The Pawns Of Gender Politics In Shakespeare's Hamlet
The Pawns of Gender Politics:
The Role of Women in Shakespeare’s Hamlet
During the Renaissance, and beyond, women were often seen as possessions of the men in their lives . In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, women are frequently manipulated by the strong male characters who are closest to them . This manipulation is displayed when examining the relationship between Ophelia and her father, Gertrude and her new husband, and even the Player King and Player Queen . These relationships reveal that behind every strong man in the text, there is a woman who is used to serve that man’s needs, then is quickly discarded .
Early in the play, Shakespeare presents a scene in which Ophelia is used as a pawn by her father, Polonius, who seeks …show more content…
Eat a crocodile? I’ll do’t. Dost thou come here to wine? To outface me with leaping in her grave? Be buried quick with her, and so will I. (5.1.276-281)
As with Polonius’s treatment of his daughter, Ophelia serves only as a means of competition between Hamlet and Laertes, establishing their climatic sword fight that will conclude the play. Ophelia’s grave becomes the literal place of a battle between the male figures who, as they are both in her grave, must be standing on her corpse to further their own heated battle. This is the ultimate rejection of her character as anything other than a device designed to further the male-focussed plot.
A similar situation arises between Gertrude and Ophelia where we see a husband also use his wife to make greater personal gains. Claudius’s desire for the throne leads him to murder King Hamlet and grant himself both his crown and his wife…
ETC.
Smith …show more content…
“Cat in the Rain.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed.
Stephen Greenblatt. Vol. 2. Boston: Norton, 2007. Print.
• Sample parenthetical reference: (Eliot 187), where “187” is the PAGE number
Journal Article:
Keary, Anne. “Dancing with Strangers: Europeans and Australians at First Contact.” Canadian
Journal of History. 41 (2006): 613-616. Print.
• Sample parenthetical reference: (Keary 614), where 614 is the PAGE number
Website (without & with an author):
“Works of Joyce Wieland.” Celebrating Women’s Achievements: Women Artists in Canada.
National Library of Canada, 2000. Web. 29 Mar. 2009.
• Sample parenthetical reference (“Works”)
Wong, Jessica. “Celebrating the Kid Inside.” CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 30
July 2004. Web. 20 Aug.2008.
• Sample parenthetical reference (Wong)
Film:
Hamlet. Dir. John Gielgud. Perf. Richard Burton. 1946. DVD. LionsGate, 2012. DVD.
• Parenthetical reference: (Hamlet)
Youtube
"Monster went and ate my red 2." 14 Oct 2011. YouTube. Web. 18 Nov.
The Role of Women in Shakespeare’s Hamlet
During the Renaissance, and beyond, women were often seen as possessions of the men in their lives . In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, women are frequently manipulated by the strong male characters who are closest to them . This manipulation is displayed when examining the relationship between Ophelia and her father, Gertrude and her new husband, and even the Player King and Player Queen . These relationships reveal that behind every strong man in the text, there is a woman who is used to serve that man’s needs, then is quickly discarded .
Early in the play, Shakespeare presents a scene in which Ophelia is used as a pawn by her father, Polonius, who seeks …show more content…
Eat a crocodile? I’ll do’t. Dost thou come here to wine? To outface me with leaping in her grave? Be buried quick with her, and so will I. (5.1.276-281)
As with Polonius’s treatment of his daughter, Ophelia serves only as a means of competition between Hamlet and Laertes, establishing their climatic sword fight that will conclude the play. Ophelia’s grave becomes the literal place of a battle between the male figures who, as they are both in her grave, must be standing on her corpse to further their own heated battle. This is the ultimate rejection of her character as anything other than a device designed to further the male-focussed plot.
A similar situation arises between Gertrude and Ophelia where we see a husband also use his wife to make greater personal gains. Claudius’s desire for the throne leads him to murder King Hamlet and grant himself both his crown and his wife…
ETC.
Smith …show more content…
“Cat in the Rain.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed.
Stephen Greenblatt. Vol. 2. Boston: Norton, 2007. Print.
• Sample parenthetical reference: (Eliot 187), where “187” is the PAGE number
Journal Article:
Keary, Anne. “Dancing with Strangers: Europeans and Australians at First Contact.” Canadian
Journal of History. 41 (2006): 613-616. Print.
• Sample parenthetical reference: (Keary 614), where 614 is the PAGE number
Website (without & with an author):
“Works of Joyce Wieland.” Celebrating Women’s Achievements: Women Artists in Canada.
National Library of Canada, 2000. Web. 29 Mar. 2009.
• Sample parenthetical reference (“Works”)
Wong, Jessica. “Celebrating the Kid Inside.” CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 30
July 2004. Web. 20 Aug.2008.
• Sample parenthetical reference (Wong)
Film:
Hamlet. Dir. John Gielgud. Perf. Richard Burton. 1946. DVD. LionsGate, 2012. DVD.
• Parenthetical reference: (Hamlet)
Youtube
"Monster went and ate my red 2." 14 Oct 2011. YouTube. Web. 18 Nov.