ipl-logo

Hamlet's Portrayal Of Women

859 Words4 Pages

The Portrayal of Women
Hamlet explores the position and power of women in society through the actions of both Ophelia and Gertrude and through the authority the men have over them.
Women are seen as a possession of men. In the scene where Hamlet meets the ghost of his father, the Ghost mentions that as he sleeps by his brother’s hand, he have lost his “life”, “crown”, and “queen” (1.5.81-82). In the Ghost’s eyes, Gertrude, his “queen”, belongs to him just as his life and crown does. These belongings that were once his have now been taken away from him by his brother. Using the word “queen” to refer to Gertrude is also suggestive of his ownership of her and how the Ghost does not see her as a wife and someone of equal status to him. After the death of King Hamlet and Gertrude’s remarriage, this theme of her being a possession reoccurs with Claudius taking the Ghost’s position. As Claudius prays for his forgiveness for murdering King Hamlet, he asks: “My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen. May one be pardoned and retain th’ offense”(3.3.59-60). …show more content…

After Hamlet questions Gertrude’s purity and virtue as a wife, she claims that his words have “cleft” her “heart in twain” (3.4.177). Hamlet says to her, ”Good night. But go not to my uncle’s bed” (3.4.179-180). These words displays that the amount of respect Hamlet has for his mother is little to none. He thinks that by marrying Claudius, Gertrude has betrayed his father and is no longer virtuous. As both a son and a prince, Hamlet’s actions reveals just how superior a man is as who he is trying to command is both his mother and the queen. When the queen, who in theory should hold the greatest amount of power as a woman is easily influenced by her own son, it demonstrates the weak-mindedness of women as a

Show More
Related

  • Gertrude Hamlet Ignorant Quotes

    477 Words  | 2 Pages

    Queen Gertrude is the Queen of Denmark, Hamlet’s mother, the widow of Old Hamlet and the wife of Claudius, brother of her dead husband. Gertrude is ignorant and a woman who means no harm but because of her actions it contributes greatly to the terrible events that occur throughout the play. In this play there’s many conflicts, one of the first conflicts was when Gertrude married King Claudius two months after Old Hamlet’s death. Gertrude is ignorant because she’s not aware of anything happening. For example she’s not aware that King Hamlet’s murder was by his own brother Claudius, even though they were some hints out there to show that it was King Claudius who killed Old Hamlet.

    Read More

  • The Symbolism Of Gertrude's Honor In Hamlet By William Shakespeare

    314 Words  | 2 Pages

    Also, Hamlet displays his anguish at the Queen for dishonouring his dead father since “Almost as bad, good mother, as killing a king and marrying his brother” (Shakespeare, pg. 121). In this statement, Hamlet expresses how, through the marriage to her husband’s murderer, Gertrude is a symbol of dishonor and damaging her relationship with the prince. Hamlet is disgusted by Gertrude’s actions and recognizes her not as his mother but the queen and wife of Claudius, the murderer. The respect revered by children to their mother is not evident between Hamlet and Gertrude. In Gertrude’s death scene, Hamlet screams to his mother “Wretched Queen, adieu!”

    Read More

  • Depression And Anger In Hamlet

    948 Words  | 4 Pages

    King Hamlet loved Gertrude with all his heart that he “might not beteem the winds of heaven visit her face too roughly” this represents true unforgettable love. Hamlet is exasperated about his mother’s hasty marriage that he claims a “beast that wants discourse of reason would have mourned longer”. Gertrude’s hasty marriage with Claudius seems to Hamlet as done with “wicked speed to post with such dexterity to incestous sheets” showing Hamlet is disgusted with this relationship and aggressively disapproves to this action. Further into the play Act 3 Scene 2, Hamlet is having a conservation with Ophelia when he mentions “look you how cheerfully my mother looks, and my father died within two hours” showing anger towards the happiness of his mother. Throughout the play Hamlet uncovers horrible deeds his uncle has committed, which were “Remorseless, Treacherous, lecherous”.

    Read More

  • Feminism In Hamlet Essay

    1441 Words  | 6 Pages

    Feminism has gained a new definition a new understanding of female roles since the Elizabethan Era. Hamlet, a play written by William Shakespeare, is about a young prince, Hamlet, being visited by his father’s apparition urging him to avenge his death by murdering Prince Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius. All the while, Hamlet is enraged by his mother’s hasty marriage to Claudius and is showering his supposed love, Ophelia, with gifts and words of affection. Queen Gertrude and Ophelia are blindly obedient to male authority due to the influence of the social standards that require women to be submissive to men. Queen Gertrude and Ophelia’s actions and outcomes as characters are affected by male influence, the social norms of this time, and the females’ consequences of following these norms.

