Ophelia's Feminist Theory
In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare a feminist theory is shown throughout the play. Nowhere in the play is a women treated the same as a man is treated. A woman’s feelings and opinions do not matter. The play insists that women are just an emotional and unstable wreck if they do not have a man to rely on.
Ophelia does not have her opinions or feelings on anything shared. She is told what to do in every situation, such as when her father Polonius and her brother Laertes is telling her to stay away from Hamlet. When Hamlet shows up in Ophelia’s sewing room, she does not let him touch her in anyway. When Polonius knows about what had happened and he asks Ophelia if she let him get to her she says “No, my good lord, but, as you did command,
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Even her own son called her a beast. “O God, a beast would have mourned longer! Married with my uncle!” (I,III) Hamlet is saying Gertrude is lower than a beast for getting over his father 's death so quick. Also Hamlet emphasizes that Gertrude would not be anything without a man. He says “Why, She should hang on him.”(I,III) Hamlet is saying that she was very reliant on King Hamlet, This shows that Hamlet views her as nothing without something to support her and without that support she would be unsubstantial and have no structure. This can shown after Hamlet is sent away to England. Ophelia goes mad after Hamlet is sent away because she no longer has a male figure to rely on because her father and Hamlet are no longer around.
Hamlet shows that the attitude towards women is much different from men when he says “Frailty, thy name is women!”(I,II) Hamlet shows that he not only sees his mother but all women as weak, frail and emotional. Claudius also shows this when he tells Hamlet “Tis unmanly grief,” (I,II) basically saying that Hamlet is acting like a woman since he is mourning over the death of his father. Gertrude says “ I shall obey you,” (III,I) this shows that despite that she is a queen she has little to no power at all, because the men overrule the women.
This play definitely shows a strong feminist critique through the way women are treated. Ophelia is shown to be told what to do and have all her
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