woman in hamlet essay

Role Of Women In Hamlet Essay

Hamlet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare between 1599 and 1602. The play is set in Denmark where Hamlet is instructed to take revenge on his uncle Claudius who killed Hamlet’s father, Hamlet Senior, and then married Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, in order to seize the throne. Female characters play an important yet underappreciated role in most of Shakespeare’s plays especially Hamlet. The presence of only two female characters, Ophelia and Gertrude, shows the little value Shakespeare had for woman.

Ophelia and Gertrude both play important roles in the progression of the play, however they are not adequately credited for their contribution. Gertrude, the queen of Denmark plays the role of a peace keeper between her new husband, Claudius, and her son Hamlet. Ophelia is Prince Hamlet’s romantic interest and daughter of Polonius, the man who helped Claudius kill the king. Shakespeare represents both women as submissive, naive and feeble instead of their positive traits.

In the Elizabethan era, women were tutored at home; they were not allowed to attend university or act in theatres. Disobedience to men was seen as a crime against their religion. To affirm this belief the Scottish protestant leader John Knox wrote, “Woman in her greatest perfection was made to serve and obey man”. Elizabethan women were taught how to govern a household and became skilled in housewifely duties. Shakespeare’s portrayal of women in his plays are a reflection of the common roles of women in the era in which he wrote his plays.

Gertrude is submissive to Claudius and follows what he says to the word. When Polonius comes to inform the King and Queen about Hamlet’s madness, the King asks Gertrude to leave him and Polonius alone so they may discuss a plan which would reveal the true cause of Hamlet’s madness. The king tells Gertrude “Sweet Gertrude, leave us too:/For we have closely sent for Hamlet hither,/ That he, as ‘twere by accident, may here/ Affront Ophelia. ”(III,i, 29) to which Gertrude replies, “I shall obey you:” (III,i,38).

Gertrude plays the role of the Queen of Denmark, mother to Hamlet and wife to Claudius, however she does not ask to stay and watch Hamlet’s interaction with Ophelia, but trusts Claudius’s judgment. Shakespeare shows us that women play a role by holding a title such as Queen, but do not use any of the power invested within the title. Similarly, Ophelia is obedient and compliment to her father and brother’s wishes.

Polonius tells Ophelia that, “I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth,/Have you so slander any moment eisure,/As to give works or talk with the lord Hamlet. /Look to’t, I charge you: come your ways. ” to which Ophelia replies, “I shall obey, my lord” (I,iii, 132-136). It can be inferred that Ophelia lost her mother at a young age; thereafter Polonius and Laertes have become overly protective of her. Ophelia sets aside her personal feelings towards Hamlet in order to comply with her father’s wishes. Both women play detrimental roles within the play, however, they are controlled by the men in their lives and hold little say as to what happens to them.

Throughout the play there are several instances where Gertrude and Ophelia are both naive to the events unfolding around them, partly due to the male dominance in the play. Claudius is not honest in his relationship with Gertrude and deceives her many times by hiding from her the fact that he killed Hamlet Senior, that he sent Hamlet to England to be killed by the people there, or about the cup of wine which contained poison which led to the death of Queen Gertrude. It is far too late when Gertrude realises that her drink was poisoned and does not survive.

Claudius tries to warn her by saying, “Gertrude do not drink. / I will, my lord; I pray you pardon me. /It is the poison’d cup: it is too late. ” (V,ii,282-284) Gertrude blindly trusts Claudius’s judgment and decisions and does not hold much of an opinion for herself. Similarly, Ophelia is blinded by her father and brother’s judgment and does not question their love for her. She displays unwavering loyalty towards her father however, her unquestioning attitude can be attributed to the fact that she lost her mother at a young age. She was never taught the necessary skills needed to venture into the world.

When Ophelia comes to Polonius to inform him of Hamlet’s behaviour Polonius is quick to go to the king, “Come, go with me: I will go seek the king. This is the very ecstasy of love,/Whose violent property fordoes itself/ And leads the will to desperate undertakings/ As oft as any passion under heaven/ That does afflict our natures. ” (II,i,113-118) Polonius does not hesitate to use his daughter for his own needs. When Ophelia describes Hamlet’s strange behaviour towards her, Polonius interprets this to his own advantage. He thinks Hamlet’s madness is a result of his overwhelming love for Ophelia.

His reasoning would work to his advantage because it would cause Ophelia to be wed into royalty and bring Polonius ranking higher in society. Ophelia is blind to her father’s mischievous plans and agrees with him. Both women display an undying commitment to the male figures in their lives which causes them to become naive and oblivious to what is going on around them. The most famous quote used in Hamlet is “Frailty thy name is woman. ” (II,i,146) This quote is said by Hamlet in the first soliloquy after he witnesses his mother’s marriage to his uncle.

Frailty can be described as a weakness in character present within a person. Witnessing his mother marrying his uncle so soon after his father’s death puts a dirty stain on the character of females in Hamlet’s mind. Thereafter he begins to view Ophelia with the same scrutiny and judgment as he views his mother. Gertrude shows weakness in character by simply being a weak woman. She is told by Hamlet in their dramatic confrontation to confess her sins, the killing of Hamlet senior. It was her ultimate mistake to marry her dead husband’s brother, so soon after his death.

She did not consider the feelings of her grieving son and did what she felt was best for her at the time. When Hamlet confronts his mother, she shrinks back in fear as her son rages in front of her and says, “What wilt thou do? Thou will murder me? ” (III, iv, 22). A strong woman would never assume her son would kill her as she did. Instead she would have stood up to him and proclaimed her innocence. Instead she cries out saying his words are “daggers”. Ophelia displays frailty in character by allowing herself to be used as a decoy by Claudius and Polonius in an attempt to discover Hamlet’s true cause for his madness.

She does not protest to the idea and willingly agrees. When Hamlet finds out that Claudius and Polonius are listening to their conversation, he is outraged and tells Ophelia to go join a nunnery. At this point he has put Gertrude and Ophelia in the same box, claiming that a female’s “love” is only temporary. The role and treatment of women in Hamlet is a much debated topic among writers and readers. The presence of only two female characters and their ultimate deaths show the little importance Shakespeare places on their role in his plays.

In Hamlet, the roles of women are minor yet essential to the plot of the play. Gertrude and Ophelia are both seen as being submissive, naive and frail. Their actions are greatly influenced by men’s decisions, giving them a weak image as women who are dependent on men during Shakespeare’s time. Gender inequality is a predominant issue in many of Shakespeare’s plays, including Hamlet. To some readers Ophelia and Gertrude’s downfalls can be blamed on the narrow minded and sexist men or their own inevitably obvious weaknesses.

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Though there are only two traditionally female characters in Hamlet — Ophelia and Gertrude —the play itself speaks volumes about the uniquely painful, difficult struggles and unfair fates women have suffered throughout history. Written in the first years of the 17th century, when women were forbidden even from appearing onstage, and set in the Middle Ages, Hamlet exposes the prejudices and disadvantages which narrowed or blocked off the choices available to women–even women of noble birth. Hamlet is obsessive about the women in his life, but at the same time expresses contempt and ridicule for their actions—actions which are, Shakespeare ultimately argues, things they’re forced to do just to survive in a cruel, hostile, misogynistic world.

