FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND BUSINESS STUDIES

Department of Humanities

Shakespeare’s Representation of Women

A Feminist Reading of Shakespeare’s Hamlet

Mathilda Samuelsson

2020

Student thesis, Bachelor degree, 15 HE

English
Upper Secondary Teacher Education Programme
English 61-90 HE

Supervisor: Iulian Cananau

Examiner: Maria Mårdberg
Abstract
Shakespeare’s Hamlet (1609) is a nuanced play that illustrates revenge, madness, and

complex relationships. The essay aims to analyse the importance of the two female

characters in the play: Ophelia and Gertrude. By studying Ophelia and Gertrude, the

essay shows how Shakespeare portrays women in Hamlet. Furthermore, the study does

a feminist reading of the play to investigate how Ophelia’s and Gertrude’s actions and

behaviour are affected by the contemporary patriarchal society, and how it affects the

male characters’ choices.

In order to examine the ways in which Shakespeare portrays Ophelia and

Gertrude in the play, their characters are deconstructed. By deconstructing characters, it

allows them to have contradictory characteristics, such as rational yet irrational, or sane

yet mad. It is essential to consider several perspectives when doing a close reading of all

characters in the play, since every reason for their behaviour and actions have an

underlying meaning, which contributes to the complex and nuanced plot. Therefore, the

study, besides deconstruction, does a close reading of the play’s characters as a method

to investigate how Ophelia and Gertrude are portrayed in the play, and how their

behaviour and choices affect the other characters.

The results show that, at first, Ophelia and Gertrude are pictured as the

passive and silent gender under the obedience of male authority. However, beneath the

surface, Gertrude is a strong woman who tries, in clever ways, to rule for the state’s

interest and, unsuccessfully, tries to prevent Hamlet’s emotional decisions and thirst for

revenge to destroy the state. Ophelia has a relatively small part in the play, but her

presence clearly shows how women were interpreted in a contemporary patriarchal

society. For example, in the first half of the play, she takes the role as Hamlet’s

unmarried lover. After Hamlet rejects her for being unchaste, the murder of her father
and the absence of her brother, she is portrayed as mad which, eventually, leads to her

suicide, or, possibly, unintentional death. Nevertheless, by deconstructing Ophelia’s

character, it shows that her madness is rational. By Hamlet, she is accused of being

unclean and unworthy of marriage. In addition, her father is murdered. Naturally, she is

grieving. Her suicide might be an action of independence, since she can, finally, make

her own decisions. However, when she is interpreted from a male point of view in a

patriarchy, she is irrational, emotional, and mad.

To conclude, Shakespeare portrays Gertrude and Ophelia as irrelevant,

emotional female characters. However, through a close reading and deconstruction, they

are women who try to take control of their lives, actions, and behaviour in different

ways in a contemporary patriarchal society. This research allows readers to interpret

female characters in several ways, and by a feminist reading of the play, understand that

an emotional and irrational woman might intentionally behave in that way for logical

reasons. The research also allows readers to see how women are forced to act and make

choices in a contemporary patriarchy to be able to influence societal structures.

Keywords: Shakespeare, Hamlet, Gertrude, Ophelia, Women, Feminism, Feminist

Criticism, Patriarchy, Femininity, Masculinity

Table of Contents

1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 1

2. Theoretical framework .......................................................................................................... 3

2.1 Previous studies .......................................................................................................3

2.2 Theory ......................................................................................................................6

3. Analysis ................................................................................................................................. 12

3.1 Shakespeare’s display of women ...........................................................................12

3.2 The shaming of Ophelia and Gertrude ...................................................................14

3.3 Rationality vs irrationality .....................................................................................18

4. Conclusion............................................................................................................................. 23

5. Works cited............................................................................................................................ 26
1. Introduction
The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, displays twisted relationships and,

more importantly, revenge. The drama has been analysed from numerous angles and with

several theories: for instance, the truth behind Hamlet’s madness, or his connection to the

Oedipus complex. Another relevant aspect is the characters’ role in contemporary patriarchal

society and the meaning of details in Shakespeare’s choice of words in the play. Simple words

as ‘nunnery’ and ‘lap’ have a deeper meaning and a major role to the plot. Every choice

Hamlet makes, and every picture of male figures contributes to the societal structures that

shape the play. Hamlet’s madness and revenge are the foundation of the play since his

decisions are the ones that lead to mass death. However, his decisions can be argued to be

irrational and emotional. If he had thought of the people and the country that his revenge

would affect, unnecessary deaths could have been prevented, as well as Norway’s invasion of

Denmark. There are only two female characters in the play: Gertrude and Ophelia. Both

characters seem unimportant and merely play supporting roles. At first, they are illustrated as

weak, passive, and dependent. However, their choices and actions contribute greatly to the

plot. Gertrude is a strong woman who tries to control Hamlet and Claudius to help them make

the right choices, and rule as Queen for the state’s interest. She does not let her feelings

interfere with her behaviour. Ophelia is seduced by Hamlet who gives her his, supposedly,

true affections and the promise of love. Her brother Laertes, however, argues that Hamlet is

untrustworthy and will never prioritise her. Like Laertes, her father Polonius states that

Hamlet is selfish and unconcerned with her well-being. The paper proposes a feminist reading

of Hamlet and analyses the play’s central characters, Gertrude, Ophelia, Hamlet, Claudius,

Polonius, and Laertes, and their behaviour under the influence of a patriarchal society.

