Hamlet - Although They Have Few Words, Is It The Women Who Drive The Action Of The Play?
9/12/04 Hamlet - Although They Have Few Words, Is It The Women Who Drive The Action Of The Play? The female characters of the play - Gertrude and Ophelia - are each given unique personalities which influence the conclusion of the story. I think that both women play important roles and while each character is different in individual ways, they share similar qualities. Ophelia is the daughter of Polonius (a chief advisor to King Claudius). Shakespeare does very little to develop her character: she has very little stage time and few lines. I think that this is partly because women were not allowed to act on stage in Shakespeare's time. Female roles had to be played by men, therefore, there were always limitations and restrictions for female characters. In the case of Ophelia, a young and lovely woman, Shakespeare would have been writing for a boy. This might have prevented the playwright from developing the character more fully. Nevertheless, Ophelia plays a significant role which helps determine the outcome of the play. Ophelia is greatly influenced and controlled by those around her. She represents the traditional obedient and passive woman and is a victim in the play. She is unable to express her deep emotions because of their control and eventually this leads to her madness. It is her crazed reaction to her father's death, ultimately resulting in her suicide, which
Women have been perceived differently by different people at different times. Using Shakespeare's Hamlet,consider his representation of women.
English Literature coursework Women have been perceived differently by different people at different times. Using Shakespeare's Hamlet, consider his representation of women. In Hamlet, Shakespeare carefully represents Getrude and Ophelia. Individually, Gertrude is essentially seen as weak and immoral whilst Ophelia is seen as meek and a victim of society. Collectively, they are seen to fulfil a conventional 16th century role, and it is as our beliefs and views of women change that we are able to perceive the characters in a different angle. At the beginning of the play, we get a very biased insight into the character of Gertrude and how those around her perceive her. This is because Hamlet and the ghost of Hamlet are both very biased as they feel a sense of injustice at Gertrude's marriage to Claudius, her brother-in-law. For example, Gertrude is chiefly seen as very uncaring and "unrighteous," as the "incestuous" marriage, according to Hamlet, was carried out with "dexterity" and scarcely a month after King Hamlet's death. This depiction makes the audience form a very strong opinion of Gertrude from the outset. It creates an ominous feeling about Gertrude as the first insight we get into her character is given by people who have been hurt by her in some way. This suggests that she is someone to watch out for and that Gertrude is weak and unable to live without a man who
Compare the Representation of Women in Hamlet (primary text) and Much Ado About Nothing (secondary text)
Compare the Representation of Women in Hamlet (primary text) and Much Ado About Nothing (secondary text) Women of Shakespeare's time were regarded to be possessions of men and as such were conditioned to be submissive. This would have influenced, in my judgment, how Shakespeare created the female characters in Hamlet. Furthermore, in the essay "The Warrant of Womanhood, Shakespeare and Feminist Criticism", Ann Thompson points out that male characters in Hamlet have a limited perception of the females. Shakespeare, according to Ann Thompson, goes as far as to let the audience know that he intended for the male character to misunderstand the female, therefore the male characters are often very wrong about the females in the play. The men completely misread the women and in Ophelia and Gertrude's situation, the consequences are very tragic. In order to address this issue, it is necessary to explore the characters of Gertrude and Ophelia in Hamlet and the characters of Hero and Beatrice in Much Ado about Nothing, and in addition, how they are treated by other characters. This will then enable me to pass my own judgement, as to how the women are represented in the two plays Hamlet and Much Ado about Nothing. Shakespeare's Division of Experience by Marilyn French describes and examines gender roles in a way which is applicable to literature. This provides the theoretical
Explore the ways in which Shakespeare presents male characters' attitudes towards women, and how this affects their relationships with the female characters
20th February 05 "Explore the ways in which Shakespeare presents male characters' attitudes towards women, and how this affects their relationships with the female characters" The female characters in 'Hamlet' have several vital roles within the play that serve to add depth and interest to the overall plot. Shakespeare employs the women to emphasize key themes such as betrayal, that might not otherwise be drawn out, and also enable the audience to gain a deeper understanding of the main male characters through the way in which they view and treat women. It is important to closely examine the male-female interaction and relationships in order to understand how Shakespeare uses the women as a dramatic device. The main male characters of Hamlet, Claudius, Polonius and Laertes are repeatedly shown to possess negative attitudes towards women. These attitudes result in unjust, oppressive and abusive relationships with the female characters of Gertrude and Ophelia. The primary male character, Hamlet, bears no exception to this general negativity directed at women. Shakespeare presents Hamlet as a man with a progressive hatred of womankind, having a detrimental influence upon his relationships with the female characters. Shakespeare implies the reason for Hamlet's increased negativity to be his mother's remarriage to his uncle, Claudius. The extent this has affected Hamlet
Is Hamlet a misogynist?
