The Role Of Female Characters In Hamlet - 1347 Words

Hamlet is a play about death, revenge, and love. Written by William Shakespeare, this play is famous around the world for its dramatic plot. The central theme of Hamlet is love. The story starts off with a Queen falling in love with the brother of her husband. The Queen decides to quickly marry the brother of her previous husband, when her previous husband suddenly dies. Her son (Prince Hamlet), who loves his biological father and disagrees with his mother’s quick decision to marry, is quite saddened by the turn of events. Suddenly, the ghost of his father comes back to tell him that his brother assassinated him to claim access to the throne. Infuriated, Hamlet decides to take revenge on his uncle and hatches a plan to reveal the truth†¦show more content†¦She is pinned down in a position that forces her to stay silent and absorb all of the insults that have been thrown in her face. To add to the humility, she is being told this by her so-called â€Å"lover.† O phelia, a female character who is of lower rank to the prince has no choice to be silent and listen to what the prince tells her. It is an awkward situation for her to be in. Not only is it awkward, it is also highly sexist. Prince Hamlet would never have said such terms to a male character. In fact, he probably would have never have even considered saying that to a male character. In this way, the female characters in the story are disadvantaged, with no say in the way that they are treated, or want to be treated. In â€Å"Discovering Feminism Through Gertrude and Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet†, Zamila Abdul Rani, Siti Hawa Muhamad, and Siti Masitah Md Zin write, â€Å"‘Get thee to a nunnry’ (3.1.1617). The term nunnery does not mean to have a religious connotation, but is used to disrespect and lash out on innocent Ophelia. In this scene, the hate towards women is amplified† (250). This is a clear representation of how Hamlet refers to Ophelia i n such degrading terms and how he harshly tells her to go get herself impregnated. Unfortunately, Ophelia can not even say anything while being told to become pregnant after being a virgin for so long. This is another representation of how females were normally lower thanShow MoreRelatedThe Profound Impact Of Female Characters Of Shakespeare s Hamlet930 Words   |  4 PagesProfound Impact of Female Characters in Hamlet How much of an impact can the women in a man’s life have on his thoughts and actions? A mother is the first woman her son will come into contact with, and can skew her son’s image of women through her actions. A man’s significant other also has the ability to bring out the best in him, but can also become the target for his anger and stray emotions. 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