Gender inequality is a key issue within Hamlet as both Gertrude and Ophelia, the main females of Shakespeare’s play, are portrayed as dependent, submissive, and weak. This is done in order for Shakespeare to express his opinion that women of the Elizabethan period in which he lived in were required, without any choice, to be dependent on men, submissive, and not powerful as the era “treated women as objects” (Lopez, 1). To begin, Shakespeare shows the characterization of women through Gertrude as she remarried immediately after King Hamlet’s death. This was most likely to keep her status of Queen in the Elizabethan era as “all titles would pass from father to son or brother to brother, depending on the circumstances” (Elizabethi, 5). This can
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In act three during the conversation between him and his mother, Hamlet says, “come, come and sit you down [and] you shall not budge" (3.4.18-19). Hamlet, is essentially using his unconscious authoritative role, as a male, to force his mother to comply to his command even though she is the Queen of Denmark and should be the one that is in charge. Furthermore, Gertrude is shown as submissive within the play in which she is given a command by Claudius and simply replies, “I shall obey” (3.1.37) rather than defying his commands. This situation showcases the dominant patriarchal role of Claudius as her husband and how Gertrude is essentially a woman with status who has no value compared to Claudius due to her being born a female within the Elizabethan era. Overall, the audience of Hamlet sees Shakespeare and the society’s views of women and how they were expected to act, no matter the position of authority. It also shows how Gertrude’s heavy reliance on men is ultimately the product of a patriarchal society in which she has grown up, and learned to live …show more content…
It was believed that women always needed someone to look after them” (Elizabethi, 2). Ophelia is an interesting character as “she has limited options as a woman in a patriarchal society” (Maki, 2) which forces her to fall into requirements of women within the era she belongs to. From the very beginning, Ophelia’s life is pre-determined by the men in her life such as her father, brother, the king and in some cases—Hamlet. This begins through Ophelia’s submissiveness to the men in her life. For example, within the beginning of the play Laertes converses with Ophelia and instructs her to weigh what loss your honour may sustain / If with too credent ear you list his songs, / Or lose your heart, or your chaste treasure open / To his unmaster’d importunity. / Fear it, Ophelia, fear it, my dear sister, / And keep you in the rear of your affection / Out of the shot and danger of desire
In act three during the conversation between him and his mother, Hamlet says, “come, come and sit you down [and] you shall not budge" (3.4.18-19). Hamlet, is essentially using his unconscious authoritative role, as a male, to force his mother to comply to his command even though she is the Queen of Denmark and should be the one that is in charge. Furthermore, Gertrude is shown as submissive within the play in which she is given a command by Claudius and simply replies, “I shall obey” (3.1.37) rather than defying his commands. This situation showcases the dominant patriarchal role of Claudius as her husband and how Gertrude is essentially a woman with status who has no value compared to Claudius due to her being born a female within the Elizabethan era. Overall, the audience of Hamlet sees Shakespeare and the society’s views of women and how they were expected to act, no matter the position of authority. It also shows how Gertrude’s heavy reliance on men is ultimately the product of a patriarchal society in which she has grown up, and learned to live …show more content…
It was believed that women always needed someone to look after them” (Elizabethi, 2). Ophelia is an interesting character as “she has limited options as a woman in a patriarchal society” (Maki, 2) which forces her to fall into requirements of women within the era she belongs to. From the very beginning, Ophelia’s life is pre-determined by the men in her life such as her father, brother, the king and in some cases—Hamlet. This begins through Ophelia’s submissiveness to the men in her life. For example, within the beginning of the play Laertes converses with Ophelia and instructs her to weigh what loss your honour may sustain / If with too credent ear you list his songs, / Or lose your heart, or your chaste treasure open / To his unmaster’d importunity. / Fear it, Ophelia, fear it, my dear sister, / And keep you in the rear of your affection / Out of the shot and danger of desire