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Portrayal of Women in Hamlet - "Frailty, Thy name is woman" [4]
Portrayal of Women in Hamlet
"Frailty, Thy name is woman," quoted by William Shakespeare, alluding to the claimed inherent weakness of women's character. In Hamlet, the roles of women are minor yet essential to the plot and flow of the play. They have no standing in the society and their voices are never heard. Gertrude, the queen of Denmark and Ophelia, the prince's lover are the only two women in the play that have been portrayed as weak, manipulative and can be used. Their actions and fates are greatly influenced by the men's decisions and are also led by the men's power which makes them a weak image of dependent women at Shakespeare's time. Gender inequality is a predominant issue in Hamlet as the two leading women's are characterized as weak, obedient, and are used as tools of manipulation by the male figures in their lives. Ultimately, Shakespeare illustrates a sympathetic image of Gertrude and Ophelia as their downfall can be blamed on how narrow minded and sexist men are. Shakespeare has shown accurate roles of empowerment of women throughout the entire play.
In the play of Hamlet, the female characters have been under the shadows of the male characters by being used for their possessions, status and lust. "Come, go with me: I will go seek the king. This is the very ecstasy of love, Whose violent property fordoes itself And leads the will to desperate undertakings As oft as any passion under heaven That does afflict our natures. (2.1.113-118)" mentioned by Polonius. Here Polonius does not hesitate to use his daughter for his own needs. When Ophelia describes Hamlet's strange behaviour towards her, Polonius immediately interprets this to his convenience. He infers his daughter's description as madness from love which is in his convenience because it can very well mean Ophelia marrying into royalty which would consequently bring him up in society as well. Polonius's intentions are seen through the desperate tone in he speaks with. He is quick to follow through and this is seen when he quickly says "I will go seek the king." What Shakespeare does is basically have Polonius's action and dialogue happen almost simultaneously. He does not lose one minute in searching out the king because the quicker he informs him, the quicker his social status rises, but this is simply the beginning of using Ophelia as a tool. Secondly, Claudius has put Gertrude in total deception and uses her only to gain the crown. He married the Queen as a strategic move to help him seize the throne away from Hamlet after the death of the King. Without knowing that Claudius killed Old hamlet, Gertrude trusts in Claudius's for having a motive of saving the nation and agrees to marry him. Claudius also disguises himself as a loving and caring stepfather to Hamlet in order to gaining Gertrude's love and trust. For instance, Claudius shows his fictitious love for Hamlet in front of the Queen, "This mad young man but so much our love..."(Actâ…£,i,20) Claudius shows his concern for Hamlet's mental illness, but in his true mind, he has lose his patient with Hamlet and having the intention to kill him. He tries his best to be really nice caring to the queen so that he could seize the crown easily. Gertrude is objectified by Claudius e.g. third in the triplet "my crown, mine own ambition and my Queen" - shows she does not come first to him. Finally, When Ophelia sings a song about "Before you tumbled me, You promised me to wed." He answers:"So would I ha' done, by yonder sun, An thou hadst not come to my bed." (4.5.67-71). Ophelia's song reflects a mistake she made - she lost her virginity to Hamlet. With her father dead, her brother away, and her virginity lost, Ophelia really does not have a future left as a woman. She is a pitiful character in the end - her insanity is only a product of the victimization she goes through from all ends. It is finally with her suicide that thing for Ophelia change. While she is, in fact, dead - it is only after her death, that anyone says anything good about, which shows something very painful about Ophelia. Not once throughout the play does someone say anything affectionate or demonstrate at all that she is loved. Right before she does commit suicide the queen is also guilty of not wanting to speak to Ophelia, yet after learning of her death, Shakespeare gives her poetic diction when revealing her suicide.
The female characters have not only have been used by the male characters but also have portrayed as being weak-minded throughout the entire play mainly when a tragedy occurred in their lives. For instance, " And will a not come again? And will a not come again? No, no, he is dead, Go to thy death-bed, He never will come again. His beard was as white as snow, All flaxen was his poll. He is gone, he is gone, And we cast away moan. God a mercy on his soul. 4.5.164-96. Here Ophelia mentions about her dad and how his death has affected her in many ways and that way she couldn't handle the death of her father which has caused her to go mad and insane where eventually it leads to her death. Not only does Ophelia in Hamlet portray weak-minded, even Gertrude also displayed this same act of weak-minded. For example, when Gertrude married Claudius just two months after the death of her former husband, Gertrude was afraid to take over the kingdom all by herself so she had to marry her bother-in-law. "Though yet of Hamlet our dear brother's death The memory be green, and that it us befitted To bear our hearts in grief..." (1.I. Lines 1-25). This proves how the Queen wanted to marry Claudius hurriedly instead of mourning for her Old Hamlet. The haste of their marriage shows her weak reliance on men and general neediness "within a month" and "with such dexterity to incestuous sheets." Ophelia specifically agrees with her father not to see Hamlet again: "I shall obey, my lord" (Act I, Scene IV, line 136) This shows that Polonius has complete control over his daughter, with her desire to please her father as the direct cause. Ophelia has an innate desire to please others, even if it means forfeiting her own feelings, and her obedience apparently springs from this. However, I wonder if Ophelia's drastic actions stem from something other than obedience such as her character. Her compliance seems to go deeper than her trying to please her father, and her thoughts and actions show what a weak character she really is.
Ophelia and Gertrude were easy to manipulate around because of not having any say in the society and that they were in control of the men. Claudius' thirst for power enables him to manipulates events, people's and relationships, especially Gertrude's. Claudius disguises himself as a loving and caring stepfather to Hamlet in order to gain Gertrude's love and trust. For example, Claudius shows his fictitious love for Hamlet in front of the Queen,"This mad young man but so much our love.." (4.1.20) Gertrude follows Claudius' directions for interviewing Hamlet in her closet, which lead to Polonius' death. When Gertrude clutches the cup of death, it symbolizes Gertrude literally overruling Claudius " King: Gertrude, do not drink. Queen: I will, my lord, I pray you pardon me (5.2.82). "Gertrude is weak and dependent until the end of the play where her one act of independence causes her death" . And Ophelia: Shows great loyalty to Polonius as she agrees to stay away from Hamlet and ignore his advances towards her Polonius and Claudius uses Ophelia to spy on Hamlet Ophelia, walk you here. (to CLAUDIUS) Gracious, so please you, We will bestow ourselves. (to OPHELIA)Read on this book That show of such an exercise may color Your loneliness, We are oft to blame in this, 'Tis too much proved, that with devotion's visage And pious action we do sugar o'er The devil himself. (3.1.45) "Hamlet's aggressive questioning of Ophelia's honesty and chastity in this interview is followed by the sexual innuendo about lying in her lap to watch 'The Mousetrap' (3.2.112-116). The bawdy meaning of 'nothing', as a reference to the vagina ('a fair thought to lie between maid's legs')" Here, Hamlet manipulates with Ophelia's emotions and also Ophelia is left stressed and confused due to Hamlet's sexual desires.
In conclusion, Shakespeare creates a sympathetic image of Gertrude and Ophelia as their tragic deaths can be blamed on the issue of gender inequality as both characters are illustrated as weak, taking advantage of, and tools of manipulation by the male figures in their lives. Fortunately in present day society, many women have become more independent to overcome many obstacles and challenges to get to where they need to be today!