Essay On Feminism In Fifth Business And Hamlet

Feminism in Fifth Business and Hamlet
The current society has various perspectives of women both negative and positive. Moreover, literature exemplifies the different role of women comparing the roles of ancient and modern women. These comparisons have one thing in common, and that is the multifaceted roles of women in the ancient and modern society. This comparison is evident in two works of literature centuries apart; Fifth Business by Robert Davies and Hamlet by William Shakespeare. The main characters are haunted by the imprudence of the women in their lives, which causes them further problems with any other women they meet. The main characters fear and distrust women, but as the story progresses, they are forced to take steps that enable them to get rid of the hatred and anger towards the influences of women in their lives. In this regard, this paper discusses the role of women and their influences in the novel Fifth Business by Robertson Davies and Hamlet by William Shakespeare.
The main character Dunstan in Fifth Business was raised in a strict religious household where emotions were a controlled part of life and always hidden behind cool demeanors. As a result, his first encounter with the other side of femininity comes after the discovery of his eggs for magic tricks, which resulted to a beating from his mother that created the fear of hidden brutality of women that was hidden by a façade of love and tenderness. This experience made Dunstan suspicious of all women, as he wondered what was behind the …show more content…
According to Hamlet, his mother abandons him after the death of his father by remarrying within months to his uncle. The actions of his mother made him feel betrayed and exposed to the dark side of feminine beings. Hamlet projects his view to all women in his life including Ophelia, as he believes women are wanton and fickle creatures with no loyalty to anyone but themselves. Hamlets