Gertrude and Ophelia are two of Hamlet ’s most misunderstood—and underdeveloped—characters. Hamlet himself rails against each of them separately, for very different reasons, in misogynistic rants which accuse women of being sly seductresses, pretenders, and lustful schemers. What Hamlet does not see—and what men of his social standing and his time period perhaps could not see if they tried—is that Gertrude and Ophelia are products of their environment, forced to make difficult and even lethal decisions in an attempt to survive and stay afloat in a politically dangerous world built for men, not for women. When Gertrude’s husband, King Hamlet, dies, she quickly remarries his brother, Claudius —who actually murdered him. There are two possibilities: the first is that Gertrude knew about the murder, and the second is that she didn’t. The text suggests that while Gertrude was likely not directly involved in the murder, she was aware of the truth about Claudius all along—and chose to marry him anyway. While Hamlet accuses his mother of lusting after her own brother-in-law, killing her husband, and reveling in her corrupted marriage bed with her new spouse, he fails to see that perhaps Gertrude married Claudius out of fear of what would happen to her if she didn’t. Gertrude, as a woman, holds no political power of her own—with her husband dead, she might have lost her position at court, been killed by a power-hungry new or foreign king, or forced into another, less appealing marital arrangement. Marrying Claudius was perhaps, for Gertrude, the lesser of several evils—and an effort just to survive.

Ophelia’s trajectory is similar to Gertrude’s, in that she is forced into several decisions and situations which don’t seem to be of her own making, but rather things she must do simply to appease the men around her and retain her social position at court. When Ophelia is drawn into her father Polonius and Claudius’s plot to spy on Hamlet and try to tease the reason behind his madness out of him, she’s essentially used as a pawn in a game between men. Polonius wants to see if Hamlet’s madness is tied to Ophelia, and so asks Ophelia to spurn Hamlet’s advances, return gifts and letters he’s given her in the past, and refuse to see or speak with him anymore to see test his hypothesis. Ophelia does these things—and incurs Hamlet’s wrath and derision. Again, as with his mother, he is unable to see the larger sociopolitical forces steering Ophelia through her own life, and has no sympathy for her uncharacteristic behavior. After the death of her father—at Hamlet’s hands—Ophelia loses her sanity. Spurned by Hamlet, left alone by Laertes (who is off studying in France, pursuing his future while his sister sits at court by herself) and forced to reckon with the death of her father—after Hamlet, her last bastion of sociopolitical protection—she goes mad. Even in the depths of her insanity, she continues singing nursery songs and passing out invisible flowers to those around her, performing the sweet niceties of womanhood that are hardwired into her after years of knowing how she must look and behave in order to win the favor of others—specifically men. Indeed, when Ophelia kills herself, it is perhaps out of a desire to take her fate into her own hands. A woman at court is in a perilous position already—but a madwoman at court, divorced from all agency and seen as an outsider and a liability, is even further endangered. Though Ophelia kills herself, she is perhaps attempting to keep her dignity—and whatever shreds of agency she has left at the end of her life—intact.

Gertrude and Ophelia are subject to paternalistic condescension, sexual objectification, and abuse. They are also subject to the constant psychological and emotional weight of knowing that no matter how dehumanizing and cruel the treatment they must face at court may be, things are even worse for women of lower social standings—and if the two of them don’t keep in line, lose their positions at court and face far worse fates. Gertrude and Ophelia make the decisions they make out of a drive simply to survive—and yet Hamlet never stops to imagine the weighty considerations which lie behind both women’s actions.

Women ThemeTracker

Women Quotes in Hamlet

Seems, madam! Nay, it is; I know not “seems.”

Frailty, thy name is woman!

Thrift, thrift, Horatio! The funeral baked meats Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.

Get thee to a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners? I am myself indifferent honest, but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me…

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The Athenian Feminist: The Role of Women in Hamlet and Oedipus Rex Stephanie Pilla 11th Grade

Historically, women have been characterized by their apparent weakness, their subservience and their dependence on men. Exploring literature from the past, writing often reflects the degradation of females that has marred society for centuries. Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex both illustrate patriarchal societies in which women are depicted as the weaker sex. These texts present sexist attitudes relevant to the time period, however, Jocasta from Oedipus Rex defies the sexist stereotypes of her time and emerges as the unlikely powerful female character.

Men are most frequently predominant characters in any piece of literature, whereas female characters are often background personalities whose identities contribute very little to the narrative. In Hamlet, Hamlet’s mother Gertrude is able to influence her son’s emotions and fuel his motivation for vengeance over his father’s death. Her overhasty, incestuous marriage to her brother-in-law Claudius leaves Hamlet torn, feeling as if the world is contaminated like an “unweeded garden, / That grows to seed; things rank and gross in nature / Possess it merely” (1.2.139-141). Despite her unruly actions, the ghost of old King Hamlet advises his son to spare his mother and...

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Gender Roles and Representation of Women in “Hamlet” Annotated Bibliography

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Callaghan, D. (Ed.). (2016). A feminist companion to Shakespeare . John Wiley & Sons.

Callaghan’s (2016) book provides a thorough analysis of the manner in which female characters are portrayed in Shakespeare’s famous plays, including “Hamlet.” Specifically, the author refers to the problem of being confined in the prison of gender stereotypes that can be experienced when reading Shakespeare’s works. Thus, a detailed analysis of how Shakespearean characters represent or embody gender stereotypes is provided.

Rhodes, K. (2017). Ophelia and Victorian visual culture: Representing body politics in the nineteenth century . New York, NY: Routledge.

Rhodes’ (2017) study addresses the character of Ophelia directly, explaining her tragedy and the development that she experienced throughout the play. Specifically, the author mentions Ophelia’s madness as the symbol of rigid gender expectations and stereotypes to which people had to conform at the time. As a result, a comprehensive overview of Ophelia’s character development is offered.

The characthers of Hamlet and Ophelia. Characther analysis. (2020). Web.

Giving an insight into the characters of Ophelia and Hamlet simultaneously, this paper seeks to engage with the reader by examining the connection and reciprocity between the specified characters. The author compares the fate of Ophelia to that one of Hamlet, yet the nature of their death is different in the poem. Nevertheless, the play still sets the tone and the mood for the further development of the plot immediately, for which the authors of the play should be credited.

Women’s History Month events at the Library of Congress. (2018). Web.

Allowing participants to gain insights into the history of women by providing them with access to the foundational pieces written by women, the Library of Congress has contributed to the active promotion of book literacy, as well as a more nuanced interpretation of the author’s childhood. As a result, the reader gains insight into the historical events during which women played especially significant roles.

Gupta, A., & Tiwari, S. K. (2020). Shakespeare’s women characters as a mirror of society. International Journal of English Literature and Social Sciences, 2 (6). doi:10.24001/ijels.2.6.13

The article addresses the works of Shakespeare from the feminist standpoint. Every book or play is incorporated into the analysis, with a detailed assessment of the effects that specific works of Shakespeare may have affected his further development as an author and researcher. The paper meets the set examples by providing evidence from Shakespeare’s life.