Is Hamlet a misogynist? If so, why? "Frailty, thy name is woman." This aphoristic declaration of Hamlet in his first soliloquy puts forward the labyrinthine question - Is Hamlet a woman hater? This is, in fact, one of the riddles of the problem play, which the critics over the last few centuries tried to answer, but they succeeded only in making it more entangled, producing more controversy. I think, this is a question on which variable judgments are inevitable, but I will try to focus on a more convincing goal, expressing my own opinion. I feel inclined to touch at the background, which brings the charge of misogyny against Hamlet. His father died an unnatural death and his mother married his uncle with surprising haste. Hamlet could not convince himself how his mother could marry a 'lecherous villain' Claudius within two months of his father's death, who was a god-like man. It urged his philosophic tendency to hurl a severe attack on the female sex in general and his mother in particular with the above-quoted line. This is the specific instance, which shapes his total attitude towards women for the rest of his life. This is the newly conceived view on the basis of which he shows his unnatural treatment of Ophelia in the play, which accuses Hamlet as a misogynist. I do not think that Hamlet's hatred for the female is extreme; even if he has a grudge against the women,
Laertes and Hamlet both display impulsive reactions when angered. Once Laertes discovers his father has been murdered Laertes immediately assumes the slayer is Claudius.
Laertes and Hamlet both display impulsive reactions when angered. Once Laertes discovers his father has been murdered Laertes immediately assumes the slayer is Claudius. As a result of Laertes's speculation he instinctively moves to avenge Polonius's death. "To hell, allegiance! vows, to the blackest devil! Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit! I dare damnation: to this point I stand, that both worlds I give to negligence, let come what comes; only I'll be revenged most thoroughly for my father." Act 4 Scene 5 lines 128-134 provide insight into Laertes's mind displaying his desire for revenge at any cost. In contrast to Laertes speculation of his father's killer, Hamlet presumes the individual spying on his conversation with Gertrude is Claudius("Nay, I know not: is it the King?" Act 3, Scene 4 line 28). Consequently, Hamlet consumed with rage automatically thrusts out attempting to kill Claudius, but instead strikes Polonius. Hamlet's and Laertes's imprudent actions are incited by fury and frustration. Sudden anger prompts both Hamlet and Laertes to act spontaneously, giving little thought to the consequences of their actions. Hamlet and Laertes share a different but deep love and concern for Ophelia. Before his departure for France Laertes provides lengthy advice to Ophelia pertaining to her relationship with Hamlet. Laertes voices his concern of Hamlet's true
Role of women in hamlet
The Role of Women in Hamlet We live in a society where women have rights that were unheard of centuries ago. These rights include the right to driving freely, having jobs rather than staying at home, and being treated with the same respect as men in the workplace. But in Shakespeare's play Hamlet women have a role that is mainly passive in that the men in Hamlet hold a higher position than women and are treated in a manner that would be labelled as misogyny today in that women are only seen as objects rather than human. In Hamlet there are only two women who have a significant role in the play: Gertrude and Ophelia. Gertrude role in Hamlet is one that is a loving mother that does care for her son but also raises her selfish ambition above everyone else and tries to reconfigure her family around her new husband Claudius. Ophelia role in Hamlet consists of being one-dimensional and stagnant, that soon crumbles after the death of her father due to her frailty and innocence. During the first scene of book, Hamlet recalls scene between his mother and father and the love and affection they possessed before his father passed away. He then becomes disgusted over the fact his mother quickly married off a man instead of being with her son. The fact that this man was her deceased husband brother makes Hamlet disgust his mom even more. He feels his mother is weak in many aspects
Examine how Shakespeare explores the role of women in Hamlet. What might the response of a modern audience be to this aspect of the play?