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Furthermore, the study will focus on the ways in which Shakespeare represents Ophelia and

Gertrude in the play.

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2. Theoretical framework
2.1 Previous studies

Shakespeare is one of the greatest men in theatre and is described as an author

who has great “knowledge of the human heart” (Daiches 246). His plays and sonnets often

concentrate on male authority and dominance. In the Elizabethan era, women had little power

and property. They were not allowed an education and domestic disputes were regularly

solved by violence (Rackin 7). Since men were the core in society, and women ‘the other’, it

might have been irrelevant to write works where the focus is on women. Nevertheless, Rackin

also argues that Shakespeare’s plays always have been relatable and inviting for women,

which has contributed to women’s empowerment (Rackin 72). The statement that women are

empowered by Shakespeare’s depiction of women is questionable. Several female characters

are described as passive and subordinate. They are not, clearly, revolting against male

dominance and male authority. However, the assertion that women can identify with female

characters is comprehensible. Gender bias is visible in Shakespeare’s plays where women are

usually assigned the roles of wives and daughters. Women can relate to subordination and

lack of authority in their own lives. The women in his plays can inspire subsequent

generations of women to raise their voice against oppression and injustice. Nevertheless, what

contributes to feminism and equality is how the plays are read and from what perspective the

plays are analysed.

Feminist critics consider Shakespeare’s works in relation to female oppression

and male anxiety (Rackin 16). Male anxiety can be based on men’s fear of powerful women.

However, it can be problematic to investigate his works from this point of view since they are

created from a male point of view and with male terms (Rackin 16). Literature is often

misogynistic. Donovan argues that men are the basis in every literature, and women are

always ‘the other’ (Donovan 4,5). Moreover, he states that literature is always written from a

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male perspective (Donovan 15). This is, of course, an exaggeration. Still, in Hamlet,

everything that occurs is mainly from Hamlet’s point of view. The plot is driven by his goal

of revenge and the consequences of his actions. Nevertheless, it is impossible to make an

objective reading of literature. Every reading is affected by contemporary culture and values,

which are applied to the reading. Thus, the reader often finds what is looked for (Rackin 18).

Rackin highlights that male characters are the majority in Shakespeare’s plays and female

characters are either few or less important with fewer lines than men. The women that appear

often play a domestic role and are typically ‘feminine’ (Rackin 49-50). Since there are only

two female characters, we may at first consider female characters as less significant. The play

can be investigated from several perspectives, and when it is interpreted from a feminist point

of view, there is a clear depiction of misogyny in contemporary patriarchal society. For

example, that Ophelia and Gertrude are portrayed as weak and irrelevant. However, if another

interpretation were used, for example, the lack of male authority, evidence would certainly be

found to confirm it. Rackin argues that history and information must be reinterpreted and

further investigated since it is ‘incomplete’. She says that “it constitutes only one of many

stories that could be told about women’s place in Shakespeare’s world, and I think we need to

consider the implications of its current hegemony” (Rackin 9).

In Hamlet, amongst other works, Shakespeare partly presents the contemporary

patriarchal society in the Elizabethan era. Both Ophelia and Gertrude, the only female roles in

the play, are obedient to the male figures. Ophelia is forced to be silent and listen to her

brother and father when they give her the orders to stay away from Hamlet. Even though she

is torn between her affection for Hamlet and her family, the decisions she must make are

under the control of men. According to Fischer, women are the unheard, silent sex, which is

reflected in Ophelia. She is often silent and does not know what to think or say (Fischer 3).

Even though Ophelia’s role is relatively small, her character is significant to understand the

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underlying meaning of the plot and the illustration of inequality and patriarchal structures in

the play. By analysing Ophelia, it is shown that men are in control in society since their

opinion is final, emotional women are diagnosed with hysteria and madness, and sexual

activities outside marriage is a sign of unchaste and damaged women. Her first real entrance

in the play is when Laertes persuades Ophelia to stay away from Hamlet’s lies. In addition to

Laertes' advice, Polonius forbids Ophelia to see Hamlet (Fischer 4).

Bloom argues that everything that occurred in Hamlet was because of Hamlet’s

reaction to his father’s death, so the play is based on Hamlet’s actions alone. If his reaction to

the King’s death had been lighter, no one would have died the way they did, and Ophelia

would not have become insane and committed suicide (Bloom 387). Furthermore, Bloom

considers Hamlet’s affection for Ophelia to be a lie since he did not show enough remorse

upon her death. The only love Hamlet felt was towards his father, and Ophelia was merely a

tool for Hamlet’s revenge (Bloom 408-409). The question of whether Hamlet loved Ophelia is

complex. On the one hand, Hamlet used Ophelia for his sexual satisfaction and left her when

he wanted to avenge his father. On the other hand, his feelings might have been sincere but

his drive for revenge was greater, which made him use her. It is, however, clear that Hamlet’s

greatest love was towards his father. Even though Ophelia’s part is not a big one, it is a vital

one. Without her, Hamlet’s plan for vengeance would not have been possible, or as effective

(Camden 247). Ophelia’s character is not only passive and weak but a helpful one. According

to Findlay, the name Ophelia means ‘helper’ (Findlay 311). She seems to want to help Hamlet

and her family. Because she is dependent on them, she is nothing without them. Therefore,

due to her loss of Hamlet, her father, and her brother, she becomes mad.

