Passive Women In Hamlet

The view of women has changed drastically over time, and so have the roles they are expected to play. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, the reader encounters two women of different social standings- Gertrude, the queen, and Ophelia, the daughter of the king's chief advisor. Through the comparison of their independence, Shakespeare portrays them as passive women who need men to tell them what to do. When they become free of this dependence, they are lead to their downfalls.
Independence is important, as it allows one to support themselves. This contradicts what happens in Hamlet. The absence or rejection of a man's guidance leads Ophelia and Gertrude to their demise. At the end of the play, Gertrude denies Claudius' instructions, and suffers because of it. When she tries to drink the poisoned wine, she is told, "Gertrude, do not drink./ I will, my lord, I pray you,
Delirious, she tells Laertes, "There's rue for you, and here's some for me./... I would give you some violets, but they/ withered all when my father died" (4.5.190-94). Soon after Hamlet renounces his love for her, he murders her father. The withering of violets represents her loss of faith. The rue symbolizes her sorrow of losing the men who have been consistently there for her. She has become so accustomed to being told what to do that she is lost without a male. Her life, now devoid of direction, pushes to her to suicide. Using Gertrude and Ophelia, Shakespeare portrays the dependence of women on men during that time.
Society has worked hard to change the sexist views of women created in the past. These views are evident in Shakespeare's Hamlet, where the only women in the play die after becoming independent. Gertrude and Ophelia's passive nature and dependence on men are what lead them to their demise. It is necessary for women to learn the importance of independence, for both genders are equally important in