Hamlet
Melanie Majeed
Pre-AP Literature
Becton
13 April 2013
The Exploration of Hamlet through a Feminist Lens Throughout the Elizabethan era women were not acknowledge as humans. The ideal gender role of women was to work in the home: cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children. Men were the only ones to work and have a career. The feminist theory analyzes the status of women in society. It deals with gender differences, gender inequality, gender oppression, and structural oppression. Analyzing Hamlet through a feminist lens critics focus on Ophelia one of the plays female characters, within the text Shakespeare conveys the treatment of women in Elizabethan society. In doing this, Ophelia is often utilized as an ultimate pawn by the men in her life; Laertes, Polonius, and Hamlet. As for a women’s social position they are define as being powerless. Ophelia’s brother Laertes is one of the characters that implements her for his desire and will because of her gender. In the tragedy Laertes converse win Ophelia exuding a tone of authority and power. He speaks to her as a higher power; he gives her orders not advice. She is not privilege to choose what she wants to do, instead she gets told what to do because in this era women were looked as puppets. Laertes finds out that Ophelia has been seeing prince Hamlet, he doesn’t not feel that Hamlet is good enough for Ophelia, he suggest her to stop seeing him. Considering that Laertes has a higher placement in society because of his gender she listens and agrees with him.
Shakespeare Writes, For Hamlet and the trifling of his favor, Hold it a fashion and a toy in blood, A violet in the youth of primy nature, Forward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting, The perfume and suppliance of a minute. No more (I.iii.5-10) fits your wisdom so far to It believe it As he in his particular act and place May give his saying deed, which is no further Than the main voice of Denmark goes withal. Then weigh what loss your honor may
Pre-AP Literature
Becton
13 April 2013
The Exploration of Hamlet through a Feminist Lens Throughout the Elizabethan era women were not acknowledge as humans. The ideal gender role of women was to work in the home: cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children. Men were the only ones to work and have a career. The feminist theory analyzes the status of women in society. It deals with gender differences, gender inequality, gender oppression, and structural oppression. Analyzing Hamlet through a feminist lens critics focus on Ophelia one of the plays female characters, within the text Shakespeare conveys the treatment of women in Elizabethan society. In doing this, Ophelia is often utilized as an ultimate pawn by the men in her life; Laertes, Polonius, and Hamlet. As for a women’s social position they are define as being powerless. Ophelia’s brother Laertes is one of the characters that implements her for his desire and will because of her gender. In the tragedy Laertes converse win Ophelia exuding a tone of authority and power. He speaks to her as a higher power; he gives her orders not advice. She is not privilege to choose what she wants to do, instead she gets told what to do because in this era women were looked as puppets. Laertes finds out that Ophelia has been seeing prince Hamlet, he doesn’t not feel that Hamlet is good enough for Ophelia, he suggest her to stop seeing him. Considering that Laertes has a higher placement in society because of his gender she listens and agrees with him.
Shakespeare Writes, For Hamlet and the trifling of his favor, Hold it a fashion and a toy in blood, A violet in the youth of primy nature, Forward, not permanent, sweet, not lasting, The perfume and suppliance of a minute. No more (I.iii.5-10) fits your wisdom so far to It believe it As he in his particular act and place May give his saying deed, which is no further Than the main voice of Denmark goes withal. Then weigh what loss your honor may
Cited: Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Mineola, New York: Dover Publications, 2009. Print. Dane, Gabrielle. “Reading Ophelia’s Madness” Exemplaria 10 (1998): 405-23 Saylor, . The Saylor Foundation. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Apr. 2013.