Gertrude’s name can be translated as ‘strength’ (Findlay 152). She is a Queen and

therefore must make decisions that favour the state and prioritise the state before her own

pleasures. To do this, she must marry Claudius to remain Queen, even though he betrayed the

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King. Hamlet, however, accuses Gertrude to be lustful and weak when she marries Claudius.

A widow is a woman whose husband has died. The widow should mourn her husband and

should not think about marrying someone else. Hamlet is partly angry at Gertrude because she

remarried, and thus the memory of her dead husband fades (Findlay 445). Since Hamlet’s true

feelings are towards his father, he does not want the memories or the soul of his father to

disappear. Since the play is written and seen from a male point of view, she appears to be

weak from a patriarchal perspective (Findlay 152). In addition, as a woman, her identity is not

the Queen. She is a mother and a wife. Furthermore, when Hamlet goes to tell Gertrude that

Claudius murdered the King, she claims that he is mad. This can also be a sign of weakness

from Gertrude. Instead of raising her voice to protest against Claudius, she blames Hamlet for

his madness. However, another interpretation is that she protects Hamlet since he thinks with

his emotions and not his rational self (Findlay 153). Besides being a woman and a wife,

Gertrude is also an aunt and a widow. According to Findlay, an aunt is “an old woman and a

gossip, or, in a bawdy sense, a procuress or whore” (Findlay 19). Gertrude is legally Hamlet’s

aunt since she married his uncle Claudius, but he also refers to her as an aunt to show his

disgust with her sexuality and her remarriage (Findlay 20). Even though Gertrude encounters

loathing and hatred from Hamlet, her only son, she continues to be silent to protect him, and

the state, from destruction because of his lust for vengeance.

2.2 Theory

Feminist critics analyse how women are represented in literature and the political

reasons for gender roles. Barry writes that feminist critics investigate how women are

represented in literature, and whether women are different from men due to biology or social

constructions (Barry 140-1). Furthermore, feminist critics read literature as political in

relation to patriarchy and examine female roles as women characters are viewed as ‘the other’

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(Barry 140). Barry also explains how feminist criticism has switched perspectives throughout

the years. For instance, in the 1970s, the focus was on men and inequality. In the 1980s, the

focus switched to the female character instead of the male character. Also, it focused on a

reconstruction of the picture of women. In turn, it has empowered women’s literature and

female authors (Barry 130). Bennett and Royle states that feminist criticism looks at the

complexity of gender differences. The literary text must be closely read to understand

patriarchal and hierarchal structures (Bennett and Royle 214). Ros Velasco argues that the

feminism available for those in first-world countries is Western feminism. Western feminism

looks at domestic violence, oppression, enslavement, and ignorance that the third-world

country endures. The first-world women are in general well-educated and free to own their

bodies, sexuality and, and decide their life choices (Ros Velasco 110). Nonetheless Ros

Velasco continues to summarise feminism as a struggle for equality in a patriarchal society

regardless of origin and culture. Every woman must create her own identity in a world

dominated and created by men, and all women must unite to fight the patriarchy (Ros Velasco

114-15).

Literature often shows that women are the emotional and passive gender in

literature, but female characters with a bigger role are often dynamic and contradict these

roles. Of course, there is a difference between literature written today where one is aware of

the fight for women’s empowerment, and literature written in the early 17th century. Even

though literature written in the early 17th century did not deliberately illustrate inequality in

contemporary society, it often shows women’s condition in patriarchy. Millett argues that,

within stereotypes and sex roles, there are differences between femininity and masculinity.

She explains that it is stated that women (‘femininity’) are domestic, virtuous, and passive.

While men (‘masculinity’) are ambitious, aggressive, and active (Millett 26). However,

Millett notes that these structures, where women are feminine and passive and men are active

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and masculine, are not based on biology (Millett 28). Khoshkam and Amiri agree and state

that gender is socially constructed. They refer to Judith Butler’s theory of performativity, that

one becomes a woman, or a man, based on one’s behaviour and adaption to gendered norms.

Gender is created in society and can, consequently, be changed or ended. However, Butler’s

theory assumes that, when born as a man or a woman, one has certain characteristics that

decide whether one is feminine or masculine (Khoshkam and Amiri 2).

There are many discussions about which characteristics belong to women and

constitute femininity and which belong to men and define masculinity. Khoshkam and Amiri

quote Judith Butler’s theory of performativity which argues that “gender reality is

performative which means, quite simply, that it is real only to the extent that it is performed”

(Khoshkam and Amiri 3). In other words, one’s gender identity is not created by the

biological gender, but by one’s behaviour and actions. However, it is not likely that one

suddenly changes identity and decides who one wants to be. One takes a role in life and either

acts like a man or a woman. Nonetheless, gender is based upon social structures that one

cannot escape (Khoshkam and Amiri 3). Khoshkam and Amiri argue that there is still a

distinction between masculinity and femininity, but the terms are rather used as adjectives or

adverbs where one might be a masculine woman or a feminine man (Khoshkam and Amiri 4).

