Ophelia's Portrayal Of Women In Hamlet

While Ophelia demonstrates a kind and sweet character, Queen Gertrude is depicted in a much different light. Shakespeare had made a developed character that has far more than one-dimensional. Aside from her role attached to the male characters in Hamlet, Queen Gertrude is an intelligent, respectable woman. Unfortunately, Gertrude is not always painted in the best light as her lack of awareness of her husband’s murder. Gertrude “doesn’t seem to know what’s going on around her and doesn’t know why Hamlet is moody” (Tom Stoppard 23). Acknowledging her oblivious behavior that Shakespeare has given her, Gertrude is often depicted as an unaware woman. Nonetheless, she is greater than the stereotypes surrounding the Renaissance time for women. However,
Hamlet seems to have a special distain for his mother, completely disapproving of his mother’s relationship with Claudius. Hamlet is disgusted by her “quick and incestuous remarriage to her brother-in-law” (Bloom 23). Through Hamlet’s words and many others, Hamlet displays distrust in women because of the actions of his mother’s. Hamlet unfairly stereotypes all women to act the same as his mother does. Hamlet groups both Ophelia and Gertrude together as being the same based on the actions of his mother. While Ophelia and Gertrude are not the same, Hamlet starts to treat all women in the way he feels about his mother. Gleed points out that Hamlet “makes no distinction between the two women, tarring all of womanhood with the same brush” as he believes that all women will act the way his mother has (172). His distrust for women only grows the more he interacts with her and the more he thinks of her remarriage. Hamlet distrusted all of the women in his life based on his beliefs with his mothers and his distrust only kept increasing (Bloom 25-26). Though mistreated by Hamlet, his uncle, Claudius does show respect towards her intellect and wishes. Unlike many stereotypes that surround the