Gender Inequality In Hamlet

Most parents are loving, smart, and nice, but, in Hamlet, Polonius is the opposite of a loving father. Although most parents care about their children Polonius uses them and proves he cannot be trusted. Polonius is a kiss up to the king and he wants to look commendable for him. Polonius tells Ophelia, “I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth have you so slander any moment leisure as to give wonders or to talk with lord hamlet. Polonius shows Ophelia a life lesson so she can obey him.

When having a conversation with Ophelia, Polonius says, “I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth/ Have you so slander any moment leisure/ As to give words or talk with the lord Hamlet./ Look to’t, I chanrge you. Come your ways.” (I.III.138-141). This quote shows how Polonius is manipulating Ophelia into not ever talking to Hamlet ever again.

Shakespeare has done a fantastic job on showing today’s audience how this imbalance looked like during his time and how back then, changing roles resulted in catastrophe. His theme of gender roles explains to us the flaws of the imbalance between genders and the misprinted pictures of what men and women should be, something we need to fix

In Hamlet Act 1 scene 3, Polonius gives a speech to Ophelia about Hamlet’s intentions, tries to warn her about her relationship with Hamlet. Polonius is a selfish yet caring father, he uses different tones, dictions, metaphor, and puns to warn Ophelia that Hamlet is just playing around with her and she should not fall for it. Polonius talked to Ophelia in a sarcastic tone. When Ophelia told Polonius that she thinks Hamlet has shown his “affection” towards her, Polonius said she is like a “green girl unsifted in such perilous circumstance” (110-11). He mocked Ophelia for being so naïve and foolish like a child that she cannot see through Hamlet’s lies and false vows.

Every modern society since the beginning of time has painted the female as frail and individuals at the mercy of men, unable to reap the same freedoms and aspirations as their male counterparts. The English Renaissance is no different as women were not allowed to play themselves on stage, and more often than not were seen as weak characters in their portrayal. In Shakespeare's “Hamlet”, all the female protagonists all have flaws that eventually leads to them meeting their deaths. The characters of Ophelia and Gertrude are two different women trapped in the same predicament, partly being due to the inefficacy of being taken seriously, and are therefore perceived as feeble women; looking at the persona of Ophelia, she tends to follow the direction

It’s no surprise, that Shakespeare’s Macbeth was clearly constructed as a rebellion against femininity roles of the time. During the Elizabethan era, women were raised to believe they were inferior to men since men obtained desired masculine qualities such as strength, and loyalty, whereas women were viewed as figures of hospitality (1; 6; 28-31). Obviously, not being tempted by the luxury of subservient women, William Shakespeare rebuked this twisted belief, applying that women deserve more respect than their kitchen tables.

William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a great example of this, as the setting takes place in the fifthtenth century. These gender norms highly impact the story, as for some characters, their role had already been decided at the moment they were born. In older times, it was thought that women should be wedded as teenagers, primarily at 12. Women were governed by their parents from the moment they were born until the day they were married, at which point they were handed over to their husbands, who inherit that role. In Romeo and Juliet, women are portrayed as being subservient to men and lacking independence because of men's superiority.

Hamlet views Ophelia as a naive and ignorant girl who is nothing but Polonius and Claudius's puppet. This was revealed when Hamlet said "God has given you one face and you make yourself another. . You jig and amble, and you lisp, you nickname God's creatures and make your wantonness your ignorance." (III, i, 143-146) In this quote Hamlet knows that Ophelia is spying on him for Polonius and Claudius.

Throughout Hamlet, the thoughts, intentions, and actions of all of the characters can be explained through predisposed gender roles in the play. Hamlet is a tragedy in which the main character, Hamlet, attempts to seek vengeance for his father’s murder, while the relationships with him and around him begin to strain. In the play, gender plays a huge role in assuming the capability and worth of people. Women are most commonly depicted as being weak, powerless, and confused, while men are commonly shown as being strong, analytical, and intuitive. Hamlet features Ophelia and Gertrude as the only two female roles, and even then they show little independence from the males.

Hamlet’s views on women is adulterous which pertains to the misogynistic tendencies in the play; thus, Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, sparks up his misogynistic approaches. Hamlet is repulsed with Gertrude since she was quick to re-wed immediately following Old Hamlet’s death and cries: “She married. O, most wicked speed, to post / With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!” (1.2.156-157). Hamlet is shocked that his mother remarries to Claudius, Old Hamlet’s brother, before letting the tears on her cheek to dry.

/Set your entreatments at a higher rate/Than a command to parley" (Act I, Scene III, 120 - 123).When looking at Polonius ' interactions with his daughter he is depicted to be a very conservative father who advises Ophelia not to engage in immoral acts with a silly boy and to keep her chastity safe. He goes on to tell her that she must obey her father and that it is important for a women to stay 'pure '; but when we look at Polonius ' interactions with his son Laertes he says, "Give thy thoughts no tongue,/ Nor any unproportioned thought his act./ Be thou familiar but by no means vulgar./ Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried,/ Grapple them unto thy soul with hoops of steel,/ But do not dull thy palm with entertainment/ Of each new-hatched, unfledged comrade.

Women were discriminated and humiliated by men continuously in the past. Men used their authority over women to their advantage and controlled women into doing whatever they wanted. Females were deprived of their rights and did not have their freedom. In the play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare, evidence from the past show how much men mistreated women in the Elizabethan times. Egues is the first male character to present to the audience how men had excessive control over females.

Hamlet does not value Ophelia 's feelings he belittles her. In Hamlets defense this is the way he was brought up to treat women, during that time this was a common way to treat a women. Even though in today 's society it is not at all ok to treat women with such disrespect. He also likes for everything to go as planned and this may result in why he can not have a stable relationship with a woman. This also causes him to have many stumbling blocks in his life that causes some emotional pain

Polonius talks about how he is heard Ophelia has been spending more time with Hamlet as of recently. Polonius told Ophelia that Ophelia was acting like an innocent girl unlearned in love and lust. Polonius then proceeds to say Ophelia is foolish for believing the “offers” are true. Ophelia argues that he “backed his words of love with nearly every holy vow.” Polonius proceeds to say, “vows are like traps for birds,” warning Ophelia.

For numerous years in the past, women always play a smaller role in society politically, economically, and socially than men do. This was a norm for everyone living during that time period; everything that people do was reflect by it, including the literature written. In William Shakespeare 's Hamlet, the roles of women are just as society would have displayed them during that time. The leading women, Gertrude and Ophelia, are seen as less valuable than men and insignificant because of their dependence on male authorities, obedience, and are easily manipulated by others throughout the play.