Since the mid-1970s, feminist critics have focused on the deconstruction of

literature. Deconstruction was here a reaction towards essentialism, which was questioned.

Essentialism argues that there are clear differences between men and women, and one is either

a man or a woman. For instance, one is either passive or active, rational or irrational,

dependent or independent. It is not possible, according to essentialists, to be both passive and

active (Bennett and Royle 216). Deconstruction proposes a theory of contradiction. That is,

one can be a stereotypical woman and, at the same time, not be a stereotypical woman. One

can be a mother and a father, and one can be rational and irrational (Bennett and Royle 216-

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17). It can be discussed which perspective and theory (e.g. deconstruction and essentialism)

are truly feminist. On the one hand, to identify what is feminine and masculine confirms

gender differences and contributes to the question of patriarchy and how to prevent it. On the

other hand, when a man or a woman is given an identity and characteristics because of their

biological gender, it contributes to the gender gap. To fight patriarchy, the distinction of

femininity and masculinity must be erased to allow men and women an opportunity to create

their own identity without considering feminine and masculine characteristics.

Women have often been a man’s property, though not as distinctively today in

first-world countries as in history, either as a wife or a daughter. Mills compares women to

slaves who must work for the family. Not only was the woman the property of her husband,

but also a property of her father before marriage. The father either accepted the marriage with

a certain man or denied it. It was up to him and not to the daughter he was to give away. After

the ‘I do’ at the altar, she was forced to go from one master to another (Mills 17). Similarly,

Léon writes “I give you my hand, for I am a woman. That is, I give you her hand, and in this

hand full of so many things, they have put a ring, and in the ring, a date. They take you by the

hand, they lure you, they kiss your hand, you become their property, for you are, they say,

their property” (Ros Velasco 18). Léon uses hands as an allegory for a man’s possession of

the woman within a marriage. Thus, when a woman gave her hand, she gave away her body

and soul for him to own (Ros Velasco 19). Lévi-Strauss talks about kinship structures and

kinship rules, where the male members of women’s families exchanged women. He argues

that, when an individual was born as a woman, she was born into a family where she was

exchanged as an object. The woman was, at first, a daughter and a sister. She was later

exchanged by the father, ‘the head of the family’, for the purpose of becoming a wife.

Although women had a significant role in the family, since she took care of the household and

gave birth to continue the generation, the most significant relationship was between men, for

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instance, brothers-in-law or the relationship between the father and the future husband

(Mitchell 370-376). Mitchell elucidates that, in case the woman was ‘rebellious’ or refused to

obey her father’s orders, she was diagnosed with hysteria. It was unnatural for a woman to be

unaware of her natural place and to not listen to her father’s laws or rules. Therefore, she was

established to suffer from a disease (Mitchell 404).

Hysteria was often an explanation when women did not behave according to

gender stereotypes in patriarchy, for instance when they expressed sexual desires. It was

‘unwomanly’ for a woman to be openly sexual. Men chose women for marriage, and they

wanted them to be pure and to be devoted to their man. Millett argues that, for women, sex

and lust were associated with guilt, and it was not natural for them to have sexual drives. On

the one hand, women were objects to please men’s sexual desires. On the other hand, women

were to be moral, pure and virgins (Millett 54). Chastity was an important part of femininity.

Fletcher states that “the requirement of chastity was, as we have seen, the overriding measure

of female gender. Woman not only had to be chaste but had to be seen to be chaste: silence,

humility and modesty were the signifiers that she was so” (Rackin 10). Furthermore,

Shakespeare often focused on sexuality and its shame in his plays, for instance, women’s

uncontrollability. This is implied when he illustrates fidelity, adultery, and cuckoldry (Rackin

11). In addition, women were also diagnosed with hysteria when they contradicted men. The

theorists Szasz and Laing argue that insanity and mental illness did not exist. It was a myth to

control disturbing behaviour in women that followed with domestic and cultural oppression.

Disturbing behaviour was, for instance, when women tried to be in control (Neely 317). Grosz

explains hysteria and madness as a “rebellion against and rejection of the requirements of

femininity” (Devereux 38). When women wanted to be heard, men had to defend themselves,

and, subsequently, they diagnosed women with hysteria. However, there were not only

women that were branded as mad. Emotions and irrationality went hand in hand with hysteria,

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which could also be manifested in men. Even though men were, allegedly, rational because of

their gender, if they followed their emotions, they were irrational and therefore hysteric.

