“Are you honest?”
and
“Are you fair?”
“Fair” and “Honest” are meant to be words that put women down. They are contrasting words that mean if a woman is honest, she will not be fair, since all beautiful women are deceivers and seducers. Hamlets mothers’ recent behaviour such as marrying her late husbands brother has driven him to think this way.
Ophelia is treated quite unkindly by Hamlet who appears to be taking out all his anger on her. He is losing all trust and poise in women and that reflects in the way he treats Ophelia. The actions of his mother have affected him quite badly and it is somewhat apparent in this scene.
After this Hamlet questions Ophelia on the whereabouts of her father and she lies to him, not wanting him to know that he has been spying on Hamlet all along. Hamlet knows Ophelia is lying and this adds more intensity to Hamlets words against women, and he unfairly ascribes all the faults of women to Ophelia.
“Get thee to a nunnery, go. Farewell. Or, if
thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool; for wise men know
well enough what monsters you make of them.”
Hamlet
This quote proves to us just how angry and betrayed Hamlet is by women. He firstly orders Ophelia, the young girl who not long ago was the one who stole Hamlets heart, to go to a nunnery where she cannot marry and cannot therefore destroy any man in the same way that women had done to Hamlet. He then uses the word “monsters” which is a very powerful word. In this context it means an inhumanly wicked person who is ‘unnatural’ in his behaviour. In Hamlets opinion women can drive men to such a condition.
Throughout the majority of Act III Scene ii Hamlet is taunting Ophelia and yet again taking his anger out on her for being a woman.
Ophelia – “Tis brief, my Lord.”
Hamlet – “As woman’s love.”
Here Hamlet is saying that a woman’s love is short just like that of Ophelia’s toward him.
In this next quote Hamlet openly insults Ophelia when she is making a friendly remark towards him.
Ophelia – “You are as good as a chorus, my Lord.”
Hamlet – “I could interpret between you and you love, if I could see
the puppets dallying”
With all these open insults and remarks towards Ophelia I think that Hamlet wants her to naturally distance herself from him. This to me is the beginning of Ophelia’s madness as she has fallen in love with Hamlet and then Hamlet begins to act like a madman. She cannot handle the heartless comments that Hamlet speaks to her and then to end it all he rejects her leaving her confused and heartbroken.
Throughout the play both Ophelia’s brother and father smother Ophelia in incestuous stranglehold which I think leads to her madness. Laertes tries to teach his sister to dread male advances.
“Fear it, Ophelia, fear it, my dear sister.”
Ophelia is treated like an ‘asset’ by her father and he teaches her to be an obedient machine willing to comply with his every command. Warning her that should she act for herself she will make her father look like a fool.
“You’ll tender me a fool.”
Polonius forbids Ophelia autonomy of desire, choice, action, even thought.
"You do not understand yourself so clearly
As it behoves my daughter and your honour.”
All these quotes show quite clearly that Ophelia is caught up in a mans world of politics, intrigue and violence. Her father treats her like an asset rather than a daughter and she becomes increasingly isolated which in turn drives her mad.
Hamlet
Madness becomes Ophelia's last resort, after the tragic death of her father, abandonment from her brother and the rejection from Hamlet. Indeed, what else is left her to do? Constituted to accept male command, how then, without it, can she act on her own behalf?
Offering her an escape, madness provides Ophelia with the ability finally to speak her anger and desire. All men merge in her mad imaginings, all the controlling voices of her life, her conscience, her psyche, all the outside forces determined to manipulate her for their own ends. Madness releases Ophelia from the enforced repressions of obedience, chastity, patience, liberates her from the prescribed roles of daughter, sister, lover, subject.
We first recognise Ophelia’s madness when she enters in Act IV scene v. She begins to sing a song, which brings together her thoughts of her father and of Hamlet’s love for her. The song expresses grief over the death of both and these are the causes of her distraction. In this song Ophelia unveils her desire for the absent Hamlet who has been sent to England.
Ophelia sings about a young woman, like herself, used and then abandoned by her lover. The rude, country quality of the song might reflect how deeply she has internalised both Hamlet's uncouth treatment of her as a whore as well as the fears of male desire which were planted in her head by her father and brother.
