In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the theme of forbidden love is explored through the protagonist’s damaged relationships and sextual secrecy. In this play, Hamlet is secretly homosexual, but unable to express his sexuality. This is shown through his various relationships with other characters. For example, Hamlet does not enjoy the company of women; this is demonstrated through his relationship and behaviour with Ophelia, and his mother, Gertrude. Ophelia is used as a “beard” in the play, “Beard” being a commonly used slang term in the gay community, is recognized as a person being used by a closeted homosexual to appear as if they are in a romantic and heterosexual relationship to the public. In the 1600’s, when William Shakespeare's …show more content…
Hamlet is presumed to have taken place, homosexuality was largely frowned upon, and often punishable by death, according to Modes of Sexual Orientation in 16th and 17th Centuries written by Minu Vettamala. This would persuade Hamlet to stay closeted to remain safe from persecution. This forces him to hide his sexuality, which inevitably causes confusion and negative emotions. These emotions are released in his interactions with others, such as his mother, and Ophelia. Hamlet has a relationship with Horatio that was more close, intimate, and positive than any other relationship in the play. Shakespeare writes Hamlet to have negative relationships with everyone with the exception of Horatio. Horatio expresses loyalty towards Hamlet which is much appreciated by Hamlet. This can be seen when Horatio says, “I am more an antique roman than dane” V,ii L.333. In this, this man is more than willing to make a sacrifice, to take his own life, and realize at such a high price. The reader sees the purpose of the battle with Horatio: the inner battle with oneself. When love is so strong, life is no longer worth living; one cannot deny how loyal of an act love really is. The level that Hamlet appreciates Horatio is admirable; it is undeniable that they have a special connection. Hamlet lets Horatio know how grateful he is for him: “Horatio thou art e’en just a man” III,iiL.54. Hamlet is telling his friend how much of a man he considers him to be. Unarguably Hamlet has great admiration for Horatio, and controversially it may be led by temptation. Hamlet shows he has trust towards his friend as he speaks the words, “And after we will both our judgements join In censure of his seeming” III,iiL.87. This shows how much trust Hamlet has in Horatio, to open up to him, as well as share his struggles to allow for his help. Having Horatio to provide for him shows that he trusts him with the information of his plan. Hamlet's relationship with Horatio is an example of him being gay as expressed through the successful and intimate interactions they have with each other. Hamlet uses Ophelia to appear heterosexual, although this leads to mistreatment as Hamlet has so many emotions and feelings regarding the secrecy of his own sexuality, as for anger, frustration and hurt, he takes out on Ophelia.
Hamlet is intense, and immensely rude; while speaking alone, he says, “ you should not have believed me: for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it: loved you not” III,iL.122. Hamlet is dishonest of his emotions as he shows no signs of love or respect towards Ophelia, especially while alone, this being because of him forcefully staying in the closet. This secrecy causes his actions hurt to Ophelia. She is ultimately being used as a beard, which is evident, because he speaks towards her in an unkindly manner in private. Along with this, Hamlet shows great deal of affection while in the public eye. This is shown when following Ophelia’s passing. While in front people, as well as her loved ones, he says, “I loved Ophelia; Forty thousand brothers could not, with all their quantity of love,” V,iL.263. He confesses a false statement proclaiming his love for Ophelia in front of a large group of people. This is done in hopes of convincing any doubt of his sexuality to the public.Something to take into consideration, is the fact that their relationship never advances. This could possibly be due to the fact that he is a homosexual and does not want to make Ophelia his bride. The last words spoken to her in the script are, “It …show more content…
would cost you a groaning to take off my edge” [III,ii 245] This being their last interaction it demonstrates how rude he was towards Ophelia, and sets the tone for their relationship. He is never truly kind towards her, but in fact does have the capability to be loving and kind; this is shown with his relationship with Horatio. Hamlet's unhonest relationship with Ophelia helps support the fact that Hamlet is gay and his actions hurt others; this is seen when he verbally abuses, and lies to the public about his feelings to ever loving Ophelia. This behavior suggests that he using her as a beard to cover up his homosexuality. Hamlet expresses his hatred in the form of his disrespect towards women as a result of having to suppress his feelings.