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3. Analysis
3.1 Shakespeare’s portrayal of women

Women in Hamlet are often referred to as weak. When Laertes cries at Ophelia’s grave, he

says that “when these are gone,/The woman will be out” (Shakespeare 5.7.187-88). Thus,

when his crying ends, he will no longer be a woman. Here, Laertes acts like a feminine man,

since crying and being emotional are viewed as feminine characteristics (Millett 26). Social

constructions, e.g. the contemporary patriarchy, contributes to the statement that it is not

masculine to be emotional (Khoshkam and Amiri 3). Emotions and vulnerability are

considered feminine, but sentiments are not automatically applied to gender. Whether one is a

woman and feminine or a man and masculine is decided at birth. However, according to

Butler’s performativity, one’s characteristics are not necessarily decided by gender but by

social constructions. Thus, a man can change and become more feminine than masculine

(Khoshkam and Amiri 2). The masculine reaction for Laertes when Ophelia died would be to

mourn, but not to weep. Therefore, Laertes explains that the feminine characteristics within

him will disappear when he ends his weeping. Many men in the play act because of their

emotions, even though it is considered feminine to be irrational. Hamlet seeks revenge

because of his father’s death and Claudius murders Hamlet’s father for his gain. Hamlet also

implies that Gertrude is weak for marrying Claudius by saying “frailty, thy name is woman”

(Shakespeare 1.2.146). Hamlet suggests that one reason for her weakness is her gender. He is

also angry at her for destroying the image of his father. Since she remarries, the memory of

the former King will vanish. The only acceptable role for her to take is the mourning widow.

There should not be a choice for her to make, that remarriage is in question since she should

honour her dead husband and still take him into consideration.

Gertrude’s role is dynamic and complex. Since the play is viewed from a male

point of view, she is firstly a wife and then a mother, and never a Queen. At first, the focus is

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on her betrayal and her remarriage. Thus, she was first the wife of the King, and then the wife

of his brother. When Hamlet becomes mad, however, her character is a mother. She must

reason with her son and, somehow, take care of him. Gertrude deviates from the role of a

stereotypical nurturing mother. She does not abandon her place as Queen to help Hamlet in

his revenge, as a mother might have done. Instead, she tries to focus on what is best for the

state and does not let her feelings control her actions. Nevertheless, as a mother, she protects

Hamlet from himself. When Hamlet tries to convince his mother with what Claudius has done

(and, accidentally, murders Polonius), Gertrude calls him mad. Hamlet’s madness would

justify his accusations towards Claudius and the murder of Polonius. So, for his own

protection, Gertrude discards his accusations, even though she is aware of the truth.

Gertrude’s character must be deconstructed to be understood. On the surface, she appears to

be stereotypically feminine: weak, passive, and dependent. She marries her brother-in-law

because she must have a King by her side to remain a Queen. Nonetheless, the play also

shows a strong, rational woman who takes the role of an emotional and weak woman for the

state’s best. By deconstructing Gertrude’s character, she can be explained as irrational yet

rational, feminine yet masculine (Bennett and Royle 216). However, it can be argued whether

she is truly emotional and typically feminine, or if she acts like a passive woman to gain

everyone’s trust and not draw attention or suspicion to herself. If she shows her real voice and

her independence it might make her more untrustworthy. Consequently, if the irrational men

would have all control, she would not have been able to try to avoid the following chaos.

However, Hamlet’s actions created chaos, but Gertrude at least tried to prevent it and she

managed to predict the devastation that followed by his behaviour.

Ophelia is portrayed as a dependent woman who is partly controlled by her father

and brother. At Ophelia’s first real entrance, Laertes demands her to stay away from Hamlet.

She is a woman who is temporary for him, and she should be more realistic and realise that.

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Furthermore, he explains Ophelia’s natural behaviour, that “it fits your wisdom so far to

believe it” (Shakespeare 1.3.25). Thus, since Ophelia is a woman, she is not intelligent

enough to perceive Hamlet’s lies. She is too foolish to understand his real intentions with her.

Laertes is right to suggest that she should avoid him. In the end, Hamlet leaves her for being

unchaste and unclean. In addition, Polonius forbids Ophelia to see Hamlet. Polonius tries to

explain it to her as if she is a child. “Marry, I will teach you. Think yourself a baby. That you

have ta’en these tenders for true pay” (Shakespeare 1.3.105-6). Ophelia is confused since she

believes Hamlet’s affection but must take her brother’s and father’s advice into account.

According to Polonius, Ophelia is not important enough for Hamlet to want to claim her.

Also, Polonius states that Hamlet “springes to catch woodcocks” (Shakespeare 1.3.115),

which means that he lays a trap for Ophelia with empty vows (Shakespeare 205).

Furthermore, Polonius speaks to the King about Hamlet’s letters and behaviour towards his

daughter. Polonius says that “I have a daughter – have while she is mine- Who in her duty and

obedience, mark, Hath given me this” (Shakespeare 2.2.106-8). Not only does he want to stop

Ophelia from being naïve, but he thinks about her and their family’s reputation. Ophelia

cannot be intimate with a prince, and certainly not as unmarried. On the one hand, Laertes and

Polonius are controlling Ophelia’s decisions, but on the other hand, they try to help her from

making vast mistakes.

