A Feminist Theory on Hamlet Essay - 743 Words

A FEMINISTS THEORY ON HAMLET - Taine Buchan While we humans live in a society governed largely by men we have little idea of what a matriarchal society would be like as it clearly doesn’t exist in today’s society. For centuries we have fought for gender equality, but we are reminded in films, plays and novels that Women are submissive and the weaker gender. Shakespeare’s written tragedies had clearly showed his patriarchal perspective with his character Ophelia from Hamlet, whose motivation and dominance is powered by Her father Polonius. Gertrude is another women from Hamlet who is represented as a weak minded, dependant character who has no power or control over what she does. If we look at these two characters from a Feminists point†¦show more content†¦She is casted as a very Intense, profound character because of her situations whose voice goes unheard and actions are controlled by her father Polonius and Hamlet. In Scene 7 act 4, Gertrude informs Claudius and Laertes that Ophelia drowned in a brook. Prior to this, Ophelia is described as a â€Å"sister driven to desperate terms† you can say that she is playing the stereotypical role of the damsel in distress. Ophelia genuinely needs Hamlet to love her. She is embedded the idea from her own tretury that without him she cant survive. We see that Ophelia becomes an emotional mess when Hamlet tells her he doesn’t love her. Her submissive, reliance on men tells us that she is weak without support, but she will obey what her father says She acts as a puppet for the people who are dominant to her. They control her and mold her to what they want her to do and be. It’s really interesting how uncaring and unsupportive Polonius is towards her. Even to her own blood, she is treated with the utter most disrespect. This clearly tells the audience how women were portrayed in the Elizabethan era. Gertrude is another character who we can cast as an easy example of the regular traits that a woman was thought to have had. She has no real importance in the story, but is held as another weaker representative of the Elizabethan women. She is cast as an immoral person as she marries the Kings brother in just under a month. This a foolish wayShow MoreRelatedFeminist Theory Applied to Hamlet2809 Words   |  12 PagesRepresenting Ophelia: Women, Madness, and the Responsibilities of Feminist Criticism Elaine Showalter Though she is neglected in criticism, Ophelia is probably the most frequently illustrated and cited of Shakespeare’s heroines. Her visibility as a subject in literature, popular culture, and painting, from Redon who paints her drowning, to Bob Dylan, who places her on Desolation Row, to Cannon Mills, which has named a flowery sheet pattern after her, is in inverse relation to her invisibility inRead MoreFeminism in both Hamlet and Lady Oracle Essay1179 Words   |  5 Pagesworks, Hamlet and Lady Oracle, chart both the life’s course of their main characters and underline t he protagonist’s trajectory in some decisive moments of their existence, when both of them, Hamlet and Joan Foster, need to take some decisions which may change their destinies. In this brief essay I will try to point out similarities and differences between these two stories taking into consideration a feminist approach. First and foremost I would like to mention what do I mean by feminist approachRead MoreHamlet: a Feminist Approach Essay examples1224 Words   |  5 PagesHamlet: A Feminist Approach Sexism: the belief or attitude that one sex is inherently superior to, more competent than, or more valuable than the other (most commonly used for male superiority). This idea that women are weak is not a new one in the modern world. It has been studied for countless years along with the concept of a patriarchal society. A patriarchy is defined as a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it. Such systems currentlyRead MoreHamlet: Critical Essay1115 Words   |  5 PagesWhat have you come to understand about the intense human relationships of Hamlet? How has this understanding been affected by the perspectives of others? In you response you should focus on 3 scenes in the play and a range of perspectives. The intense human relationships of Hamlet have been viewed through numerous perspectives yet all have reached the same conclusions. With the exception of just one, the friendship of Hamlet and Horatio, all the relationships are dishonourable, dysfunctional andRead MoreThemes of Misogyny in Shakespeares Hamlet1019 Words   |  4 PagesHamlet: Quotation Analysis on Misogyny Quotation Analysis â€Å"But two months dead-nay, not so much, no two. So excellent a king, that was this Hyperion to a satyr; so loving to my mother That he might not beteem the winds of heaven Visit her face too roughly, Heaven and earth, Must I remember? Why, she (would) hand on him As if increase of appetite had grown By what it fed on. And yet, within a month (Let me not think on’t; frailty, thy name is woman!)† I.ii. 142-150 During Hamlet’s soliloquy afterRead MoreThe Resisting Reader, By Judith Fetterley1391 Words   |  6 Pages In her book, â€Å"The Resisting Reader,† Judith Fetterley says of feminist criticism, â€Å"At its best, feminist criticism is a political act whose aim is not simply to interpret the world but to change it by changing the consciousness of those who read and their relation to what they read† (Fetterley viii). The most prevalent place that feminist criticism is used in this way is in response to the literary idea of the typical damsel in distress. The fragile young maiden who cannot fend for herself and mustRead MoreEssay about Ophelia: Harshly Criticized1027 Words   |  5 PagesHamlet, a tragedy written by William Shakespeare in the 16th century, has been subject to evaluation for centuries. Each character has been broken down and analyzed. The psychology of each character has been examined. Every relationship has been studied to find more answer surrounding the play. Harold Bloom and Sigmund Freud have examined it extensively. Scholars have dissected all parts of th e play. One character that has recently been analyzed more and more is Ophelia. She has been defended byRead MoreLiterary Criticisms of Shakespeare’s Hamlet Essay1234 Words   |  5 Pages This essay will discuss several literary criticisms of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. After skimming through several articles, I ended up with four peer-reviewed journal articles, each a different critical perspectives of the play: feminist, psychoanalytical/freudian, moral, and new historicism. My previous studies of Hamlet, as well as my rereading of the play this semester, has collectively given me a general knowledge of the text. My familiarity of the play made it easier for me to decipherRead MoreThe Role Of Female Characters In Hamlet1347 Words   |  6 PagesHamlet is a play about death, revenge, and love. Written by William Shakespeare, this play is famous around the world for its dramatic plot. The central theme of Hamlet is love. The story starts off with a Queen f alling in love with the brother of her husband. The Queen decides to quickly marry the brother of her previous husband, when her previous husband suddenly dies. Her son (Prince Hamlet), who loves his biological father and disagrees with his mother’s quick decision to marry, is quite saddenedRead MoreHamlet As Seen Through The Feminist Critical Lens1481 Words   |  6 PagesHamlet As Seen Through the Feminist Critical Lens As stated by Tim Gillespie in his text Doing Literary Criticism, the concept of literary criticism is the field of â€Å"interpreting, analyzing, and evaluating† literary works. Thus, literary criticism is not objective; rather, it varies subjectively depending on the critic and the lens, or school, they choose to view the work of literature through. Though the actual content of literature is of extreme importance, the way it is approached is of nearly