Pillai, T. (2020). Mourner-confessors: The masala intercommunity of women in Rudaali and Hamlet. Postmedieval, 11 (2), 243-252. doi:10.1057/s41280-020-00178-5

Pillai provides a chance to access well-being and overall community development in his work. The book provides insights into the choice of strategies for teaching English. In addition, the author draws parallels between the cultural traditions of the target population and the narrative of “Hamlet.” Specifically, the role of women in its narrative is considered in the specified work. The author makes it evident that Shakespeare did not seek to subvert the traditional perception of women completely, yet his works, especially “hamlet,” contains insightful commentary on the role of women within society.

Walkling, S. V. (2019). Ophelia’s terror: anatomizing the figure of the female suicide bomber in The Al-Hamlet summit . Cahiers Élisabéthains, 99 (1), 161-172.

Another article addresses the internal conflicting Ophelia as one of the crucial aspects of the personality in “Hamlet,” the article under analysis also points to the roles that female characters typically played in Shakespeare’s plays. Thus, the article emphasizes that, while being innovative and fresh for the tie when the works were published, the representations of women and gender relationships in Shakespeare’s works could use greater variety and diversity.

Wilson, J. (2019). The meaning of death in Shakespeare’s Hamlet . ANQ: A Quarterly Journal of Short Articles, Nothes and Reviews , 1-5.

Exploring the function that death performs in “Hamlet,” the author of the research considers the death of Ophelia as the main female character. The results of the analysis indicate that Ophelia’s role did not go significantly beyond the scope of what was expected of women at the time. Nevertheless, the article accepts the revolutionary effect that Ophelia’s character had at the time as a subversive one.

Women in Hamlet . (n.d.). Web.

Tackling the issue at hand directly, the specified website strives to explore the role of women and gender in Shakespeare’s works by considering the role that female characters played in Shakespeare’s plays and other narratives. The assessment returns rather peculiar results as the webpage in question allows women’s history to unfold in front of the visitor.

Hitchcox, S. (2019). Shakespearean madwomen and the gendered portrayals of mental illness that devalue them .

Finally, the representation of women in the characters that were expected to serve as the foil for the creation of male ones, as well as those that have few lines and die nearly instantly as the story unfolds, need to be mentioned. Although these are present in Shakespeare’s work, they are quite few, which means that Shakespeare did introduce a rather progressive perspective on gender relationships and the role of women in the life of a community.

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The Portrayal Of Women In Hamlet

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Works cited

• 1.Abdul Rani, Zamila & Muhamad, Siti Hawa & Zin, Siti. (2016). DISCOVERING FEMINISM THROUGH GERTRUDE AND OPHELIA IN SHAKESPEARE’S HAMLET.
• 2.Marshall, Elizabeth. “Schooling Ophelia: Hysteria, Memory and Adolescent Femininity.” Gender & Education, vol. 19, no. 6, Nov. 2007, pp. 707–728. EBSCOhost, doi: 10.1080/09540250701650656.
• 3.Rogers, Wendy J. ‘Female Norms and the Patriarchal Power Structure in Shakespeare’s Hamlet .’ Inquiries Journal/Student Pulse 1.11 (2009).
• 4.Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. New Folger’s ed. New York: Washington Square Press/Pocket Books, 1992.
• 5.Townsend, Jane S., and Barbara G. Pace. “The Many Faces of Gertrude: Opening and Closing Possibilities in Classroom Talk.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, vol. 48, no. 7, Apr. 2005, pp. 594–605. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1598/JAAL.48.7.5.

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English literature essays.

• Shakespeare: Shakespeare's Women

Shakespeare, it is claimed by many modern critics, was a feminist. Shapiro for example goes so far as to claim that Shakespeare was 'the noblest feminist of them all'. Although I am inclined to agree with McLuskie that as Shakespeare 'wrote for a male entertainment', it is historically incorrect to regard him as a feminist. I believe that Shakespeare because of his extraordinary genius for portraying human behaviour, necessarily depicted the condition of women within a patriarchal system and created women characters which in their richness, transcend the limitations of his time.

In this essay I will explore chiefly Shakespeare's treatment of the three heroine's Ophelia, Desdemona and Cleopatra, of the tragedies Hamlet, Othello and Antony and Cleopatra , beginning with an exploration of Shakespeare's representation of the effects of a patriarchal system upon the characters.

Ophelia, it would seem, wholly at the mercy of the male figures within her life, is certainly a victim figure. Although it has been claimed by critics that Hamlet is unique amongst Shakespeare's tragic heroes for not being to blame for the tragedy of the play, if we are to consider the death of the heroine as part of this tragedy then surely we must question Hamlet's innocence. In his treatment of Ophelia, Hamlet oscillates between protests of undying love and cruelty such as his cold and accusing speech in the 'nunnery scene'. In short, Hamlet throughout the play uses Ophelia as a tool in his revenge plan.

To examine this culpability more deeply however, it could be suggested that it is Queen Gertrude's behaviour that has instigated Hamlet's unforgivable treatment of Ophelia: She transgresses the patriarchal bounds of femininity by marrying so soon after her husband's death and not remaining in passive grief and obedient devotion to his memory. This provides Hamlet with a model of women's inconstancy. His bitterness leads him to believe that all women are untrustworthy - 'Frailty thy name is woman' and as R. S. White puts it, Hamlet projects upon Ophelia the 'guilt and pollution' he believes exist in Gertrude's behaviour. However we view his culpability, Ophelia suffers as a result of Hamlet's patriarchal values of womanhood.

With regard to her father and brother, the two direct ruling male forces in her life, Ophelia is also very much a victim. Unquestioningly obeying their remonstrances against pursuing a relationship with Hamlet, she rejects his advances - which of course she believes to be genuine - and thus when he pretends to be mad she believes it to be her fault. Her speech reflects her deep and genuine sorrow:

Ophelia's feeling of guilt is reinforced by Polonius's insistence to King Claudius:

Polonius's conviction, in which one can't help believing, stems from a mercenary desire to marry his daughter off to such an eligible husband as the prince of Denmark, rather than a genuine belief in his daughter's role in causing Hamlet's madness.

Thus when Hamlet murders her father, Ophelia enters a double realm of guilt, believing herself to be to blame for both Hamlet's madness and her father's death. As a result she becomes mad. Although at one level this decline into madness sets Ophelia up indisputably as a victim figure, on a deeper level perhaps her madness itself can be seen as Ophelia's active rejection of patriarchal restraint. Charney Maurice suggests that since within Renaissance drama madwomen were 'more strongly defined than madmen', and women's madness was 'interpreted as something specifically feminine', through depictions of madness dramatists were able to give women a chance to express their selfhood - 'make a forceful assertion of their being' - in a way which patriarchal conventions would otherwise have prevented.

In the later tragedy, Othello , it can also be argued that the tragedy occurs from adherence to patriarchal rules and stereotypes. Gayle Greene summarises this position in her claim that the tragedy of Othello stems from 'men's misunderstandings of women and women's inability to protect themselves from society's conception of them'. Certainly Desdemona's very much feminised qualities of passivity, softness and obedience are no match for Othello's masculine qualities of dominance, aggression and authority. After Othello in his jealousy has struck Desdemona and spoken harshly to her, she tells Iago, 'I am a child to chiding'. Protected by a system which makes women the weaker, dependent sex, Desdemona is unequipped to deal with such aggression; she is helpless against Othello. As Dreher puts it 'following conventional patterns of behaviour for wives and daughters, these women lose their autonomy and intimacy and do not achieve adulthood'. Desdemona thus retreats into childlike behaviour to escape from reality.

