes Hamlet great distress. From then on, his behavior is extremely out of context (Fallon 39). In Hamlet's first scene of the play, he does not like his mother's remarriage and even mentions his loss of interest in l...
“Frailty, thy name is woman” (I.ii.150). The most significant reason for Hamlet’s first soliloquy is based on how he feels about “woman”, mostly referring to his mother. Hamlet shows no respect towards his mother. Shakespeare tries to show Hamlet and other male characters as assertive men. However, in Shakespeare different plays women play a variety of roles. Throughout the play Hamlet, Shakespeare demonstrated brutal treatment towards women by the male characters in the play, whether it be verbally or with emotional abuse. Not only were the women manipulated by the male characters, but they were also controlled by their beloved ones.
Hamlet loved his father the way that any child does. A part of him and his life was taken from him when he heard of his father’s death. Instead of spending time with her son like she should have been, Gertrude was spending more time with her quickly married husband, Claudius. This quick marriage to Claudius made Hamlet wonder if his father had just died, or if he was murdered. If his father was murdered, his mother must have known about the murder, or she would not have married Claudius so quickly. Gertrude was absent in Hamlets life too often, which turned him to acting like he was crazy.
Hamlet is the son of Queen Gertrude, this type of parent and child conflicts are somewhat common in some of Shakespeare’s plays. The events surrounding these characters must be taken into account as we watch the attitudes and personalities of Gertrude and Hamlet change as the play progresses. They have their own unique places in the story but do not always mesh well together when thrown into a conflict. Throughout the play hamlet struggles to keep his sanity. This is especially apparent after his father’s ghost visits him. The ghost tells him that his father was murdered by his uncle Claudius, who is the curre...
Since Hamlet is notoriously the worst to the female sex, we will start with the assault on his character. Hamlet said "Frailty, thy name is woman,“ thus Hamlet believes his men are the epitome of stability and strength, right? Not really, but Hamlet's attitude toward women is definitely sexist and biased, and his hate seems to emanate from his revulsion at his mother's marriage to Claudius, which he considers “unfaithfulness” to his dead father. His attitude is totally unjustified.
Hamlet’s sense of betrayal by Gertrude, although briefly taking him off course, ultimately infuriates and intensifies his urge for revenge. Because of Gertrude’s refusal to acknowledge her sins, Hamlet becomes even more personally motivated to kill Claudius for revenge. Queen Gertrude, though ignorant, has a huge impact on the play because her betrayal and abandonment motivates Hamlet to get revenge. When writing Hamlet, Shakespeare created a complex play that relies on the roles of two important women to aid the progression of the plot. Although Queen Gertrude and Ophelia rarely speak, they function as a way for the men to become informed about Hamlet’s mental state and motives for madness.
Just as every other male in this time, he viewed feminine characteristics as unthinkably negative. When considering the vengeance his father’s death, he goes as far as declaring: “Why, what an ass am I! This is most brave, That I, the son of a dear father murdered, Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, must, like a whore, unpack my heart with words and fall a-cursing like a very drab, A stallion! Fie upon’t! Foh!” (2.2.611-616) Hamlet seems to believe that a “whore,” a “drab,” or a “stallion” is comparable to not avenging his father’s death. One of the more famous lines of the play states, “Must I remember? Why, she hang on him As if increase of appetite had grown By what it fed on. And yet, within a month (Let me not think on ‘t, frailty, thy name is woman!)” (1.2.147-150) Hamlet begins this bold statement by being disgusted with the ways of his mother, however, ends the quote by stereotyping the female gender as a whole. He believes that women’s sexual “appetites” lead only to betrayal and corruption of relationships, which undoubtedly stems from his disgust with his mother’s sexual actions with his uncle and new king, Claudius. However, labeling all women as frail is a bold statement coming from the same character that overthinks every given situation and doubts every move he makes. Every male role in Hamlet exemplifies frailty in more than one way.
Another significant female character is Ophelia, Hamlet's love. Hamlet's quest for revenge interferes with his relationship with Ophelia. There is much evidence to show that Hamlet loved her a great deal, but his pretense of madness drove her to her death. Ophelia drowned not knowing what was happening to her. This can be deduced by the fact that she flowed down the river singing and happy when in truth she was heartbroken. Ophelia was very much afraid when she saw Hamlet "with his doublet all unbraced; No hat upon his head; his stockings foul'd, Ungarter'd, and down-gyved to his ancle" (Act #. Scene #. Line #). She described him as being "loosed out of hell" (Act #. Scene #. Line #). In addition to that he scared her when he left the room with his eyes still fixed on her. She is especially hurt when Hamlet tells her that he no longer loves her and that he is opposed to marriage. He advises her to go to a nunnery and avoid marriage if she can.
The role women played in Hamlet was complicated. Their distinct purpose as characters in the tragedy was to illustrate Hamlet’s warped view of women and give the audience an obvious understanding of Hamlets madness and distress. Hamlets strong unwavering judgment of women was caused by his mother. He had been delusional about women by Gertrude’s actions. He is consumed by the absurdity of his mother’s love for his uncle and is justified to feel disgust towards his mother, her actions and implications and in doing so provoked hamlet’s unforgivable treatment of all women as a whole. Although Hamlet gives off the illusion that Shakespeare is enormously disgusted by the female race Hamlet’s outlook doesn’t really reflect Shakespeare’s attitude of women.
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.
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.