Hamlet Feminist Criticism

Nicole Golden
Ms. Fallon
English IV Honors
January 29, 2012

Frailty; thy name is woman. Hamlet, one of Shakespeare’s most well noted plays, is also one of his most popular among critics. Shakespeare’s portrayal of characters, especially women, has evoked much arousal in the feminist category. Ophelia, Hamlet’s love interest, is characterized with a lack of will, an unexplained background, a “feminine death”, and as a sign of sexuality, is a negatively portrayed female character in this play. Ophelia is introduced as a virginal, sweet young woman with no past. This lack of prior knowledge of her being allows the reader to question the importance of her history. The question of the importance of her life is disgarded and her current presence is the only one that matters for the existence of the play. This shows the negative portrayal already to be brought about because of her underdeveloped, fejgnkjgrkgb. Sometimes words are needed in defense, for no words can be just as negative. “Frailty; thy name is woman.” Is one of the most impacting quotes in the whole play. It directly states of the nature in which the feminine world is to be perceived. Woman, according to the time, were supposed to be mentally unstable, and fully dependent on their male spouse. This was no better exemplified than in Hamlet. Ophelia, after having taken orders from her father her whole life, his death made her go mad. She was then no longer able to function, ultimately resulting in her death. Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, quickly re-married to be supported by her late husband’s brother. This shows her weakness to be successful without a partner and lack of self-assurance. Ophelia’s specific death, that by drowning, can be linked directly with being a woman. “In his discussion of the ‘Ophelia complex,’ the phenomenologist Gaston Bachelard traces the symbolic connections between women, water, and death. Drowning, he suggests, becomes the truly feminine death in the dramas of literature and life, one which is a beautiful immersion and submersion in the female element. Water is the profound and organic symbol of the liquid woman whose eyes are so easily drowned in tears, as her body is the repository of blood, amniotic fluid, and milk.” Ophelia’s brother Laertes states that he has once again became man after crying tears, tears which are liquid, liquid being feminine, and feminine being weakness. The idea of women being signs of sexuality has been present for thousands of years. Ophelia is especially known for this, being a woman constantly entangled within flowers and white linens. The scene in which Ophelia becomes mad, passing out flowers to those around can be contrived as symbolism for, “deflowering” herself. She publicly has humiliated herself, her family, and the female name for her actions. It was mentioned by numerous critics how they believed that it was Shakespeare’s anger against women for making his characters act in these ways. An interesting aspect of some of the criticism on Ophelia’s behavior has to do with those who act out the plays, themselves. Earlier renditions, when females were not as welcome on the stage, men played Ophelia and tended to react with more emotions to make Ophelia seem even weaker not only mentally but also in a physical aspect. When portrayed by a female, the pity and fragility were still present, just not in the mocking demeanor as when portrayed by men. In other places, Ophelia’s lines were shortened and censored because many did not believe in her place in the play at all. As time went on however, she is portrayed as childlike and frail in contrast to mad and dangerous.

Hamlet’s negative portrayal of women can be linked to many historical beliefs, but the examples are certain. The reader’s lack of prior knowledge concerning Ophelia allows one to question the importance of her history. Woman, according to the time in which Hamlet was written, were supposed to be mentally unstable and fully dependent on their male spouse; Gertrude and Ophelia were prime example’s of this phenomenon. Ophelia’s specific death, that by drowning, can be linked directly with being a woman for water’s liquidity. The idea of a woman being a sign of sexuality has been a common thought for thousands of years, this showing the ability for the play’s modern day relevance.