Please do the following:

1. Read about Shakespeare and Gender. Status of women in the 1600s

a. https://www.bl.uk/shakespeare/articles/shakespeare-and-gender-the-womans-
part#
b. https://prezi.com/tor8qe7qfwmx/the-role-of-women-in-hamlet/

2. Based on what you read/researched, do you see the role of gender in Hamlet?
(Explain how men and women are presented/described in the play).
= They were literally like puppets of men. Were totally controlled by them: they told women what to
said, how to act, how to dress, what was good for them (women) and what was wrong and
incorrect. Women did not had choice to express themselves. Also, men believed that they were
superior and perfect and judged women with harsh words.

3. Write down your thoughts about Hamlet and Ophelia’s relationship. If you’re having
trouble doing that, you can answer some of the following questions:

a. How does Hamlet feel about Ophelia? Ophelia about Hamlet?

= Hamlet says that he never will love Ophelia again, but he also says that he loved her, and tell her that she
shouldn't have trusted him since he didn't feel something for her. On the other side it appears that
Ophelia had feelings for Hamlet, but her dad, Polonius, advised her to leave that relationship,
since he felt that Hamlet just wanted to use her.

b. What is keeping Hamlet from being with Ophelia? What is keeping Ophelia
from Hamlet?
= The problem of Hamlet was social class and the problem of Ophelia was her father. Also, the
contradictory feelings that Hamlet had.

c. What kind of language does Hamlet use to convey his perspective? Why do
people perceive situations differently from other people?
= Hamlet started to talk in an abnormal way. His words were not direct and had they had like a double side
meaning and also a little bit of sexual side. His words felt with a anger towards Ophelia. That
made that everyone understands something different, confusing.

d. Discuss Ophelia’s social status and how Polonius’s previous demand that
Ophelia stay away from Hamlet impacted their relationship.
= The social status was a problem and Polonius noticed that, he even told his daughter that Hamlet’s status
was superior to her status. That words affected that relationship between Ophelia and Hamlet
since she started to feel something towards him and he was somewhat hurt with the rejection of
Ophelia.