Hamlet: a Feminist Approach

Sexism: the belief or attitude that one sex is inherently superior to, more competent than, or more valuable than the other (most commonly used for male superiority). This idea that women are weak is not a new one in the modern world.

It has been studied for countless years along with the concept of a patriarchal society. A patriarchy is defined as a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it.Such systems currently exist in several forms and areas around the world; however, the most common place for these patriarchies is in literature. Novels, plays, works of nonfiction, and other forms of literature have shown to either “reinforce or undermine the economic, political, social, and psychological oppression of women" (Tyson 83), often creating controversy and causing criticism from feminists and other readers. Tragic play Hamlet, by author William Shakespeare, is a story that displays characteristics of a patriarchal society and fails to acknowledge a female perspective.The application of the feminist criticism lens reveals that Shakespeare is sexist in his portrayal of characters in Hamlet, and allows the reader to develop further understanding of the characters and their interactions throughout the play.

Ophelia is one main character through which the reader is able to sense Shakespeare’s sexism. A central character in the story, Ophelia is first seen in the company of her brother and father, who both give her advice about her lover (Hamlet) and life in general.The focus at this point is upon how Polonius (Ophelia’s father), acts with Laertes (her brother) and how different those interactions are from Polonius’ dealings with Ophelia. Polonious’ level of sophistication in conversing with his son not only is filled with dignity, but also with legitimate advice, such as “to thine own self be true” (Shakespeare 29). In his conversation with Ophelia, however, Polonious offers advice while treating her chastity like a commodity that could be used to his advantage: “Think yourself a baby that you have ta'en these tenders for true pay, which are not sterling.

Tender yourself more dearly, or—not to crack the wind of the poor phrase, running it thus—you’ll tender me a fool” (31). Here, Polonious clearly shows that he does not care as much as for Ophelia as he does for his reputation, suggesting that he thinks that women are inferior. In addition, Ophelia’s lack of refusal to being pushed around while submitting to her father’s oppression contributes to her being portrayed as a weak, frail woman. The single response to her father’s lecture on her relationship with Hamlet is “I shall obey, my lord” (31).She truly has no say in important decisions either.

For example, she was asked to spy on Hamlet by her father and Claudius, and no option was provided to say no, simply because it was expected of her to follow the orders of the males present. As Polonius and Claudius spy on Hamlet and Ophelia, Hamlet and Ophelia’s dialogue shows the degradation of females. Hamlet says, “…for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go, and quickly too” (31), describing his disgust and lack of trust for women in marriages, thinking they are all uncommitted deceivers.

Hamlet, as the plot progresses, eventually accidentally kills Polonius, leaving Ophelia with no close family and influences left. When she comes to the King and Queen insane, Claudius says, “Oh, this is the poison of deep grief. It springs all from her father’s death, and now behold! ” (96) Shakespeare implies that due to the absence of the brotherly and fatherly influences in her life, Ophelia had lost her mental stability. However, this point is flawed.In reality, the reason for Ophelia committing suicide may not have been the loss of guidance from her male family members, but rather because Laertes and Polonius had oppressed her for her entire life-- once she experienced more freedom, she could not handle it.

Nevertheless, Shakespeare’s portrayal of Ophelia depicts a weak, unstable woman, who when without men beside her, is unable to continue through the pains of life. Shakespeare’s sexism continues to be portrayed through Queen Gertrude’s interactions with other characters.Gertrude appears in a negative light to the reader at the beginning of the play, as she shockingly remarries to her brother-in-law “within a month” (24) after her husband’s death. Hamlet’s soliloquy expresses both his and Shakespeare’s thoughts about the inferiority of women: “Frailty, thy name is woman! ” (24) due to their need of being cared for and protected, along with their sexual desires. Here, Hamlet explicitly describes his disapproval of the way his mother had quickly remarried, especially to Claudius (whom Hamlet knew had killed his father).

Shakespeare, however, incorrectly portrays the Queen. Gertrude may not have known about Claudius’ involvement in Old Hamlet’s death. She may have been simply encouraging the swift recovery of the nation of Denmark, eager to secure things and proceed with the nation’s business. Essentially, Shakespeare, by casting Gertrude in a negative light, describes women overall as being weak and fragile, longing to feel accepted, and, as shown in his conversation with Ophelia, those who “[make] monsters…of [men]” (31), or unfaithful cheaters to their husbands.Not only does Shakespeare’s sexism reflect through his portrayal of the female characters in the play, however; Hamlet is also portrayed as having feminine characteristics.

After Hamlet meets the ghost for the first time, he promises to avenge his father’s death by killing Claudius. The frustration of what to do and how to do it begins to take its toll on Hamlet, and soon the King and Queen wonder what the problem is.They soon associate his depressing mood with grief due to his father’s death, and when Hamlet refuses to let go of his grief, Claudius attempts to talk him out of it: “But to persever in obstinate condolement is a course of impious stubbornness, ‘tis unmanly grief,” (23). By associating grief and mourning with “unmanliness,” Claudius and Shakespeare portray such characteristics as belonging to females, suggesting they are weak, fragile, and inferior.

“In the world of modern medicine, where drugs prescribed for both sexes often have been tested on male subjects only"(Case), it is evident that sexism still exists.Shakespeare’s overall portrayal of women and Hamlet promotes a patriarchal society, as he continues to show through Hamlet and other various works. Other works such as his Taming of the Shrew display heavy signs of sexism as well, always describing women as inferior to men. The application of the feminist criticism theory lens not only allows the reader to analyze these attributes of Shakespeare’s writing, but also is a method “to expose the explicit and implicit misogyny [the hatred of women by men] in male writing about women” (Case).