Hamlet hates all women, simply because they are women, this happens because he does not have any romantic or sexual attraction towards women, ultimately being unvalued, and worthless in his eyes. This is expressed when he says, “Frailty thy name is woman” I,ii L.158. This demonstrates that he truly feels that all women are weak, which gives the audience his perspective on women. His lack of interest in women is transformed into hatred, because of negative feelings and experiences, such as not being able to express who he truly is. Hamlet takes out his anger on Ophelia, as he finds her sexuality disgusting, as she should keep herself pure. “Get thee to a nunnery”, he says. (I,ii L. 121) He insults her and does not accept her sexuality. This demonstrates his bias towards heterosexual women. This showing the mistreatment, caused by uninterest. Hamlet also shows mistreatment towards Ophelia when he says, “Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool; for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them” (V,i L135.) This quote demonstrates how badly he thinks about Ophelia, telling her that she would not be able to marry, because a good man would be transformed into a bad one. Hamlet’s intense hatred of women is formed because of his lack of interest in women, which develops into hatred caused by his feeling of anger, frustration on himself, because of
his secrecy of his sexuality. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the protagonist, Hamlet must have been forced to deal with the pain that came with much secrecy during the time he lived, which ultimately lead to his mistreatment towards people. He demonstrates his sexuality through his relationship with Horatio. He uses Ophelia to prove to the public that he is heterosexual. He also shows disrespect towards women as he has no interest in them. Hamlet being gay results in his hurt and pain, which ultimately leads to his downfall, along with the downfall of Gertrude and Ophelia resulting in their death.
Hamlet is one of the most controversial characters from all of the Shakespeare’s play. His character is strong and complicated, but his jealousy is what conduces him to hate women. He sees them as weak, frail, and untrustworthy. He treats Ophelia, the women he loves, unfair and with cruelty. Similarly, he blames his mother for marrying her dead husband’s brother, who is now the King of Denmark. Hamlet’s treatment for women stems from his mother’s impulsive marriage to his uncle who he hates and Ophelia choosing her father’s advice over him.
One of the most emotional and moving scenes in William Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet is in Act III, Scene I lines 90-155 in which the title character becomes somewhat abusive toward his once loved girlfriend Ophelia. It is interesting to examine the possible motives behind Hamlet's blatant harshness in this "Get the to a nunnery" scene toward the easily manipulated and mild mannered girl. While watching Kenneth Branagh and Mel Gibson's film adaptations of the play, the audience may recognize two possibilities of the many that may exist which may explain the Prince's contemptible behavior; Kenneth Branaugh seems to suggest that this display of animosity will help the troubled man convince his enemies that he is in fact demented, whereas the Mel Gibson work may infer that Hamlet's repressed anger toward his mother causes him to "vent" his frustrations upon Ophelia, the other female of importance in his life.
Throughout Shakespeare 's play it is clear that Ophelia and Hamlet were lovers but it is not entire certainty whether Hamlet loved Ophelia at the present time. His declaration of love in the written play could have been seen as an indication of his madness. In the film version Hamlet is seen hiding in the bushes while Ophelia 's funeral begins and once he discovers it is her he is overcome with grief to the point where Horatio has to hold him back (Hamlet). The pain on Hamlet 's face is apparent as well as his sanity. Another example of their relationship is in act 3 scene 1 after Hamlet finished his soliloquy he says the line “the fair Ophelia” (Shakespeare 4.1.97) while reading the play I assumed he said this line when he addressed her, and that he was pleasant to her until his madness took over and he became rude. In Doran’s adaptation however Hamlet spoke the line “the fair Ophelia” before she even saw him, he was speaking to himself with a tone of love and affection. Additionally, Hamlet remained pleasant to her until he turned and noticed the security camera (Hamlet). It was only then that Hamlet began to act mad and unpleasant towards Ophelia. This version gave a new depth to Hamlet’s madness and strengthens the idea that he was simply
Hamlet, Ophelia’s lover, accidentally kills her father and “confesses” he never loved her, Hamlet toys with Ophelia's emotions intentionally and unintentionally to solidify his madness. Even though she was the who initiated the “breakup”, her sorrows of the relationship are much more public than Hamlets. Hamlet’s madness scares Ophelia away which he used as a defense mechanism to not be hurt anymore. His madness looks as though he had been "loosed out of hell to speak of horrors" (2.1.83-84) and she "truly [did] fear it"(2.1. 86). His insanity and rudeness suffocated any love she had for him. She admits that their "their perfume [has been] lost" (3.1. 99). This helped Hamlet solidify his insanity by cutting ties with the ones he loves, and having them tell others he is mad. This comes with the cost of discontinuing his relationships: especially with Ophelia. Both have hinted around in the text of an intimate affair. This makes the emotions and breakup even more difficult for both of them. Their relationship was a love, not an innocent crush or courtship. Poor Ophelia initially thought she caused Hamlet's madness due to the abrupt ending of their affair. But because of her naivety, she lacks to see his other internal struggles. Ophelia’s trust in Hamlet left her heartbroken. Hamlet’s agenda of or getting justice for his father occupied his mind more than Ophelia did. Which left her feeling
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...
