Sexuality In Shakespeare's Hamlet
As well as resenting women for the allegedly brittle nature of their character and intellect, Hamlet is also shown to criticize women for their sexuality. This idea is communicated by Hamlet’s repulsion at the way in which his mother responded to her husband’s death with ‘such dexterity to incestuous sheets.’ Hamlet is not only revolted by his mother’s sex drives, but is enraged by with whom she chooses to fulfil them with. Bellowing at his mother that “at your age the heyday in the blood is tame”, Hamlet sees the desires for women to have sex as being another way in which they express neediness and fragility- he believes they are reliant solely upon their sexuality. Hamlet further associates such instincts with moral corruption, advising