Is Ophelia Weak

It is quite obvious that both Gertrude and Ophelia are both motivated by love and a desire for quiet familial harmony among the members of their society in Elsinore. Out of love for her son does Gertrude advise:

[Done in] England” (4.3.66). Gertrude with no control over his decisions agrees to everything Claudius suggests about Hamlet’s exile. Gertrude trusts Claudius which allows him to control her in the actions and decisions he makes. The lack of lines Gertrude has throughout the play proves her trust for Claudius proving that she has nothing against what he decides. Similarly, Ophelia is controlled by Polonius, her father. Polonius controls Ophelia due to immaturity and her ignorance of her relationship with Hamlet. “Affection? pooh! you speak like a green girl, / Unsifted in such perilous circumstance, / Do you believe his tenders, as you call them?” (1.3.101-103). Not only Polonius but Laertes, her brother, constantly advise her to avoid Hamlet because he is just counterfeiting love and his intention is to hurt Ophelia:

Ophelia’s Perpetual State as a Pawn Situated right in Act 4, Scene 7, Gertrude’s news of Ophelia’s death follows Claudius’s attempts to persuade Laertes into avenging Polonius’s death. The more immediate significance of Ophelia's death is how it lends even more fodder for Laertes’s vindication against Hamlet. However, Shakespeare uses Gertrude's monologue to more implicitly illustrate Ophelia's relationship with the rest of the nobility, particularly in her desire to meet its high standards and later downfall because of said desire. Shakespeare illustrates both the cruel irony and destructiveness of Ophelia’s role as a pawn in Gertrude’s monologue through his use of imagery, juxtaposition, and personification.

For example, when Polonius and Claudius use her as bait to see in what way Hamlet is insane. Ophelia obediently does as they ask, this was a betrayal to Hamlet and Ophelia was shocked at how Hamlet reacted towards her, showing that she was too innocent to see how what her father asked her to do was a hurtful manipulation. Similar to the very thing that killed her, water, Ophelia was easily molded to other people’s will. At the command of her father and brother, Polonius and Laertes respectively, Ophelia stopped all communication with Hamlet. It can be assumed that Ophelia’s loyalty could have been switched back over to Hamlet just as easily, so Ophelia’s loyalty was fluid, like water. So it’s fitting,while still tragic, that Ophelia’s own essence is what kills her. Comparatively, Gertrude’s death was just as fitting and just as tragic. Some might say that Gertrude’s death was not as tragic as Ophelia’s because she was not as wholesome or innocent as Ophelia. Gertrude had a shallow exterior, seen from the fact that she married so quickly after her husband's death. Gertrude’s daily life is never presented in the play but it’s likely that she loved the luxuries of being a queen and

Poor Gertrude has made the pathetic journey from blissful ignorance to wretched half-enlightenment, and her peace of mind is totally destroyed.  Likewise, Ophelia is totally changed within the course of the play.

When looking at Hamlet through a feminist lens, Ophelia and Gertrude gain the spotlight. However, with the spotlight on them, they are shown to be dependent upon men and men’s affection, Gertrude needing the affection of Claudius, and Ophelia needing the affection of Hamlet. This shows the women in the play to be seen as weak minded and easily exploited. In the end, not only is Claudius the reason for Gertrude’s death, but Hamlet is the reason for Ophelia’s death. The men they are dependent on control Ophelia and Gertrude’s stories; yet, those men are what drive them to the grave.

In Hamlet, the female characters can be seen as being subservient to men. This goes on to show how Shakespeare, goes against the feminist theory by not creating equality between all the characters. One of the main character’s Ophelia can be seen as being weak and undermined in the play. She spends most of her time following the actions of her father, Polonius and boyfriend, Hamlet, with little to no say in her own opinion on topics. Polonius displays his dominance over Ophelia when he expresses his opinion on her relationship with Hamlet. He informs Ophelia on exactly what her next actions need to be when dealing with Hamlet. He even goes as far as warning her to not go against his wishes because it will “ tender [him] a fool”, showing his superiority over Ophelia’s actions (I . iii. 109). The inequality can also be shown when comparing Laertes’s life with Ophelia's. Laertes is left alone to travel France, while Ophelia is stuck to follow her father's orders. Hamlet also tries to show his