'Hamlet sees Gertrude give way to Claudius and Ophelia give way to Polonius...' Leverenz Examine how Shakespeare explores the role of women in Hamlet. What might the response of a modern audience be to this aspect of the play? It is interesting to see in Hamlet how women and their characters are not clearly defined. There is uncertainty about the women and their past lives. Instead they are defined mostly by their relationships with men; Margaret Atwood suggests that Ophelia is 'constructed by others rather than herself'. According to the Great Chain of Being which was very significant in Elizabethan times men have a higher status than women who would be subservient to them. Women were not thought of as individuals in their own right, and we can see this clearly in how the women are conveyed. We see ideas relating to the Great Chain of Being in how she is treated by her father Polonius, and is reflected in the way Ophelia is obedient to him. Polonius is particularly domineering over Ophelia. In the scene after Laertes has left he uses many imperatives such as 'you must not' 'Do not' and 'Think' and there is little emotion in his speech. Ian Johnston claims that 'Love, for Polonius, like everything else, can be understood in the lowest denominator of human activity as a power struggle' with his vocabulary referring to money and contracts, saying 'set your entreatments at a
The notion of death seems to be the definite consequence for any sort of conflict for the characters of William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Varun Mohapatra English SL 29/10/2004 The notion of death seems to be the definite consequence for any sort of conflict for the characters of William Shakespeare's Hamlet William Shakespeare's Hamlet is an anecdote of love, tragedy and the demise of man. Inevitably, a story with so much conflict and turmoil will involve death to some degree, and Shakespeare's expression of death is unimpeachable. The altercation of the characters is the driving force behind the ultimate tragedy that befalls the characters. This conflict is a succession of events which leads to the climax, their downfall. What is the conflict that causes their destruction? It is the king's death which eventually causes Hamlet's own destruction. Hamlet, as the protagonist, is the leading factor that affects the other characters notably Claudius and Gertrude. Claudius as Hamlet's opposite, his opponent and the antagonist of the play would noticeably be influenced by Hamlet's actions. The other characters, especially Ophelia whose demise is intertwined with Hamlet's actions. His refusal of her love, his deception of her, all condemn her to madness and finally her death. This leads to a certain intuition that death seems to be the definitive result to their problems. In other words, death inevitably seems to stem from and is the consequence of conflict, both internal and external, for the characters of Hamlet.
Hamlet Act 3 scene 1
ACT III SCENE I - HAMLET AND OPHELIA Hamlet is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It recounts how Prince Hamlet of Denmark goes about taking revenge for his father by killing his murderer, Claudius. In act 3, scene 1 Rosencrantz and Guildenstern fail to report the reason for Hamlets 'madness', so Ophelia, Hamlet's lover, is instructed by Claudius to see if his 'madness' is caused by her. I chose to perform this scene because it shows key elements of Hamlets character, his contemplative yet cynical side, shown fully in his famous "to be, or not to be" soliloquy and Hamlet's rash and impulsive side, showing his anger at Ophelia as well as his unpredictability. The area that I focused on was from the start of his soliloquy to where he leaves Ophelia before her "oh what a noble mind" speech. I started the scene in silence, keeping a neutral body posture, and slowly began with "to be, or not to be", instead of making it a huge dramatic statement, I chose to make it more hesitant, with a lengthened pause at the comma, this was done to make it look like it was a statement that had just come to Hamlet. Hamlet is a scholar and a philosopher and I was trying to portray this by making it seem as if he had discovered this notion of the 'point of existence', a key recurring theme throughout the whole of the play. Hamlet is not talking about a wish to commit suicide, in fact he does not