With regard to men's misunderstandings of women, Greene points out that Iago's manipulation of Othello - the cause of the tragedy - occurs only because of 'the views of women the moor already possessed'. This is certainly a convincing argument, for Othello all-too-easily accepts a stereotypical view of his wife based on the authority of a male voice. He loses sight of the real Desdemona, allowing every action of hers, once his suspicion is stimulated, to reaffirm this stereotypical conception of her.

At the close of the play Othello attempts to vindicate himself from intentional murder by claiming that he did nothing 'in malice', but is simply a man 'that loved not wisely but too well'. This speech illustrates the precarious position of love in a society submerged in stereotypes. Othello's excessive, 'unwise' love for Desdemona is tied up with his perception of her as representing perfect womanhood, and his underlying fear of her - endorsed by society - as whore. Like Hamlet, who tells Ophelia 'get thee to a nunnery' in order to protect her chastity and remove his fear of woman's infidelity, Othello too wishes to erase Desdemona's sexuality and potential for infidelity. His decision to kill her, he claims, is to prevent her from a further transgression - 'Yet she must die, else she'll betray more men'. As Iago's insinuations build, the gulf between this perception of Desdemona as angel and the fear of her as whore grows, leaving Othello in a void of confusion and doubt:

In Othello's refusal to hear Desdemona's own protestations of innocence, Othello is very much a tragedy in which the female is subordinated by the male.

In Antony and Cleopatra , Shakespeare again explores the idea of the victim within a patriarchal society. However, in this play the gender roles are inverted and it is Antony who is the true victim. Stifled by the rules of the patriarchal society of Rome which expects him to retain a masculine side only, and not to adopt the feminine qualities of passion, emotion, and love, Antony's control over his life diminishes. Within such patriarchal confines the role of lover must be subordinate to the male's political role. After finding an extraordinary and powerful love with Cleopatra - which Shakespeare establishes to perfection - Antony is unable to accept the 'business first' principle of the patriarchal laws. Like the typical female heroine of a tragedy, Antony's plight escalates when he is rushed into an arranged marriage of convenience. He cannot remain away from Cleopatra and faithful to Octavia who symbolises Caesar and the power of Patriarchal Rome. He says 'though I make this marriage for my peace,/ I'th' East my pleasure lies'. Inevitably he returns to Egypt and Cleopatra, and causes a rift which can never again be cemented between himself and Caesar, which ultimately results in war.

The first words of the play, spoken by Philo, illustrate the growing condemnation of Antony's untraditional behaviour, which is not confined within the 'measure' of patriarchy: 'Nay but this dotage of our General's / O'erflows the measure'. The patriarchal males view Antony's devotion as shameful - 'His captain's heart ... become the bellows and the fan / To cool a gipsy's lust'. Surprisingly, in modern-day readings of the play, this attitude still exists: in W. Baker's view of the play - in my opinion a view grossly over simplified - 'throughout the play [Antony] is suffering from a disease, his passion for Cleopatra, which obsesses his mind and which causes him to desert his public responsibilities'. It is true that the play is ultimately concerned with the conflict between love and politics; Egypt and Rome; but to simply reject the former as wrong, is to miss the nuances of the play and succumb to a view of the polarities of masculine and feminine as separated and distinct, which the play itself undercuts.

Although Antony occasionally lapses into judging himself by the standards of the patriarchy - for example, towards the end of the play dejected and shamed by his diminished political power, he becomes jealous and irrational and claims that Cleopatra has emasculated him: 'O thy vile lady, / She has robbed me of my sword.' In the conflict between love and politics - love wins. Ultimately, Antony is not debased by his loss of power, but rather, through his love of Cleopatra envelops a manhood of stronger parameters - an 'alternative masculinity' as Woodbridge puts it. The end of the play can be seen as a tribute to love; a celebration rather than a downfall. Antony does not cease to be a valiant Roman by choosing Egypt over Rome; love over politics, but becomes vanquisher of himself in his suicide. By dying simultaneously in the Roman fashion, and with Cleopatra and for Cleopatra (he kills himself when he believes she is dead), Antony combines the two polarities which have been evident and separate throughout the play: the masculine Rome and the feminine Egypt.

Cleopatra's masculine qualities counterbalance the play, so Shakespeare provides us with a relationship of surprising equality. Neither Cleopatra nor the relationship can be stifled within the confines of the patriarchy of the seventeenth century. The distinctions between masculine and feminine are blurred - in a sense Antony and Cleopatra swap roles, continually embracing both their masculine and feminine selves and thus experiencing a full bonding of souls. As Woodbridge says, 'Antony and Cleopatra can cross gender boundaries without losing their sex roles as man or woman'. This swapping of gender roles is rather shockingly portrayed in the scene in which Cleopatra puts her 'tires and mantles on [Antony] whilst / [she] wore his sword Phillipan'. Shakespeare evidently recognises the existence of both masculine and feminine qualities within females and males.

Cleopatra, unlike Othello and Ophelia, is the dominating force of the play in terms of theme and also her personal presence. Novy claims that Antony and Cleopatra is the only tragedy that 'glorifies woman as actor'. Through his treatment of Cleopatra, Shakespeare provides us with a 'real' woman rather than a stereotype. Velma Richmond claims further that in Cleopatra we can find Shakespeare's 'finest embracing of the feminine'. Cleopatra through the combination of sexual and political power is a force to be reckoned with.

Cleopatra's sexuality, despite condemnation by the patriarchal men - she is referred to as 'strumpet' and 'whore' on various occasions throughout the play - is unhidden and unrestricted. Her sexual power over men is conveyed boldly, for example, in her descriptions of her former conquests 'great Pompey' and 'Broad-fronted Caesar'. Cleopatra's sexuality is not a thing to be locked up, as in Hamlet and Othello , but is celebrated as a positive force. Surprisingly, even Enobarbus, despite his patriarchal views, does on occasions present her as positively sexual, as his unforgettable description of her indicates:

Refusing to adhere to the stereotypes of patriarchal society, Cleopatra transforms her natural sexuality into part of her power, rather than as a diminishing of her goodness.

So too, Cleopatra insists on fulfilling a political role against the wishes of the patriarchal men: when Enobarbus attempts to prevent her from doing so she replies in enraged determination:

Cleopatra thus forces her access into the male arena, where Ophelia and Desdemona do not - and cannot of course, in the same way, for in her status as a middle aged woman and Queen of Egypt, Cleopatra naturally has more freedom. She is not dependent upon anyone financially, as are Ophelia and Desdemona.

Ophelia, the dominated daughter, is completely dependent. Although a flash of her potential self-will shines through at the beginning of the play, when we learn that Ophelia has entertained Hamlet unchaperoned or without paternal consent, this is stifled very quickly by Polonius and Laertes - the double voice of the patriarchy - telling her that she is naive and that her behaviour is unsuitable. Ophelia, daunted by their claims that she has mistaken Hamlet's love, assumes that her father and brother necessarily know best and replies simply 'I will obey'. Shakespeare shows, however, that it is this obedience of Ophelia's that leads to her own destruction, and illustrates that when the guiding male is like the cynical Polonius or the unperceptive Laertes, the fate of the subordinate female is considerably threatened.