Hamlet, a tragic play written by Shakespeare in the 1600s, portrays the struggle of young Hamlet in the face of avenging his father’s death. While major themes throughout this tragedy include death, loss, madness, revenge, and morality, another important theme to include in discussion is the theme of womanhood. The only two female characters in a cast of thirty-five include Queen Gertrude and Ophelia, both of whom die unfortunate deaths. The importance of womanhood and female sexuality is shown through several literary techniques; though, most importantly, the characters Queen Gertrude and Ophelia are both symbols for female sexuality. Both characters are developed as negative and positive sides to womanhood through dialogue as other characters approach them, their own actions, and most importantly, their individual deaths.

“Frailty, thy name is woman” (1.2. 150)! This controversial line, followed by several more from the play Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, displays a common view towards women that portrays them as being weak and reliant on men. Throughout the play, two women, Ophelia and Gertrude, are shown to be dependent on the men in their lives. They both take on a senselessly obedient state of mind. Even though they share this common characteristic, Ophelia and Gertrude are very different characters. Ophelia is a beautiful, young woman who is the love interest of the protagonist, Hamlet. Ophelia obeys her father, Polonius, without hesitation and has very little experience with making her own decisions. Gertrude was the wife of Old Hamlet, and is now the wife of Claudius, the current king and Old Hamlet’s brother. Gertrude desires affection and status more than she cares about the truth of what happened to her late husband. The men in this play have no sense of how they treat the females. This patriarchal way of life was prominent in the late 16th century and early 17th century which was about the time that Hamlet was written and performed. This relationship between the genders is interconnected within the play and with society during that particular time period. The characters of Ophelia and Gertrude were solid examples of how women were viewed as inferior to men during this time in history.

Shakespeare shows that Gertrude is still a loving and caring mother figure by attempting to protect those involved with Ophelia and Ophelia herself. Although Gertrude gives

In William Shakespeare play, the chief protagonist hamlet shows a negativity view towards women in his life. Hamlet consider that his mother and Ophelia have deceived him through their action; Gertrude married only a mother after hamlet father died and Ophelia heeds her father right not to see hamlet despite confessing her love to him. In this way hamlet views this two women as a fragile and too dependent on the man in his lives which makes him say “fragily, thy name is woman (page 271). In a soliloquy in the second scene of Act I, deploring his mother’s indecent marriage, Hamlet says “Frailty, thy name is women!” Most critics have interpreted this statement as are mark toward all the women in general referring for their moral weakness and distrustfulness advocating the fact of Hamlet’s being a misogynist. But it is also not inappropriate to say that, Hamlet, in this statement, does not mean “frailty” for moral weakness or distrustfulness. By “frailty” he can also mean the flaw of being dependence upon men in women. Gertrude is a woman who values status and affection more urgently than moral righteousness and respect. She is extremely dependent upon men in her life. That is why after king Hamlet’s death, when she finds her position insignificant; she quickly gets married to Claudius only to restore her earlier status which she values more

Ophelia, on the other hand, is given far more lines than Gertrude. We learn much more about Ophelia during the play through her words, and a sort of osmosis through those she is surrounded, observed, and manipulated by: Polonius, Laertes, Hamlet, and Claudius.

Yet to Hamlet, Ophelia is no better than another Gertrude: both are tender of heart but submissive to the will of importunate men, and so are forced into uncharacteristic vices. Both would be other than what they are, and both receive Hamlet’s exhortations

Critical: Loberg and Harmonie in ‘Queen Gertrude: Monarch, Mother, Murderer’ Gertrude is weak as she longs for the attention that she loses when late King Hamlet dies, quickly marries.

Both Gertrude and Ophelia were influenced by love. As Hamlet is talking to Gertrude, he wants her to see how horrible she has been and make her face the facts. Gertrude pleads,