3.2 The shaming of Ophelia and Gertrude

Both Ophelia and Gertrude are shamed in the play in several ways, mainly by

Hamlet. Gertrude is accused to be wretched and evil by Hamlet when she remarries and

shamed for her betrayal of the former King. For instance, when Hamlet has killed Polonius,

he says “a bloody deed. Almost as bad, good mother,/As kill a king and marry with his

brother” (Shakespeare 3.4.29-30). Hamlet indicates that her betrayal is worse than murder. He

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 constantly implies what a horrible mother and woman she is. Of course, this is easily done

when he is not aware of the real reason for her remarriage. In this conversation, he continues

to shame her for her actions. However, while Hamlet accuses her of being evil, he still

wonders why she married Claudius:

You cannot call it love, for at your age

The heyday in the blood is tame, it’s humble,

And waits upon the judgment. And what judgment

Would step from this to this? Sense sure you have,

Else could you not have motion. (Shakespeare 3.4.69-73)

Clearly, Gertrude did not marry Claudius for love or affection. Still, what possible rational

reason would make her marry a fool? She is reasonable and wise, but it does not make sense to

Hamlet that she goes from the honourable King to his brother. Furthermore, Hamlet mocks

Ophelia by saying that she only has sense inasmuch as she has motion. She does not have sense

as a wise, sensible person:

Nay, but to live

In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed,

Stew’d in corruption, honeying and making love

Over the nasty sty! (Shakespeare 3.4.92-5)

The shaming of Ophelia is about the consequences of her sexuality. Since it is

taboo for women to show sexual desires in public, she is judged when she gives Hamlet her

affection. Instead, to follow the norm in the patriarchal society, she should hide her lust.

Ophelia should be chaste and virtuous, which she was not (Millett 54). “The chariest maid is

prodigal enough. If she unmask her beauty to the moon.” (Shakespeare 1.3.36-7). Laertes

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explains that when a woman shows her real beauty, that is, her sexuality, she is damaged.

Even the most perfect, virtuous woman will be disgraced if she portrays her sexual desires.

Ophelia must remain innocent, reject Hamlet, and not give in to her desires, otherwise, she

will be damaged and unclean. Polonius continues to speak of Ophelia’s unhealthy affection,

saying that, “when the blood burns, how prodigal the soul” (Shakespeare 1.3.116). The ‘blood

burns’ when one is lustful and desires something. When a woman’s blood burns, she is

prodigal, thus, wasteful, and damaged. The word ‘prodigal’ is repeated to enhance the

importance of chastity in Ophelia. Nevertheless, the worst shaming on Ophelia is by Hamlet,

which begins in Act III scene I, when Ophelia comes to speak with him about his said

affections. Hamlet, however, begins to question her fairness and honesty. He argues “that if

you be honest and fair/your honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty” (Shakespeare

3.1.107-8), which indicates that if Ophelia had truly been a gracious woman, she would not

have let her sexuality decide for her. Instead, she would have repressed her lust and dealt with

it alone. Furthermore, Hamlet tells Ophelia that “I did love you once” (Shakespeare 3.1.115).

Perhaps he loved her when she was innocent and pure, and when she gave in to her sexual

desires and believed in his affection for her, she became damaged. Ophelia is no longer a

beautiful, precious woman but a wasteful one. Hamlet continues his sexual shaming by

ordering Ophelia to go to a nunnery. It is explained that “a nunnery was sometimes used

sarcastically for a house of unchaste women” (Shakespeare 282). Hamlet’s suggestion about

the nunnery is used to mock Ophelia and her sexual drives. Furthermore, he asks her where

her father is, as he should have an eye on her and not let her be with a man unmarried. Even

though Hamlet is the one who manipulated Ophelia and encouraged her desires, she is the one

who is ashamed and the one to blame. Hamlet indicates that Ophelia’s unchastity and sins

make her evil, and men should stay away from her. “Or if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool;

16
for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go – and

quickly too. Farewell” (Shakespeare 3.1.139-42).

Hamlet speaks of every woman when he says that they make monsters out of men

in the quote above and refer to them as ‘you’. When a woman receives self-pleasure within

the relationship, she is manipulative and evil, which tear men into pieces. Moreover, Hamlet

shames Ophelia in public and indicates that she is a bad woman:

Ham. [lying down at Ophelia’s feet] Lady, shall I lie in your lap?

Oph. No, my lord.

Ham. I mean, my head upon your lap. (Shakespeare 3.2.110-13)

To lay in one’s lap is to lay intimately and sexually (Shakespeare 295).

Furthermore, Hamlet shames her and says “do you think I meant country matters?”

(Shakespeare 3.2.115), which means sexual intercourse. Thus, he talks about their previous

intercourse and that they were intimate together. Now, when Hamlet has ordered Ophelia to

get to a nunnery and has told her that she is damaged, he shames her for thinking about him

lying in his lap as something sexual. Hamlet demonstrates that he has the power in the

conversation. If she were to reveal that she knows what he implies, she shows her unchaste

self.

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3.3 Rationality vs irrationality

Irrationality can be connected to an emotional or, in the Elizabethan era, hysterical behaviour

(Devereux 38). Rationality is related to logical behaviour. Many rational and irrational acts,

and their consequences, are shown in Hamlet. Gertrude is an example of someone who makes

logical decisions. On the contrary, Ophelia and Hamlet are examples of the chaos that follow

with irrational and emotional behaviour. As a Queen, Gertrude must act by the state’s interest.

