Misogynity In Hamlet

Despite the fact that Gertrude has very little role and few lines in the play still she is central to the action of the play. Prince Hamlet hatred and disgust for her mother as she marries Claudius, is one of the main important reflections of the play. This is because in times of Shakespeare, marrying husband's brother after husband's death was considered as a sin and act of being disloyal with the husband. Secondly, Prince Hamlet also considered Claudius inferior to his father, the late King Hamlet, in all aspects of life.

Hamlet can be viewed through a feminist lens by focusing on Ophelia and Gertrude and how various other male characters treat them. Ophelia and Gertrude are dismissed as characters through the entire play because they are women. Hamlet refers to women as “frailty,” implying that they are weak and are dependent on men. Reason suggests that with out the males, Ophelia and Gertrude would simply have no story.

As a child born and raised in the age of tolerance I found myself confused by the blatant sexism so heavily featured in Hamlet. The modern woman being depicted as strong and self-sufficient I wondered how women could have been depicted as weak and submissive. Once my confusion cleared I realized that the depiction of women in Hamlet was one sided, controlled by the misogynistic males dominating the narrative. Gertrude and Ophelia, the only women featured in the play are only characterized by the male influence in their lives and lack full characterization. They are depicted as weak and considered supporting characters in a narrative that requires their involvement.

Shakespeare develops the theme of misogyny through diction around Ophelia and Gertrude in order to depict women as inferior to the men in Hamlet. Shakespeare’s diction through Hamlet’s declaration that “Frailty, thy name is woman!” inserts the idea that weakness is feminine from the first Act of the play. Through placing judgement on his mother for her marriage to Claudius and declaring that frailty is an inherently feminine, Hamlet expresses that he believes himself to be above all women, regardless of who they are. Furthermore, Shakespeare’s diction in stating that women will make “monsters” out of the men they marry indicates the belief that women are manipulative forces who ruin the causes of men, despite the fact that the prominent women

All of Hamlet's hatred for women began with his mother, Gertrude, and then it was taken out on the unwary Ophelia. Gertrude, the Queen of Denmark and Hamlet’s mother, is the first female introduced in the play. Even though she is the Queen, her actions are vulgar and linger on the minds on those affected. In the play, Shakespeare had the opportunity to make Gertrude a noble character, but every time Gertrude sees something that causes her distress, she is easily influenced on her decision.

Hamlet claims that he is only acting crazy, but it seems more likely that he actually is. Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, assumes that he has gone crazy because of his father’s unexpected death. She tries to bring in Hamlet’s friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to see if they can find the root of Hamlet’s mental issues and cheer up Hamlet. Gertrude, however, fails to realize the role she plays in causing Hamlet’s poor mental state. After the death of Hamlet’s father, Gertrude wastes no time in marrying the new king and maintaining her position as queen. She does not seem to notice the negative impact this has on Hamlet’s disposition. She could simply be pretending that she does not notice how her actions affect Hamlet, but more likely, she is more concerned about maintaining her status as queen than the mental state of her beloved son. Hamlet shows his true feelings about his mother when he says, “O God! A beast, that wants discourse of reason, / Would have mourn’d longer—married with my uncle, / My father’s brother, but no more like my father / Than I to Hercules: within a month” (1.2.150-153). He, however, keeps the disgust he feels at his mother sleeping in “incestuous sheets” to

     The treatment of women in Hamlet is very troubling. The leading female characters, Queen Gertrude and Ophelia, are pawns or puppets for the men around them. Like chess pieces, they are moved about and influenced by the men they love with little say of their own; in fact, Shakespeare does not even develop their characters.

One may believe that woman who marries her husband’s brother and murderer can only be so respected. This situation seems perverse and inexcusable, but Gertrude has hidden intentions. Marrying into the royal family, not once, but twice has deeper implications than a mere selfish quest for fame. Gertrude is a mother and has nothing less than what she feels is best for her son in mind. Throughout the acts, Gertrude seems overshadowed by Claudius and Hamlet who both feel superiority over her, but in very different ways.

By the end of this scene, however, we see that she is penitent and appears willing to help her son. This exhibits how easily Gertrude is persuaded by Hamlet's incessant persistence, and emphasises her tendency to be dominated by, and mistreated by men, even to the extent of her own son. Gertrude's mistreatment is also obvious within her relationship to Claudius. For example, When Gertrude tells Claudius of Polonius' slaughter by Hamlet, rather than fret about the danger posed to his wife; he remarks that has he "been there," it would have been dangerous to him.

Hamlet's rant to persuade her that Claudius is a bad man and the murderer of his father depicts his disrespect to his mother. For instance, he tells her, "You go not till I set you up a glass / Where you may see the inmost part of you." (III.iv.20-21) He is threatening his own mother! Later, he addresses her as "thou wretched, rash, intruding fool" (III.iv.32) Even though Gertrude's lust for Claudius aggravates him, Hamlet fails to show even the most fundamental respect to his superior. The relationship is full of disloyalty and distrust from Gertrude's part. First, she appeases, "Be thou assured... I have no life to breathe what thou hast said to me." (III.iv.201-203) It is assumed that she will listen to Hamlet and stay away from Claudius. However, in the next act, she displays her true loyalty to her husband, telling him that Hamlet is "in this brainish apprehension kills / The unseen good old man." (IV.I.12-13) This is partially contributed by her observations of her son talking to a ghost that she doesn't see. Polonius' death causes her to think Hamlet is dangerous, further driving the two apart. Her distrust to her son harms him by further solidifying Claudius' plan to execute him in England because the king sees him as a threat to the throne who is capable of killing. In the end, Hamlet and Gertrude's relationship take a bittersweet ending.

Someone might wonder whether Gertrude really is concealing some knowledge about a murder, but in Act II, scene 2, there is evidence that Gertrude really hasn't taken part in the plot. Hamlet suspects her of being an accomplice with Claudius in his father's murder. It's too bad, therefore, that Hamlet doesn't hear Gertrude's private conversation with Claudius in which she gives her theory about Hamlet's anger:

Queen Gertrude is the mother to Hamlet, widow to the late King, and new wife to King Claudius as shown within the first act of Hamlet. Following her marriage to King Claudius, her relationship with her son Hamlet becomes strained. Queen Gertrude symbolizes much of what is considered to be a negative aspect of womanhood. To Hamlet, Queen Gertrude is a failure of a woman. Through his dialogue, it is presented that Hamlet desires a woman and mother to be concerned for her family and place tradition above all else. When Hamlet’s mother makes a decision outside of that realm and marries King Claudius, Hamlet strives to berate her for her choices. Through

Hamlet is disgusted by Queen Gertrude’s marriage to King Claudius and views it as adulterous and incestuous, both being mortal sins. Although King Hamlet is dead, Hamlet sees it as if Gertrude is being unfaithful to her now deceased husband and acts like she never loved him at all. He demands that she confess her sins to save herself from, as he sees it, inevitable damnation. This is more than just being a grieving son, upset that his mother has moved on. He wants to somehow maintain a control over his own mother’s sexual purity.

As well, since Gertrude’s original husband was killed, the only way she would be able to maintain her position as the queen is if she re-married Claudius. This is why Hamlet believes Gertrude did not marry out of love. In the Elizabethan era, women who were married were in greater power than those who were not.(IN TEXT Elizabethan women!!) This relates to the quote Hamlet said to Gertrude because he is accusing Gertrude of not actually loving Claudius and instead marrying him so she can maintain her spot on the throne and have power. The disbelief that Gertrude could be passionate or in love at a late age is an example of Hamlet being

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