Gertrude's Treatment Of Women In Hamlet Essay
The Portrayal of Women in Hamlet by William Shakespeare
The portrayal of the women characters in Hamlet by William Shakespeare, illustrated stereotypical women based on a feminist’s point of view. Hamlet, the most famous play in the English language, was popularized by the best known poet, William Shakespeare. The play was probably written in 1601 or 1602. Shakespeare achieved artistic maturity in this work through his brilliant depiction of the hero’s struggle with two opposing forces: moral integrity and the need to avenge his father’s murder.
"Hamlet is always with us. Even those who have never read the complete play or seen a performance know a few lines of "To be or not to be" and recognize the image of a young man contemplating …show more content…
Her act of marrying her husband’s brother, Claudius, is considered immoral by the church. Gertrude was one of Shakespeare’s characters who have caused conflicts in the play. Probably, the best question that could be raised with regards to Gertrude’s character is: Was she involved with Claudius even before her husband died? Learning how immoral Gertrude can be, it is not far from reality that she probably was already involved with Claudius even before her husband’s death. And who knows, she might probably know Claudius’ plan of killing King Hamlet. Gertrude is clearly a woman struggling to pursue her desire of position and affection, as well as her tendency to use men to fulfill her instinct of self preservation. This, however, made her a little like Ophelia who depended upon the men in her life. Gertrude always chooses safe decisions. She chose to marry Claudius because that would make everything easier. Wholly, her character can be summed up as a woman who solely relies on men.
As a mother to Hamlet, their relationship can greatly be considered as dysfunctional. Her son didn’t believe in her. She decided on her own without her son’s approval. The strongest incestuous desires depicted in this play arise in the relationship of Hamlet and Gertrude, an interesting angle in this relationship is the fact that Hamlet was said to have fallen in love with her mother. This was given proof by Hamlet’s fixation on Gertrude’s sexual life with Claudius and his preoccupation with her in
The portrayal of the women characters in Hamlet by William Shakespeare, illustrated stereotypical women based on a feminist’s point of view. Hamlet, the most famous play in the English language, was popularized by the best known poet, William Shakespeare. The play was probably written in 1601 or 1602. Shakespeare achieved artistic maturity in this work through his brilliant depiction of the hero’s struggle with two opposing forces: moral integrity and the need to avenge his father’s murder.
"Hamlet is always with us. Even those who have never read the complete play or seen a performance know a few lines of "To be or not to be" and recognize the image of a young man contemplating …show more content…
Her act of marrying her husband’s brother, Claudius, is considered immoral by the church. Gertrude was one of Shakespeare’s characters who have caused conflicts in the play. Probably, the best question that could be raised with regards to Gertrude’s character is: Was she involved with Claudius even before her husband died? Learning how immoral Gertrude can be, it is not far from reality that she probably was already involved with Claudius even before her husband’s death. And who knows, she might probably know Claudius’ plan of killing King Hamlet. Gertrude is clearly a woman struggling to pursue her desire of position and affection, as well as her tendency to use men to fulfill her instinct of self preservation. This, however, made her a little like Ophelia who depended upon the men in her life. Gertrude always chooses safe decisions. She chose to marry Claudius because that would make everything easier. Wholly, her character can be summed up as a woman who solely relies on men.
As a mother to Hamlet, their relationship can greatly be considered as dysfunctional. Her son didn’t believe in her. She decided on her own without her son’s approval. The strongest incestuous desires depicted in this play arise in the relationship of Hamlet and Gertrude, an interesting angle in this relationship is the fact that Hamlet was said to have fallen in love with her mother. This was given proof by Hamlet’s fixation on Gertrude’s sexual life with Claudius and his preoccupation with her in