Ophelia begins to hand flowers around to people who are watching her. Each flower appears to be associated with some message.
“There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance;
pray you, love, remember. And there is pansies, that’s for thoughts.”
In this case the rosemary stands for remembrance, which she gives to Laertes, clearly mistaking him for her lover. Pansies are a symbol of sorrow and thought. Ophelia hands the King fennel and columbines which stands for flattery and columbines possibly for unfaithfulness in love. The Queen is handed rue, which is associated with sorrow and repentance. The daisy stands for deception in love affairs. It is quite symbolic that Ophelia didn’t hand out the violets, as these are a symbol of faithfulness.
The flower imagery used in this scene shows Ophelia’s understanding of the intrigue but also of her helplessness to influence it. Because Hamlet is let down by his mother’s marriage he feels betrayed and he cannot therefore trust Ophelia and she becomes taunted by the actions of Gertrude.
Gertrude
Gertrude emerges clearly in Hamlet as a woman defined by her desire for station and affection, as well as by her tendency to use men to fulfil her instinct for self-preservation. This makes her extremely dependent upon the men in her life. Hamlet expresses his outward opinion of Gertrude and of women in general in Act I Scene ii saying,
“Frailty, thy name is woman!”
He thinks that women are so weak that woman and frailty are two names for the same thing. This comment is as much symptomatic of Hamlets agonised state of mind as of anything else, but to a great extent Gertrude does seem morally frail. She never reveals the ability to think
Hamlet
critically about the situation, but seems merely to move instinctively toward seemingly safe choices, as when she immediately runs to Claudius after her confrontation with Hamlet. She is at her best in social situations when her natural grace and charm seem to indicate a rich, rounded personality. At times it seems that her grace and charm are her only characteristics, and her reliance on men appears to be her sole way of making the most of her abilities her abilities.
Throughout the play Gertrude provokes violent, physical and emotional reactions from the men in the play but her words create a soft obedient, dependant and imaginative woman who is caught up in the centre of a struggle of great opposites.
“Oh Hamlet, thou hast cleft my heart in twain.”
Gertrude has divided loyalties between the two most important men in her life, Hamlet and Claudius. She loves the two of them but is left bewildered and unhappy by her inability to please them and do right by them both. She has no comfort or support from anyone in her family but instead is being torn between both the men in her life.
Gertrude has incisive moments and isn’t a stupid and weak woman. The only setback is, is that she isn’t given any power as she is a woman and woman were treated as frail and tearful. I think that the closest Gertrude ever gets to power is marrying two Kings who hold all the power over the nation. Even though she married the kings she is still treated in every respects as a frail woman. She is ordered about and is very obedient and goes along with what people tell her. Gertrude is a woman full of strong sexual and physical appetites and this is a big part of her character. She uses her charms and sexuality to get what she wants, as she knows this is the only way around men. Even her relationship with Hamlet is tinged with sexuality.
“In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed,”
Here Hamlet talks of a bed that is greased with sweat. This also highlights the question about whether Gertrude is guilty of past adultery. Her marriage to Claudius is seen by the ghost and also by Hamlet as incestuous.
“Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast.”
This is part of the speech from the ghost of old Hamlet to Hamlet. I think that if Gertrude had had an adulterous relationship with Claudius before the death of Old Hamlet then she would have been almost certainly been involved in Claudius' plot of murder, and therefore she would be the play's villainess and not its child-like victim. Claudius would believe her to be an accomplice and confide in her, but he does not.
One question that still lingers about Gertrude is whether or not she knew about or even suspected that her recent husband, King Claudius, killed Old Hamlet. In my opinion there was no evidence in the play that Gertrude was aware of the murder. Her reaction to the play-within-the-play is irritation that Hamlet had offended Claudius,
“Hast thy Father much offended.”
Hamlet
The disclosure he makes to her in the closet scene provokes what seems like genuine horror. Her remorse is for the incestuous nature of her marriage and not for any part in the killing of the King.
Gertrude is a character that cannot bear to hear the truth about herself or the truth of what Hamlet sees of her.