Thus, she cannot make decisions for her own interest, or the state will be more damaged than

it already is by the death of the King and the Prince’s madness. Gertrude’s rational acts are

not always explicit. For example, she tries to prevent Hamlet to avenge Claudius by

explaining that death is natural since she is aware of the consequences:

Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted color off,

And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark.

Do not forever with thy vailèd lids

Seek for thy noble father in the dust.

Thou know’st ’tis common. All that lives must die,

Passing through nature to eternity. (Shakespeare 1.2.68-73)

Gertrude seeks to convince Hamlet that he should befriend Claudius and forget his

father’s death. After all, it was Hamlet’s personal strive for revenge that caused multiple

deaths and Norway’s successful invasion. Gertrude tries her best to control the state

considering her circumstances, not being able to rule and act in an openly ‘masculine’ way,

which is difficult under male dominance. Shakespeare illustrates a non-traditional woman

who must be deconstructed to be understood. She struggles with the balance to be a ruler, a

woman, a mother, and a wife.

Like Gertrude, Ophelia is also a complex character who must be deconstructed.

Her choices and madness follow an irrational pattern, but her reaction to subjection is sane
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and rational. Ophelia is thought to have become mad after constant oppression in the play

from Laertes, Polonius, and Hamlet. Her madness appears in act IV scene V when Ophelia

begins to sing and speak nonsense, which is first discovered by the Queen and King. The

King presumes that she has become mad due to the death of her father and the loss of Hamlet,

and her brother is not near to comfort her. Claudius argues that Ophelia is “divided from

herself and fair judgment” (Shakespeare 4.5.85), now when the men in her life have left.

Furthermore, Ophelia is characterised as a helper, and with no one to help, she is fragmented.

Ophelia’s behaviour, acts, and reactions can be argued to be both irrational and sane. Firstly,

her character is immediately viewed as weak and irresponsible. She has an affair with a Prince

outside of marriage, and even though he is equally responsible, she and her family’s

reputation are at risk. Both Ophelia and Hamlet only think of themselves and their desire and

ignore the possible consequences of their relationship. Her reaction to her loss, her madness,

is on the surface hysteria and insanity. Ophelia is too weak to be alone now that Laertes,

Polonius, and Hamlet have disappeared. The meaning of her life is now unclear. On the other

hand, Ophelia’s madness is a sane reaction to her loss and oppression, for instance, when she

sings about Hamlet’s behaviour towards her:

Young men will do’t if they come to’t

By cock, they are to blame.

Quoth she, ‘Before you tumbled me,

You promis’d me to wed.’

He answers

(sings) ‘So would I a done, by yonder sun,

And thou hadst not come to my bed.’ (Shakespeare 4.5.60-6)

Hamlet seduced Ophelia, clarified his affection towards her, and promised to marry her.

However, after their intercourse, he claims that she is damaged and unchaste. The less
19
emotional and hysterical way to react to Hamlet’s betrayal and behaviour is to be angry and

possibly mad. However, since Ophelia is presented as a woman, her reaction is stereotypically

regarded as irrational and hysteric. According to Ophelia, his actions are due to his gender,

that all men are to be blamed. Hamlet’s behaviour might be classified as masculine, but it is

not necessarily the nature of all men to regard women in a stereotypical manner. It is rather

due to social constructions which create a norm that, as a man, one should dismiss women

that are portrayed as unchaste.

Ophelia is diagnosed with hysteria when she begins to sing. Ophelia’s madness is

a reaction to her brother’s, father’s, and Hamlet’s dominance and the contemporary

patriarchal structure as well as her sadness due to her loss. But since she is a woman, her

behaviour is dismissed as disturbing (Neely 317). Although, it is believed that Ophelia implies

something with her songs and that everything is not irrational:

She speaks much of her father, says she hears

There’s tricks i' th' world, and hems, and beats her heart,

Spurns enviously at straws, speaks things in doubt

That carry but half sense. Her speech is nothing,

Yet the unshaped use of it doth move

The hearers to collection. They aim at it,

And botch the words up fit to their own thoughts, (Shakespeare 4.5.4-10)

In other words, the Gentleman states that Ophelia speaks much of her father and

his death, and, as argued by previous characters, that his death is the reason why she has

become mad. Nevertheless, the Gentleman also says that her speech partly makes sense. It

could be that, after some thoughts, one would understand her underlying meaning with her

songs. She imagines the death of her father, and the death of Hamlet. However, the

Gentleman claims that her speech might be insignificant and ‘nothing’, yet, other people

20
interpret her words as it fits them. So, Ophelia’s madness is open for interpretation, both for

the characters in the play and the readers. On a societal level in the play, she is mad with

hysteria. On an individual level, Ophelia is mad with grief because of her father’s death and

Hamlet’s rejection. These assumptions are only made by the nearest characters in the play,

such as Gertrude and Claudius. It must also be considered that the play is focused on Hamlet

and the consequences of his actions. Thus, Ophelia’s reasons for her madness are left

indefinite. As Hamlet’s madness can be interpreted to be false to deceive the King, Ophelia’s

madness could as well be faked, and her suicide could be an accident.