While Ophelia then, silently and obediently accepts the oppression of male power, turning her distress in upon herself in her madness, Desdemona does display some traces of a more Cleopatra-like self-assertion. In her choosing of Othello as her husband, she exercises her own desire, subverting the female role of passivity within the patriarch, and marries him without parental consent. This is a rather courageous act of will, which could have resulted in much strife. However, she handles the situation with a cleverness and a manipulation which outwits the male judges who listen to her. When her father questions her about her marriage she answers forcefully, first pacifying him and then justifying her disobedience on the very grounds of patriarchal obedience and duty:

Desdemona by her cleverness thus appears obedient in her disobedience.

Shakespeare shows Desdemona's behaviour in her relationship with Othello before the marriage to be slightly manipulative also. For Desdemona tells Othello in a very suggestive way after she has fallen in love with him, as Othello himself relates - 'if I had a friend that loved [me]/ I should but teach him how to tell [your] story,/ And that would woo [me]'. However, when she is married she slips into the role of the submissive wife. Obedient to Othello's every command, she says to Emilia - after Othello tells her peremptorily 'Get you to bed on th'instant' - 'we must not now displease him'. At this point Desdemona becomes more of a stereotype, her identity disappearing as Othello's jealousy becomes more defined. Her identity diminishes until she fits into the stereotype of the silent woman. Othello denies her right to a voice when he soliloquises 'Was this fair paper, this most goodly book,/ Made to write 'whore' upon?'

Obedience and silence were very much part of the patriarchal conception of femininity. A conception to which Cleopatra refuses to adhere. When Charmian traditionally suggests that the way to gain and retain Antony's love is to 'In each thing give him way; Cross him in nothing'. Cleopatra replies, 'Thou teachest like a fool, the way to lose him'. Far from being the silent woman, Cleopatra makes her voice heard whenever she wishes, challenging and meeting challenges. She mocks Antony and quarrels with him. Challenging him with a masculine aggression when they argue - 'I would I had thine inches. Thou shouldst know/ There were a heart in Egypt'. Spirited and passionate, such displays of assertion as her physical attack on the messenger informing her of Antony's marriage to Octavia, are a far cry from the passive silent role of the feminine in patriarchal society. In passionate disbelief and anger, she draws a knife on the messenger and strikes him with her bare hands. Charmian tries to pacify her by telling her 'Good madam keep yourself within yourself', but Cleopatra escapes the bounds of self-composure and the repression of self-hood. Her reaction when she feels herself wronged is in very stark contrast to the reactions of Ophelia and Desdemona.

Linda Baber explains that the relative weakness of the characters of Desdemona and Ophelia is due to artistic device, as opposed to Shakespeare's misrepresentation of womanhood. Baber claims that they are 'psychologically neutral characters who take on the coloration of the plays' moods'. Thus, their personalities are not fully developed. James Hill similarly says of the heroines of the tragedies that we are not shown 'their inner lives' or their 'inner conflicts'. However, in the case of Desdemona, I think it is a mistake not to recognise her as an active force within the play. As Brian Shaffer suggests Othello's punishment of Desdemona becomes the crime itself, subverting the domestic tragedy of the Elizabethan stage. These tragedies traditionally involve the process of marriage; 'disintegration' and then punishment and death. The conception of woman's inferiority to man in these tragedies is undercut by Shakespeare for he shows Desdemona to be the virtuous character who is finally vindicated.

Desdemona's goodness furthermore is not simply passive or weak but an act of will. Her refusal to blame Othello for his terrible treatment of her, when he suspects her of betrayal, must not be viewed as simple subservience but as a self-willed refusal to accept a bad opinion of the husband she has chosen. When he is behaving deplorably towards her she refuses to acknowledge his identity - 'My lord is not my lord,' she says 'nor should I know him / Were he in favour as in humour altered'. She stands by her acceptance of her love for him as something sacred, with a martyr-like determination: she tells Emilia 'his unkindness may defeat my life, / But never taint my love.' She thus obeys her own heart rather than patriarchal rules, extending this determination through to death, so that with her last breath - when Emilia asks 'who hath done this deed?' she can reply 'Nobody, I myself'. Othello's conviction that even upon dying she lies by claiming this self-death bears witness to the whole tragedy of the play, Othello's inability to see beneath the surface of stereotypical conceptions of femininity. By claiming this death for herself she re-affirms her self-hood. Metaphorically then she dies for her love which cannot be tainted, not from Othello's hands. In Hamlet too, Ophelia's death can perhaps be seen as an act of assertion and escape from the confining patriarchal world.

Unsurprisingly though, it is through the character of Cleopatra that Shakespeare really depicts death as an assertion of self-hood and an act of defiance to the patriarchal laws. Cleopatra's death becomes an act of triumph over Caesar - the representative of patriarchal Rome. On finding her dead, one of his guards says, 'Caesar's beguiled'. Through death Cleopatra not only transcends the world of oppression and fate, but embraces her death as a positive act rather than as an act of negation:

Cleopatra combines feminine and masculine qualities through her death. With her resolution to take on the masculine quality of rationality and firmness and courage she wills, 'I have nothing of woman in me. Now from head to foot/ I am marble constant'. She rejects her feminine qualities of water and the changeability of the moon and transforms herself into 'air and fire'. So too she embraces Antony's masculinity and the world of Rome by dying in 'the true Roman Fashion'. Yet through her death, Shakespeare depicts her as enacting the strength of womanhood by converting death into an image of both sensuality and motherhood. The pain of death is bitter-sweet and sensual 'as a lover's pinch,/which hurts and is desired' and the asp, the vehicle of death is a 'baby at [her] breast,/That sucks the nurse asleep'. Through death she is reborn and even the stern patriarchal Caesar is forced to admit to her bravery, and to the undeniable nobility and royalty of the woman who 'Took her own way'. Through his representation of womanhood, especially in the character of Cleopatra, Shakespeare indeed does transcend the stereotypes of his own time.

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The True Meaning of Hamlet’s ‘Frailty, Thy Name is Woman’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

‘Frailty, thy name is woman’ is one of dozens of famous expressions that have entered common speech, but which originated in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet . The old quip about Hamlet , that it’s ‘too full of quotations’, wittily sums up the play’s influence on not just English literature but on the everyday language we use.

Many of us know, and some may use, phrases such as ‘to the manner born’, ‘cruel to be kind’, ‘neither a borrower not a lender be’, ‘something is rotten’, ‘ hoist with one’s own petard ’, ‘in my mind’s eye’, ‘primrose path’, ‘shuffle off this mortal coil’, ‘method in one’s madness’, and many more. All of these derive from one play: William Shakespeare’s Hamlet . So, how does ‘Frailty, thy name is woman’ come into the play?