He urges Ophelia to go to a nunnery rather than experience the corruptions of sexuality. Hamlet blames the bad woman he is intimately intertwined with for his indecisiveness between a man 's power and the ability to do right. He acts as though it would be strange for him to not be cruel to women. Another display of his rudeness is his mocking of them. Knowing that Ophelia is obsessed and affectionate towards him, he taunted her. He purposely gave her false hope, immediately after telling her how stupid she is, by saying to her “I did love you once" (3.1.114). Ironically, he then proceeds to state the truth: that he never loved her, to which she reveals “I was the more deceived” (3.1.118). Now, having lost all his patience, he commands her to go to a nunnery. He also tells her that he did not love her and would have rather not been born. In the quote "accuse me of such things that it was better my mother had not borne me” (3.1.120-121). This quote makes it clear that he is homosexual and will always continue to be such, stating he would never prefer existing to loving a woman. He is even incapable of loving his mother as once before. Throughout the story, he is almost constantly complaining and condemning her for being disloyal to his father, which only further proves to him that women are incapable of truly loving anyone. On his deathbed, he holds to his homosexual nature and voices his haughty farewell to his mother, "Wretched queen, adieu!” (5.2.306) this perfectly highlights the division he had between the two genders even to his deathbed; Unmannerly vs.
The reader is left guessing on Hamlet’s true feelings for Ophelia through his various insults, sexual innuendos, and admitted desire. Hamlet’s claim, “God hath given you one face, and you / Make yourselves another.” (3.1.155-156) is laced with irony and hypocrisy given Hamlet’s own deception regarding true feelings. This proclamation comes at the end of a lengthy tirade against Ophelia and womankind in general for their conniving deceit leading men astray. The fact that Hamlet cannot see this duplicity in his very own actions shows the double standard he holds for females. Ophelia’s immediate reaction is one of shock and defense due to the aggressive nature of Hamlet’s attack. She calls out “O, woe is me!” (3.1.174) in distress to the ferocity of Hamlet and is unable to form a particularly coherent response akin to the ones seen against Laertes and Polonius. She does show her intelligence and rebellion from this assumption of power by Hamlet in her songs while Hamlet is gone. While many attribute her madness to the death of her father, a large portion of her instability should be attributed to Hamlet and his earlier actions. In her first introduction as insane she sings, “And I a maid at your window, / To be your Valentine. / Then up he rose and donned his clothes / And dropped the chamber door, / Let in the maid, that out a maid / Never departed more.” (4.5.55-60). Due to her references to sexuality and deceit the
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.
Two of Ophelia’s difficulties arise from her father and brother. They believe that Hamlet is using her to take her virginity and throw it away because Ophelia will never be his wife. Her heart believes that Hamlet loves her although he promises he never has (“Hamlet” 1). Hamlet: “Ay, truly, for the power of beauty will sooner transform honesty from what it is to a bawd than the force of honesty can translate beauty into his likeness. This was sometime a paradox, but not the time gives it proof. I did love you once.” Ophelia: “Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so.” Hamlet: “You should not have believed me, for virtue cannot so inoculate our old stock ...
Ever since Eve was fashioned from Adam’s rib, men have viewed women as objects that they use and abuse like an extension themselves. This idea exists because over time men have become to see themselves as superior beings. This idea has been reinforced by years of culture and tradition; it can be found in the media, the workplace and has even made its way into literature through the mind of William Shakespeare. In his play Hamlet, he explores themes of sexuality and how men view women. One of the ways he does is through the character, Hamlet, who has the idea that men are superior to women. In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare the main character Hamlet, displays characteristics that proves that he is misogynist. These
Shakespeare expresses the Freudian concept of sexual and aggressive conflict by assigning the traits to female and male characters respectively. The alternating suppression, sexuality over aggression and aggression over sexuality, plays out in Hamlet ultimately proving their symbiotic relationship. The sup...
Last, the love that Hamlet and Ophelia is real but it was also used and at one time even put to an end. So I think that he did once love her but he put her through a lot. Not only did he but also did her father. It is said that Shakespeare’s writing is “so many-sided that this kind of link can never be more than intriguing speculation” (Great Poets, 30).
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...
Early in the play (Act 1, Scene 2), during the first of many insightful soliloquies (insightful for us as much for him), Hamlet utters, somewhat offhandedly, a summation of his feelings towards his mother's "o'erhasty marriage": "Frailty thy name is woman." Offensive though the quip may be to women of contemporary society (and any not quite passive women of Shakespeare's era), Hamlet's comment was, in many respects, indicative of the prevailing attitude, at least among most men, of the time. Although exceptions to the social system were far from nonexistent (Queen Elizabeth being the most obvious example), women were discriminated against to such an extent...
Hamlet is solely focusing on Ophelia sexual organs, “‘nothing’ is what lies between maids’ legs” (222). Ophelia seems not to be offended by this language in the least bit, and her actions cannot accurately portray how the women of that time perceived it. In some senses Hamlet may be a misogynist character and Shakespeare gives readers a reason for it in which it might be excused. It might seem as if his mother’s sexuality has poisoned his own, and he declares in his soliloquy, “Frailty, thy name is woman!” (1.2.146). He views her sexual independence as a weakness and is appalled by her choice to remarry so soon after her husband’s death.