Ophelia’s death can be interpreted in several ways. Firstly, it is not established

whether her suicide was deliberate or not. Her madness might have driven her to the water,

unknowing that she would drown. Secondly, the characters in the play believe that she

drowned herself due to her sorrows. Her sorrows were too severe to live with. Thirdly, her

death, or suicide, (however one decides to interpret her death), is an escape from her sorrows,

her loss, and her mental health. Yet again, Ophelia allows her irrational emotions to determine

her actions. It is not in her mind that she will survive and fight the sadness. Nevertheless, it

must be remembered that men are in the centre of attention and that the play is, often,

interpreted from a male point of view (Donovan 15). Instead of focusing on Ophelia’s sorrows

and her perspective of the past events, Hamlet and Laertes fight on her grave of who loved her

the most. For instance, Hamlet tries to display his sorrows by crying that no one loved her

more than he:

‘Swounds, show me what thou’t do.

Woo’t weep, woo’t fight, woo’t fast, woo’t tear thyself,

woo’t bring up easel, eat a crocodile?

I’ll do it. Dost come here to whine.

to outface me with leaping in her grave? (Shakespeare 5.1.269-73)

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He expresses to Laertes that he will not mourn as Hamlet will and that Laertes will not

sacrifice himself for her as Hamlet will. Everyone assumes that she drowned herself due to

her sorrows. But, since the play is mainly focused on men, it is difficult to know for sure. The

play leaves us with the questions whether Ophelia’s death was rational or irrational and if she

committed suicide or died accidentally. Both her madness and death can be interpreted in

many ways, from many different perspectives.

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4. Conclusion
Gertrude and Ophelia are the only female characters in Hamlet, and therefore the

only women to study in order to examine Shakespeare’s representation of women.

Deconstruction is important to interpret the play from a feminist point of view. Both Ophelia

and Gertrude are both irrational but rational, weak but strong, dependent but independent.

Literature in general was written and interpreted from a male point of view, and Hamlet is an

example of such a text. When seen in this light, Gertrude is rather a mother and a wife than a

ruling Queen. The focus is primarily on her betrayal and her choice to marry the King’s

murderer. According to Cavendish (Rackin 72), many women say that they can identify with

the women in the play and that Shakespeare was able to write as if he was a woman himself.

To understand Gertrude, one must firstly look at her position as a mother. A mother’s

responsibility is to protect and take care of her children, at least in the Elizabethan era when

women had little property. Gertrude must thus prevent Hamlet from making something

foolish, that is, to accuse Claudius publicly for murdering the former King. To protect

Hamlet, she denounced him as mad. Accordingly, no one believed his accusations, and he was

not punished. Furthermore, Gertrude allowed Hamlet to shame her and insult her, without

defending herself. She might seem to be a weak and emotional character, but she had rational

reasons for her behaviour and reactions. To save Hamlet’s reputation and to prevent chaos in

the state, she was forced to look like a fool who was manipulated by Claudius. However, to

further understand her character, one must also look at her position as Queen. The main power

is often the King. He is the one who protects and maintains the country. However, in this

scenario, the King is irrational and dangerous for the state. His choices and actions will harm

the safety of the country. Consequently, Gertrude must be able to act and think rationally and

make decisions that favour the state. As Hamlet and Claudius do, Gertrude cannot let her

emotions interfere with her role as Queen. The real struggle is, however, to implicitly lead

23
both Hamlet and Claudius in the right direction to make rational decisions, and not explicitly

show her intentions.

Ophelia is portrayed as a typically weak and passive character. Her role is not

independent, and in every scene, she is related to someone else. In her first entrance, she is

with her brother who tells her to not trust Hamlet’s affections. Secondly, she is with her father

who obeys her to stay away from Hamlet. Furthermore, her role is only important to support

Hamlet’s role. She is a good tool to convince everyone that he is mad, by rejecting and

insulting her. Perhaps when she committed suicide, she was independent and could decide for

herself. On the other hand, her suicide is said, by the other characters, to happen because of

her father’s death, the loss of Hamlet and her brother’s absence. It shows that Ophelia must

have a reason to help others to live. She might seem irrational and emotional when she

follows her desires to be with Hamlet and committing suicide, but it is not all that strange.

When one is rejected and shamed by a lover who murdered one’s father, it is only rational and

normal to react as Ophelia does. It would probably be strange if she did not react strongly,

even if that would be the most prideful thing to do. Since Shakespeare only included two

female characters in the play, it could be interpreted that these women are important to the

plot. At the first view, however, Ophelia and Gertrude might seem passive and insignificant,

but they contribute greatly to the male characters’ decisions. Gertrude tries to control Hamlet

and Claudius from murdering one another (even though she fails), and Ophelia gives the plot

depth by showing another side of Hamlet. At this point in time, literature was often written

and read from a male point of view, which might be the reason why Ophelia and Gertrude

were not centred; even though their characters were important. Even though they both died, it

might have been an act of independence. Did Gertrude intentionally drink from the poisoned

cup to kill herself, since she predicted the chaos that followed? Did Ophelia intentionally

commit suicide to show her strength to decide for herself? They might have been accidents,

24
but they might as well have been suicides to give the play depth and illustrate self-reliance.

Nevertheless, Shakespeare’s representation of men and women in society is yet discussable

and relatable today, and this is one of the reasons why Hamlet is still relevant today.

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