Hamlet’s first soliloquy in Shakespeare’s play, the speech beginning ‘O, that this too too solid flesh would melt’ (in some editions, ‘O, that this too too sullied flesh would melt’ while, in some others, ‘O, that this too too sallied flesh would melt’) appears in Act 1 Scene 2, towards the end of the scene which introduces Hamlet (his first line of dialogue is the witty ‘ A little more than kin, and less than kind ’, spoken about his uncle, Claudius).

Hamlet’s first soliloquy is one of the most famous speeches in the play, and as with all of Hamlet’s soliloquies, the language requires some unpacking. We have previously analysed the soliloquy in detail here .

In lines that have become famous, Hamlet expresses despair about the world more widely, beyond himself. Everything seems washed-out and colourless, and ultimately nothing comes of anything anyone does. The whole world is like a garden full of weeds – disgusting and corrupt weeds which have taken over the whole garden.

But before long, we come to the real reason for his angst: anger at his mother’s hasty remarriage to his uncle barely two months after his father died. (At this stage of the play, Hamlet is unaware that his father was murdered by his uncle.)

That it should come to this! But two months dead: nay, not so much, not two: So excellent a king; that was, to this, Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother That he might not beteem the winds of heaven Visit her face too roughly.

His father was an excellent king, Hamlet maintains, and to compare him with the new king, Hamlet’s uncle Claudius, is like comparing the god Hyperion (the Greek god of the sun from classical mythology) to a satyr, a mythical beast that was depicted by the Romans as goat-like (associating Claudius with base lust).

Indeed, Hamlet’s father was so loving to Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, that he would not permit (‘beteem’) the wind to blow too harshly on her face.

And then we come to ‘Frailty, thy name is woman’ as Hamlet’s language becomes more passionate as he becomes increasingly worked up:

Heaven and earth! Must I remember? why, she would 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! –

Hamlet expresses his anger towards his mother, who hangs off Claudius as if her desire for him had only increased by being satisfied (by Hamlet’s father). It’s as if Gertrude was loved so well by Old Hamlet that, rather than sit around mourning his death, she needs to get her ‘fix’ from somewhere.

And then he exclaims, ‘Frailty, thy name is woman!’ Hamlet blames his mother’s hasty remarriage on her ‘frailty’ as a member of womankind: women are the very embodiment of ‘frailty’. The word ‘frailty’ here denotes a lack of constancy in love: emotional rather than physical frailty. Women, Hamlet thinks, are too weak to stay faithful. They give in to the desires of the flesh too readily.

The line ‘Frailty, thy name is woman’ reveals Hamlet’s misogyny, which is well-established. Indeed, Tony Howard has written a fascinating book, Women as Hamlet: Performance and Interpretation in Theatre, Film and Fiction , all about the long tradition of women playing the role of Hamlet and exploring the deep misogyny (and hatred of femininity, especially within himself) which the character evinces.

But as Ann Thompson and Neil Taylor explain in their helpful note in the Arden edition, Hamlet: Revised Edition (The Arden Shakespeare Third Series) , the misogyny was normal for Shakespeare’s time: indeed, the sentiment of ‘Frailty, thy name is woman’, if not the exact wording, was proverbial even when Shakespeare wrote the play.

Thompson and Taylor also, curiously, direct us to Measure for Measure , where Isabella, the main female character in that ‘problem play’, describes women as ‘ten times frail’ (Act 2 Scene 4):

ANGELO: We are all frail.

ISABELLA: Else let my brother die, If not a feodary, but only he Owe and succeed thy weakness.

ANGELO: Nay, women are frail too.

ISABELLA: Ay, as the glasses where they view themselves; Which are as easy broke as they make forms. Women! Help Heaven! men their creation mar In profiting by them. Nay, call us ten times frail; For we are soft as our complexions are, And credulous to false prints.

Isabella’s point is that women are destroyed by men who seek to take advantage of them. And women are ‘ten times frail’ because they are gullible or ‘credulous’, and trust men too easily. However, it is interesting to note that Isabella spurns Angelo’s blackmailing advances (he wishes her to sleep with him, in return for him sparing her brother’s life).

The sentiment that women are frail and inconstant may have been accepted mainstream belief in Shakespeare’s time, but we should pay attention to whose mouths he puts such sentiments into, and Hamlet’s irrational hatred of his mother’s actions and Isabella’s strength in resisting Angelo’s threats to her honour reveal, as so often in Shakespeare, a more complex picture.

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1 thought on “The True Meaning of Hamlet’s ‘Frailty, Thy Name is Woman’”

excellent and. ice to see where those many common today quotes came from

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Essay: The role of women in Shakespeare’s Hamlet

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The tragedy of Hamlet is a play written by William Shakespeare in the late 1500s. Shakespeare was born in a time where women were considered inferior to men in society. Over the years, there have been many adaptations of his story which subsequently maintain the sexist undertone of his time period as well. As a result, many of the woman in his works are often portrayed in this manner. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) defines sexism as prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex. Ultimately, the role of women in both the original text and Kenneth Branagh’s film adaptation (1996) of Shakespeare’s Hamlet can be examined through their general inferiority to men, depiction of innocence, as well as the manner in which the scenes were dramatized. The women in Shakespeare’s Hamlet are generally portrayed as inferior to men. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) defines inferior as of lower rank, status, or quality. There are only two women in Shakespeare’s Hamlet; Gertrude and Ophelia. Gertrude is the mother of Hamlet, and wife to the King. Ophelia is the daughter of Polonius and brother of Laertes. Ironically, the name Gertrude is the name of a Germanic root. “Ger” meaning spear and “Prup” meaning strength (Behind the Name Gertrude, 2017). The name Ophelia is the feminine root of the Greek name Ophelos meaning helper (Kapa). Though these names represent prominent characters, Shakespeare created both characters with multiple flaws to maintain male dominance in the play. Each flaw was shaped to highlight the superiority of the male figures in the play. Due to the heavy expectations set on women during this time period, Gertrude, although recently widowed, needed to find a husband which she found in Hamlet’s Uncle Claudius: her departed husbands’ brother. This is an example of the male dominance over women at this time: they were treated like objects being passed around. This subsequently demonstrates his dominance over women. Ophelia had the flaw of being dependent on a male figure which ultimately contributed to her overall mental instability. Polonius, her only brother, left her and to go to France. Hamlet abandoned their love, and her father Polonius was murdered. Without the male figure, Ophelia went mad and it led to her inevitable death. During the 14th and 15th century, women were suppressed by male figures. Women had little to no social, lawful, or economic rights. Therefore, it was only natural that Shakespeare followed this view throughout the play. Hamlet expressed to Ophelia “Frailty, thy name is woman” which belittles the female gender with superficial stereotypes that the men of that time viewed. In both the play and the novel, it was evident there was a superiority to men because not just the script of the play made it clear. In the movie, the male actors buffed their chest and had their heads held high while the females often looked down and away from the scene to show their lack of contribution to society. Therefore, it was clear that the women were inferior in both works. Shakespeare’s play Hamlet often depicted woman with innocence and purity. They often have a lack of guile or corruption from outer influences in their lives. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there is a reoccurring connection made between women and flowers which appears throughout the play. This is because flowers are often used as symbol of purity: especially that of sexual purity. Flowers represent new birth; innocence and naivety. For example, Polonius refers to Ophelia as “A violet in the youth of primary nature” (1.3.7). Polonius compared Ophelia to a violet because he believes she is a soft fragile girl that has feelings that and quick to bloom and quick to die, much like a violet. Later in the play, Laertes referred to Ophelia as a “rose of May” and continued on to say that she had flowers growing from her “unpolluted flesh” (5.1.10). Here, Laertes is implying that a lack of purity would ruin her. Shakespeare also made this connection between Ophelia and flowers when Polonius died. At the site of his grave, she spread flowers where he was laid. Women were compared to flowers frequently due to their similarities of being fragile and weak. Ophelia laid her flowers on her father’s grave to represent giving a piece of herself to her father. Ophelia laying flowers is also a representation of her forever giving herself to a man. The idea of women in Shakespeare’s play Hamlet was executed through works of the play, and the Hamlet Film by Kenneth Branagh (1996). This was shown through quotes that were included in both works, as well as scenes in the movie. The movie included the women looking petit and pale often to give the visual effect of them looking fragile. Therefore, there was a clear image of the women being fragile, pure and innocent in both works. The film Hamlet by Kenneth Branagh (1996) influenced scenes using the actors to add drama to the film, which continued to play a part in revealing the role of women. In Hamlet, Women were already clearly belittled in the play, but the play had more scenes to create more drama and excitement. The play Hamlet is a tragedy. Every event that happens, whether it is a murder, a betrayal, or a suicide, is tragic. The film however does not portray this vibe. Hamlet in the play is a very dark, depressed man. In the film, Branagh’s actor created the character Hamlet as a bizarre, obnoxious man that simply lived in his own world. Also, the constant butting relationship of Claudius and Hamlet as seen in the film could have been interpreted in the play, but it was not implied. Another example of this in the film is when Hamlet is in a room with Gertrude. To add drama to the film scene, the actor screams and jumps around across the bed, flailing his arms in every direction. To add to this scene, Hamlet dramatically slaps his mother with a loud noise effect. This portrays a different vision for the scene in the film contradicting the play because just reading and argument you don’t picture a son being aggressive and hands on with a woman. In the film, it provides a visual of the abuse on Gertrude from a son. Therefore, the actors in the film used dramatic additions which therefore affected the role of women in the play by using voice, tone, and physical actions. Conclusively, the role of women in Shakespeare’s Hamlet was evident in not only the play, but Kenneth Branagh’s film (1996) as well. Because of the time period that the play was written in, the unequal idea of women was only natural in society at that time. Shakespeare influenced his idea of women in the play through showing how women had a general inferiority to men, how men had a depiction of innocence towards women, as well as the manner in which the scenes were dramatized to affect the view of a woman. Works Cited Shakespeare, William, and Harold Jenkins. Hamlet. London: Methuen, 1982. Print.

