Mark Mirando | 2013-00862 | BA Theatre Arts Eng 23 - Hamlet

REPRESENTATION OF PARENTAL AUTHORITY IN HAMLET

One of the most notable features of Hamlet is its representations of authority not only in the
state of Denmark but also inside the homes of every family in the state. In Act 1.3, it is noticeable
that the house of Polonius is dominated by authorities of male figures. In this scene, Ophelia was
double-advised not to entertain Hamlet, not only by his brother, Laertes, but also by his father,
Polonius, as if love between the middle class and the elite are a sin that can cause shame to the
family:

“[...] Ophelia, [...]Keep you in the rear of your affection,

Out of the shot and danger of desire.” – lines 33-35, Laertes

“In few Ophelia,

do not believe his vows, for they are brokers[.]” – lines 126-127, Polonius

This double articulation of male dominance against the female represented through Ophelia
shows how patriarchy dominates the houses of the Elizabethan period and how honour is valued in
every house. Of course, this honour greatly matters in the house of the noble and rulers, where
Hamlet belongs. One can only imagine the efforts every parent of these houses do to protect the
honour of their names. One of the examples of a parental action towards preservation of honour is
Claudius’s call for Hamlet’s childhood friends, Guildenstern and Rosencrantz, to “spy” on Hamlet’s
behaviour. This act is obviously a tactic to identify the root of Hamlet’s eccentricities, for madness
can ruin the reputation of the noble name. This manipulation of the patriarchal figure is also
apparent in the first scene of the second act, as Polonius call for Reynaldo to go to France to
converse with the inhabitants of the state and asked about his son’s behaviour in that foreign soil.
These lenses of upbringing can give us a peek on how institutions, like family, can mold an
individual. Perhaps, these manipulative acts of the parental authority are the psychological root of
Hamlet and Ophelia’s madness. Perhaps, one can look at Hamlet as a commentary of patriarchy as a
destructive force against the emotional state of a teenager.