    Read More

  • Hamlet A Misogynist Analysis

    937 Words  | 4 Pages

    This provokes him to say that god gives women one face, but they use make up to paint on another one. This quote suggest that Hamlet sees woman as naive and gullible creatures, as he sees Ophelia as nothing but an object that is owned by her father, as she is helping him with all of his dirty work. Hamlet believes that woman cannot be trusted as they have are deceiving. He also sees Ophelia as a grown women who is unable to make her own decisions. Hamlet is utterly disgusted by how feeble Ophelia is as she was following her father's scheme.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In Hamlet Essay

    1478 Words  | 6 Pages

    Throughout Hamlet, the thoughts, intentions, and actions of all of the characters can be explained through predisposed gender roles in the play. Hamlet is a tragedy in which the main character, Hamlet, attempts to seek vengeance for his father’s murder, while the relationships with him and around him begin to strain. In the play, gender plays a huge role in assuming the capability and worth of people. Women are most commonly depicted as being weak, powerless, and confused, while men are commonly shown as being strong, analytical, and intuitive. Hamlet features Ophelia and Gertrude as the only two female roles, and even then they show little independence from the males.

    Read More

  • Oppression Of Gertrude And Ophelia In Shakespeare's Hamlet

    1168 Words  | 5 Pages

    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 revelling 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, and with her husband dead, she might have lost her position at court, or forced into another, less appealing marital arrangement. Marrying Claudius was perhaps, for Gertrude, the lesser of several evils—and an effort just to

    Read More

  • Internal Events In Hamlet

    1410 Words  | 6 Pages

    Gertrude is Hamlet’s mother and the Queen of Denmark. When King Hamlet is murdered by Claudius, she didn 't seem to daunt her and shortly thereafter got married to Hamlet 's Uncle Claudius. This gives a suspense in this point of the play because it makes the audience think about if Gertrude had anything to do with the murder of her husband or if she helped plan the murder with Claudius. When Gertrude married the person that killed her husband, Hamlet takes it personal and she basically loses her son because he 's so upset with her.

    Read More

  • Misogyny In Hamlet And Ophelia

    651 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hamlet’s views on women is adulterous which pertains to the misogynistic tendencies in the play; thus, Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, sparks up his misogynistic approaches. Hamlet is repulsed with Gertrude since she was quick to re-wed immediately following Old Hamlet’s death and cries: “She married. O, most wicked speed, to post / With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!” (1.2.156-157). Hamlet is shocked that his mother remarries to Claudius, Old Hamlet’s brother, before letting the tears on her cheek to dry.

    Read More

  • Feminist Perspective In Hamlet

    1259 Words  | 6 Pages

    Throughout the conversation and various parts of the play, Hamlet expresses his disgust for his mother 's actions. He insults her by comparing his father to Hyperion and Claudius to a satyr. He tells Gertrude not to sin by sleeping with him and tells her she is nothing but lustful for marrying a man like Claudius when he says, “That blurs the grace and blush of modesty,/ Calls virtue hypocrite, takes off the rose/ From the fair forehead of an innocent love/ And sets a blister there, makes marriage vows/

    Read More

  • Oppression In Hamlet Analysis

    1370 Words  | 6 Pages

    Hamlet: The Tragedy of Female Oppression Feminism has erupted over the past century. The theme of patriarchy has ruled over women for centuries. With the uprising of the critique of patriarchy, more feminists have analyzed Shakespeare’s literary works as in favor of the male gender roles. In Act 1 scene 3, the station of Polonius and Laertes reveals their patriarchal position over Ophelia by constructing advices that molds their expectations of her and degrading her in ways that exemplify the oppression of women during the 1600’s.

    Read More

  • Hamlet's Attitudes Towards Women

    1056 Words  | 5 Pages

    In act one Gertrude marries her dead husband 's brother Claudius, Hamlet is not very happy that his mother did this. Hamlet feels very betrayed by his own mother because she remarried so quickly. He feels as if this is an unforgivable

    Read More

  • Essay On The Role Of Women In Hamlet

    1338 Words  | 6 Pages

    Contextually, Gertrude is Hamlet's mother and the wife of Claudius, brother of her late husband. His stage presence is reduced because it appears that in nine out of twenty scenes and its appearance is often had to his royal status. In addition, Gertrude is a woman represented as being inert, does undertaking any real action during the play. Indeed, it does not come to the aid of his son Hamlet all throughout history and finds deleted before men dominate the work. Gertrude is a dependent character of men, especially Claudius.

    Read More

  • Exploitation Of Women In Hamlet

    178 Words  | 1 Pages

    Gertrude whose husband passed away recently in the beginning of the novel, she quickly married her brother-in-law. Hamlet in deep sorrow over his father death but even more heard broken over his mother re-marriage which drove

    Read More

  • Ernest Jones Hamlet Misogyny Analysis

    1656 Words  | 7 Pages

    The main point of Ernest Jones’ article “ Tragedy and the Mind of the Infant” is that Hamlet is in love with his mother. He roots Hamlet 's misogyny in Gertrude and Ophelia rejecting him sexually. “When sexual repression is highly pronounced,

    Read More

More about Hamlet's Portrayal Of Women

Open Document