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OPHELIA AND GERTRUDE: VICTIMIZED WOMEN IN HAMLET

• December 2015
• Journal of International Social Research 41(41):164-164

• Aydın Adnan Menderes University

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Hamlet Sample Answer

Ethan Murphy

What in your view is the importance of the characters Gertrude and Ophelia?

The women of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” appear to be frail, passive figures used as pawns and dying prematurely after the mistreatment of men. Women during the year 1600 had no role in society. They were expected to be completely obedient to their husbands, to do all the housework and raise the children. In Hamlet the characters Gertrude and Ophelia reflect this truth, both are disrespected, insulted and are manipulated by the leading male characters, and both die due to tragic circumstances. The role of Ophelia is presented as a gentle, loyal, obedient, and young woman who is meant to be the love of Hamlet’s life, even though he rarely thinks of her or considers her in his plans. She is also the example of a perfect daughter however this leads to her being easily exploited by her father. The character Ophelia clearly portrays the corruption of the world she lived in. Gertrude’s role in Hamlet is one that is a loving mother that does care for her son but also raises her selfish ambition above everyone else and tries to reconfigure her family around her new husband Claudius.

Ophelia is the epitome of innocence. She is living in a world dominated by men. Throughout the play, Ophelia is a victim of men. We see this when she is forced to endure a lecture from Laertes before he leaves to France. He lectures her about the ways of men and of the world. “For Hamlet and the trifling of his favour hold it a fashion and a toy in blood”. He explains political realities to her that even if Hamlet loves her he may not be able to marry her. “Perhaps he loves you...but you must fear his greatness weighed, his will is not his own”. He questions her ability to be Hamlet’s wife. Laertes does not hesitate to think about Ophelia’s feelings. He then continues on to warn her about preserving her virginity, “your chaste treasure”. This warning is condescending and a form of domination. Laertes gives her advice and Ophelia is expected to obey it. Her feelings are not taken into consideration.

She is also dominated by her father, Polonius. Polonius pries into her emotional life. We can see this when he vigorously questions her about her relationship with Hamlet. “What is between you? Give me the truth”. He also destroys her confidence in her own judgement. Polonius gives her orders to stay away from Hamlet and as a dutiful daughter, she listens. Both her father and Laertes do not take Ophelia’s feelings into consideration. She is a victim of male dominance. Polonius also exposes Ophelia’s private love letters from Hamlet in front of the whole Danish court. He not only reads out her letters but openly expresses his disgust. “To the celestial and my soul’s idol, the most beautified Ophelia- That’s an ill phrase; a vile phrase”. He does not seem too concerned about his daughter when he humiliates her in front of the King and Queen. Polonius’s main priority is to succeed in his position, however, Ophelia suffers the consequences of his actions.

Ophelia is victimised by Hamlet. Polonius exploits his own daughter as sexual bait. He orders her around as if she were no more than a mindless creature,  “walk you here- read on this book”. This leads to Hamlet brutalizing Ophelia with his cold harsh rejection in the nunnery scene. He taunts Ophelia first proclaiming, “ I did love thee once” then later stating, “ I loved you not”. Ophelia faces Hamlet’s harsh dismissal. Hamlet had relationship issues and tarred images of women due to his mother’s relationships. Hamlet’s mother got remarried to his own uncle. This caused Hamlet to not be able to show his love towards Ophelia properly. He was tainted towards women in general because he was disgusted by their actions and he viewed them as a whole, not individuals. All these contributing factors led to his poor treatment of Ophelia. Ophelia becomes the victim of Hamlet’s bitter attack towards women.

Ophelia is a symbol of weakness. She is conditioned to be a subordinate to her father and never defies him or challenges his authority. Ophelia is unconditionally obedient to her father, this leads to her being easily manipulated and exploited.

We see this when Polonius manipulates his own daughter to find out the truth about Hamlet’s behaviour. He takes advantage of her obedience for his own selfish reasons. “ I will leave him and suddenly contrive the means of meeting between him and my daughter”. He uses Ophelia as bait and she does not show the strength to object. 

Ophelia is also easily manipulated when Polonius forces his cynical outlook on to his daughter. He dismisses any possibility of Hamlet’s expression of love for Ophelia. “Do not believe his tenders”. When Ophelia tries to defend hamlet saying he has not touched her and has been completely respectful, he replies “Ay, springes to catch woodcocks”, claiming its a trap. Polonius orders Ophelia to dismiss Hamlet and she is unable to defy her father, “I shall obey my Lord”. Ophelia’s lack of strength is costing her possible happiness. 