“And there I see such black and grained spots,”
In Hamlets eyes Gertrude’s soul is covered in black tarnishes. Which must mean that Gertrude is guilty of something. I do not believe that she is guilty of knowing about her late husbands murder but maybe she is guilty of hastily marrying Claudius. In the final scene Gertrude reaches out to Hamlet to tell him about the poison instead of accusing Claudius of poisoning her. This is a very unselfish act, which may go against people’s first impressions of Gertrude.
“Thy drink – O my dear Hamlet – the drink, the drink I am poisoned.”
In my opinion Gertrude is a woman full of opportunity, which may possibly be why she quickly married Claudius. It was a convenient marriage to a known protector, which would, after all, ensure her safety and that of her beloved son, whom she may have considered too green to take on the responsibility of ruling a threatened country.
The ghost that appears of Old Hamlet says that Gertrude is weak which is what Hamlet thinks of all women.
“Conceit in weakest bodies strongest works.”
Old Hamlet returned not just to wet Hamlets appetite for revenge but to also defend Gertrude. This is very difficult when Hamlet makes his feelings about Gertrude very clear.
“Oh most wicked speed, to post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets.”
Hamlet feels betrayed by his mother for marrying the late Hamlets brother and then quickly giving up the memory of him. He tried to make Gertrude see the true differences between the two kings, the Old Hamlet who was great and almighty and Claudius who will never be half the man that Hamlets father was.
Throughout the play Hamlet goes through many emotions all triggered off by the deceit and betrayal of his mother. He feels bewildered at his mother’s remarriage; loathing towards his mother and despair of human nature.
“But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue.”
Just like Polonius to Ophelia, Claudius sees Gertrude as his possession, but Claudius does show his love for her. He seems to speak respectively to her throughout the play, which is more than Hamlet has done. Claudius will even suffer Hamlet for her.
“My virtue or my plague.”
Hamlet
Although Claudius does love Gertrude deeply we must not forget that there are other things that Claudius loves more.
“My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen.”
In this quote it is easy to see where Claudius’ priorities lie. It is proven just in the order that he says them. Gertrude is not his highest priority and he will risk losing her the sake of his crown.
Even though Hamlet lashes out on Gertrude with all the rage he can muster, Gertrude remains faithful to him, protecting him from the King. And, although her love for Claudius is wrong by moral standards, she is now his queen, and remains loyal to him. We see she has the potential for great love -- she wants to protect Claudius, and she cares deeply about Ophelia and Polonius, and is concerned for Hamlet in the duel even though she has no idea that it is a trap. It is Gertrude's underlying tendency for goodness that redeems her. Her men forgive her for her shallow, sensual nature and her addictions to comfort and pleasure because they see that she is innocent of premeditation. It is sad but fitting that Gertrude meet her end drinking from the poisoned goblet, demanding that she taste what is in the pretty cup, as trusting as a new-born babe.
Gertrude and Ophelia are alike in many ways. They are both victims of circumstance. They are both caught up in a mans world of politics, intrigue and violence. However, each character deals with this in different ways.
Ophelia is a very submissive character that is frail and innocent and this can work against her, as she cannot cope with the unfolding of one traumatic event after another. Whereas Gertrude uses her sexuality to her own advantage to obtain what she wants. It seems that she can handle traumatic events much better than Ophelia. This is proven by her remarriage quickly after the death of her husband. This is also down to the fact that she is an opportunist who not only thinks of herself but people around her. I think that if Ophelia was put in a position like that then she couldn’t handle it. That is where these two women differ. Ophelia is young and inexperienced in a world that is governed by men whereas Gertrude has lived this way for many years and has grown accustomed to it. Therefore Gertrude can use this to her advantage knowing exactly what to do and say to please the men in her life and get what she wants.
Two men brought up Ophelia, her father and her brother. Neither of which treated her like a sister or a daughter so she knew no other way. Ophelia is an asset to Polonius and an angel to Laertes. She is constantly thriving to please the men in her life, which is similar to Gertrude.
Both women are followers, easily led by the men they love, both are loyal to their families but now torn, both are sensual, confused and bothered by this whole affair. However, Ophelia is a lot more young, innocent and naive than Gertrude and is much more of a victim, because unlike Gertrude she is really completely free from purposeful wrongdoing throughout the play. Any harm she does cause is completely un-intentional and staged by her father and the king without her knowledge. Gertrude, on the other hand, is "in" on her part.
By Susie Walker
