The first children’s toy with adult features made its first debut in 1959. In New York City the newest doll for little girls around the world hit the shelves at the American Toy Fair. Barbie is society 's paradigm of perfection. She is idolized for her sexuality and encourages little girls to become materialistic; much like the roles of women in the Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet, women are shown in a derogatory and misogynistic way. Hamlet captures the relationships and the struggle for identity during a time of great loss among the castle of Elsinore. The play stems from the murder of the beloved King Hamlet and the remarriage of Queen Gertrude to King Hamlet’s brother Claudius. The Prince of Denmark spends a great deal of time grieving, in
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Hamlet shows that he has strong standards for the women in his life when he puts on the play. He casts the Player Queen as the ideal female for Gertrude to aspire to be. Hamlet asks his mother how she likes the play, referring to the Player Queen, and she replies dryly, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks” (3.2.212). The Prince mocks the Queen’s decisions and uses the Player as the expectation he has for the women of the castle. The idea of perfection is ultimately impossible to reach, and is often placed on the women in Hamlet’s life just to satisfy him. Shakespeare’s depiction of women in the Elizabethan era was shown throughout the play Hamlet to assess the roles of gender. The playwright wants to awaken the awareness of the inequalities that women face, and the effects of these problems. Hamlet was deeply interested in the various sexual affairs of the castle, it led to the heightening of his madness. The author shows Hamlet’s involvement of sexuality to examine the social construct that is virginity and to highlight the high expectations men have for women. Shakespeare teaches the reader of inequalities in the time period, and displays that with total dependence comes psychological madness. Today, women still face immense prejudice, but change is evolving for the better. The fight for equality lives on, and the pioneers of feminism have made the world exceedingly better. Although, we still have a long way to go. Shakespeare has brought his outlook upon the readers to bring
Hamlet shows that he has strong standards for the women in his life when he puts on the play. He casts the Player Queen as the ideal female for Gertrude to aspire to be. Hamlet asks his mother how she likes the play, referring to the Player Queen, and she replies dryly, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks” (3.2.212). The Prince mocks the Queen’s decisions and uses the Player as the expectation he has for the women of the castle. The idea of perfection is ultimately impossible to reach, and is often placed on the women in Hamlet’s life just to satisfy him. Shakespeare’s depiction of women in the Elizabethan era was shown throughout the play Hamlet to assess the roles of gender. The playwright wants to awaken the awareness of the inequalities that women face, and the effects of these problems. Hamlet was deeply interested in the various sexual affairs of the castle, it led to the heightening of his madness. The author shows Hamlet’s involvement of sexuality to examine the social construct that is virginity and to highlight the high expectations men have for women. Shakespeare teaches the reader of inequalities in the time period, and displays that with total dependence comes psychological madness. Today, women still face immense prejudice, but change is evolving for the better. The fight for equality lives on, and the pioneers of feminism have made the world exceedingly better. Although, we still have a long way to go. Shakespeare has brought his outlook upon the readers to bring