Ophelia’s innocence leads to her inability to cope with the harshness of the world which she inhabits. Through no fault of her own, she finds herself drawn into a world of corruption and violence that is the Danish Court.

Her father’s death at the hands of the man she loves proves too much for her sensitive mind and she loses her sanity. After her father she is described as “Speaks things in doubt, That carry but half sense: her speech is nothing”. The servant informs Gertrude that she has lost her mind. Ophelia was unable to handle the loss of her father. 

The song Ophelia sings about unrequited love suggests that Hamlet’s treatment of her is partly responsible for her breakdown. She is a pitiable figure at this point, “She is importunate, indeed distract. Her mood will needs be pitied”. Ophelia is a classic example of a tragic victim. The corruption of her world became too much for Ophelia.

She is the victim of forces beyond her control and of events over which she has no influence. Ophelia is the guiltless victim that pervades the Danish court. At her graveside, Laertes hopes that violets will spring from her “fair and unpolluted flesh”. Laertes’ comment displays Ophelia’s innocence.

There is little dignity for Ophelia. Her burial becomes the subject of cheap comedy for gravediggers. They discuss Ophelia’s death with absolute indifference, “Is she to be buried in Christian burial, that willfully seeks her own salvation”. The gravedigger can’t understand how Ophelia can be given a Christian burial if she drowned herself. Her grave then becomes the scene of an undignified squabble between two males, each trying to assert his ego, “Dost thou come here to whine? To outface me with leaping in her grave?”.

Both Laertes and Hamlet are trying to prove they are more upset than each other. This disgraceful behaviour conveys the corruption of the world Ophelia was unable to handle.

Gertrude is a symbol of weakness. She lives in the shadow of two kings and is incapable of being independent.

According to Hamlet “she would hand on him as if increase of appetite had grown by what it fed on”. She is similarly dependent on Claudius whom she remarried within weeks following the death of King Hamlet. Though Claudius refers to her as “the imperial jointress” of the state, it is clear she has little influence and power.

Gertrude is seen as weak when she automatically accepts the advice from Polonius. Gertrude knows Polonius is a rambling fool, Gertrude’s poor character can be seen we she accepts advice on how to deal with her son. Her clipped instruction to Polonius to speak with “more matter with less art” identifies Polonius as a pretentious rambling old fool while at the same time asserting her authority and intelligence. So to take advice from Polonius, it contradicts this. Polonius says to her   “look you lay home to him...pray you to be rounded with him”. Gertrude does not hesitate to question him but instead replies with, “I’ll warrant you. Fear me not”. Her decision to listen to Polonius conveys her weakness.

 She also does not object to Polonius’s plan to spy on Hamlet. Gertrude is aware that Polonius is hiding behind the arras when Hamlet comes to confront. This has become the norm and the Queen sees no wrong in invading her son’s privacy. Hamlet is trying to convey his feelings but the Queen does not seem to care much about her son. We see this when Hamlet says, “Come, come, and sit you down. You shall not budge.You go not till I set you up a glass. Where you may see the inmost part of you”. She replies with, “What wilt thou do? Thou wilt not murder me?”. This is a childish comment to make especially when her son was trying to have a conversation with her. This shows her falseness and weakness.

Gertrude is a shallow woman. She is a false and an adulteress according to the ghost. Hamlet frequently mentions his mother’s sexuality, and obsesses about her physical relationship with Claudius, describing their marital bed as ‘incestuous sheets’ and ‘an enseamèd bed, / Stewed in corruption’. 

She has betrayed her husband. The ghost describes King Hamlet as a good husband to Gertrude, “From me, whose love was of that dignity/ That it went hand in hand even the vow I made to her in marriage”. She claims she loved him, “She would hang on him” and she followed his coffin “like Niobe, all tears” and yet two months later she has remarried. According to the ghost, she was unfaithful to him even when he was alive, we see this when he refers to Claudius as “that adulterate beast”. The ghost also says, “ Claudius won to his shameful lust my most seeming virtuous queen. Gertrude’s infidelity displays her shallow character.

We see a poor reflection of Gertrude when she is insensitive to Hamlet’s grief.

Gertrude’s hasty marriage is the cause of her son’s deepest anguish. She displays insensitivity by asking Hamlet to set aside his mourning, “ Good Hamlet cast thy nighted colour off”. She is only concerned about Hamlet getting along with his new step-father. Her insensitivity shows her lack of strength and morals. Her lack of good qualities shows weakness. 

Gertrude seems to possess some redeeming quality. Despite her failings, she remains loyal to Hamlet.

                              Gertrude is Hamlet’s shield. She protects him as a hawk would protect its babies. If Gertrude was not Hamlet’s mother or of royalty, than Hamlet would be dead. Laertes and Claudius are having a private discussion when Laertes asks why he has not murdered Hamlet yet, Claudius answers “The queen his mother lives almost by his looks; and for myself—my virtue or my plague, be it either which—she’s so conjunctive to my life and soul”. 

                      In act 3 scene 4, Hamlet confronts his mother. Gertrude is is brutally verbally assaulted, “What devil was’t that thus cozen’d you at hoodman-blind”. Gertrude pleads for her son to stop, she is unable to handle it all. “Oh Hamlet ! speak no more”. Hamlet tears apart his mother with extremely brutal words. However, at the end of the scene, Hamlet reveals to her the truth about his madness.” that I essentially am not in madness but mad in craft”. He asks her to not tell her husband, Claudius. Gertrude pledges loyalty to Hamlet. “Be thou assur’d, if words be made of breath and breath of life, I have no life to breathe what thou hast said to me”. Gertrude never reveals the secret of Hamlet’s

antic disposition. Here we see her loyalty to her son.

Another point in the play where we see Gertrude’s loyalty is when she tries to protect Hamlet from blame after he kills Polonius, even though Hamlet felt no remorse. “Thou wretched rash intruding fool, farewell”. Gertrude tries to protect Hamlet by attributing the killing to Hamlet’s madness. Her maternal instincts to protect her son displays her loyalty.

Gertrude’s loyalty can also be seen in the final scene of the play. She willfully disobeys Claudius by drinking the poisoned wine. She dies with cries of “the drink! the drink! I am poisoned”, and in so doing identifies Claudius as her killer. This, then, gives Hamlet the clarity of purpose, and the means and motive for revenge, which he has soliloquised over and struggled with throughout the play. In the final moments of her life, she performs an extraordinary act that gives Hamlet motive and cue for killing the King. Her willingness to defy Claudius in order to protect her son clearly shows her loyalty.

Both Ophelia and Gertrude play positions typical of women at the time: easily manipulated to the point where women become tools for men and tend to be weak in character. Both Ophelia and Gertrude were weak characters who were totally obedient to the males in the play, with Ophelia being totally controlled by her father and Gertrude being manipulated by her husband, Claudius. They show a lack of strength and are unable to be independent. Ophelia’s innocence help clearly portrays the dominant male society she lived in. Ophelia’s innocence and sensitivity clearly show the corruption of the world. She was manipulated and exploited by everyone in her life. Ophelia’s perfection also becomes her downfall, unfortunately, she has no “voice” nor does she seem to have any obvious heroine qualities.