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Hamlet

Summary:   In the book Hamlet the only two major women played in the book are Queen Gertrude and Ophelia who have to set the tone for the role women play and also the role they play in their society.

Hamlet

In the book Hamlet there are a lot of guys and not so many women. The only two major women played in the book are Queen Gertrude and Ophelia who have to set the tone for the role women play and also the role they play in their society.

Gertrude and Ophelia play a very important role in the story. They are important because they are easily manipulated. Gertrude and Ophelia are viewed throughout the entire play as weak and frail. They are bossed around and told what to do and what not to do. Hamlet gives his first impression of women in general, when he makes a comment about his mother and how she went and married his uncle rather than mourned for his recently lost father. ."..(Let me not think on 't; frailty, thy name is women!), a little month, or ere those shoes were old with which she followed my poor father's body like Niobe, all tears- why she (even she) (O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason would have mourned longer!), married with my uncle,...."(Act I, sc. II, 150-156).

Ophelia is easily manipulated because she and Hamlet have a relationship with each other. Laertes goes into a story to Ophelia about how Hamlet will try to win her heart over and that what he says is not true. When Laertes leaves on his journey he yells back "Farewell, Ophelia, and remember well what I have said to you."(Act I, sc. III, 90-91). In response Ophelia says "'Tis in my memory locked, and you yourself shall keep the key of it."(Act I, sc. III, 92-93). This means that Ophelia will keep in mind what not to do when Hamlet is trying to win her love. Polonius asks Ophelia what she is to remember and she says "He hath, my lord, of late made many tenders of his affection to me."(Act I, sc. III, 108-109). She is telling Polonius that she loves Hamlet and he has come to win her heart over.

Polonius says to Ophelia "Affection, puh!...Do you believe his "tenders," as you call them."(Act I, sc. III, 110-112). Ophelia, startled, says "I don't know, my lord, what I should think."(Act I, sc. III, 113). This gives the impression that Ophelia cannot think for herself. She needs help on deciding whether or not she likes Hamlet. No matter how hard Polonius tries to tell Ophelia not to see Hamlet or trust him, she still believes in Hamlet. She says "My lord, hath importuned me with love in honorable fashion-."(Act I, sc. III, 119-120). Polonius now angered, directs Ophelia to think more of her self and to set her standards higher. Ophelia also says "And hath given countenance to his speech, my lord, with almost all holy vows of heaven."(Act I, sc. III, 122-123). Polonius commands Ophelia that Hamlets vows that he has spoken to her are of lies. Ophelia not putting up a fight agrees to not see Hamlet even though she really wants to.

What Ophelia doesn't know is that Polonius, her father, is setting her up to spy on Hamlet, so that she can see for herself how bad Hamlet really is. After Ophelia has been told by her father to ignore all the letters sent by Hamlet and any other messages, Hamlet goes mad, and even goes after Ophelia. Ophelia, after having an encounter with Hamlet, goes to her father and says, "O, my lord, my lord, I have been so affrighted!"(Act II, sc. I, 85). Polonius not knowing what had happened says "With what, i' th' name of God""(Act II, sc. I, 86). Ophelia tells Polonius "My lord, as I was sewing in my closet, lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced, no hat upon his head, his stockings fouled,...To speak of horrors-he comes before me."(Act II, sc. I, 87-94).

Polonius demands Ophelia to tell what Hamlet had to say to her. In response she said "He took me by my wrists and held me hard. Then goes he to the length of all his arm, and, with his other hand thus o'er his brow, he falls to such perusal of my face as he would draw it. Long stayed he so. At last, a shaking of mine arm, and thrice his head thus waving up and down, he raised a sigh so piteous and profound...That done, he lets me go, and, with his head...."(Act II, sc. I, 99-112). After being told this, Polonius demands that he go to King Claudius to tell him about Hamlets rage. Ophelia has so far demonstrated how women in her society are treated when they find love. The fathers pick the grooms because they feel that they are making the right decision and the daughters should not have a say in whether they like the guy or not.

The Queen, whenever spoken to by King Claudius, always obeys, just like women did in their society in the household. It was respect for women to obey their husbands because they knew that their husbands could and would put them out id they did not obey. King Claudius and Polonius have set a trap for Hamlet and have also lured in Ophelia, so she can see the real Hamlet. King Claudius does not want the Queen present, for Hamlet might be suspicious if he sees his mother. So the King says to the Queen "Sweet Gertrude, leave us (too,) that he, as 'twere by accident, may here affront Ophelia. Her father and myself (lawful espials) (will) so bestow ourselves the, seeing unseen, and gather by him,...If 't be th' affliction of his love or no that thus he suffers for."(Act III, sc. I, 31-40). In doing so the Queen says "I shall obey you...."(Act III, sc. I, 41).

Ophelia helps King Claudius and her father, Polonius, come up with a reason why Hamlet should be sent off to be executed. Hamlet approaches Ophelia in manner that is strange, and goes into a long story revealing how he never truly loved her, then attacks women kind, and tells her that she should enter into a nunnery. Ophelia hearing what Hamlet said about him not loving her says "My lord, I have remembrances of yours that I have longed long to redeliver. I pray you now receive them."(Act III, sc. I, 102-104). Hamlet refused to believe everything he had said to her and she says "My honored lord, you know right well you did, and with them words of so sweet breath composed as made (the) things more rich. Their perfume lost, take these again,...."(Act III, sc. I, 106-110).Ophelia has now perceived herself as being used. She thought Hamlet liked her for the truth and now he would have liked her for her beauty. Hamlet now treats her like a piece of garbage by telling her ."..Why wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners"...."(Act III, sc. I, 131-132). When Hamlet leaves, Ophelia then understands why her family does not want her to see Hamlet any more. The King and Polonius then see that Hamlet truly does not love Ophelia at all. When Ophelia arrived at the play, Hamlet began to make rude remarks to her in a patronizing way. The Queen suddenly becomes the center of attention when Polonius is murdered by Hamlet. Hamlet thought that it was King Claudius and now the Queen must figure if she should hide it and say it was in Hamlets defense or if she should say that it truly was because of Hamlets madness.

The Queen also becomes weakened because Hamlet tells her how bad she has mad his life because she had married Claudius and that everything would be normal if she would not see Claudius again and leave him. While Hamlet is attacking his mother, the ghost reappears and reminds hamlet that it is King Claudius he is after and not his mother. Throughout Act III, sc. 4, the Queen is almost perceived as being the reason for all of Hamlets problems. When Ophelia finds out that her father has died, she goes into a depression of guilt, feeling that it was her fault that Hamlet went mad, because of the rejection of his letters, and the death of her father. Because of this guilt that Ophelia has slipped into, she begins to sing of betrayal and of death. Throughout Act IV, sc. V, Ophelia talks about her love for Hamlet and how he had betrayed her by killing her father. To escape from all of the grief and burden she bears, Ophelia commits suicide.

When the great fight between Hamlet and Laertes had come, Queen Gertrude takes the cup that the King had prepared for Hamlet and drinks it. King Claudius says "Gertrude, do not drink."(Act V, sc. II, 317). She says in response "I will, my lord; I pray you pardon me."(Act V, sc. II, 318). Queen Gertrude is hoping that King Claudius will forgive her for what she has done to the family. Even though Gertrude had asked for Claudius' pardoning, he still would have been angry toward her because she did not obey when he asked her to stick down the cup. That is why in their society the women are expected to listen to what the husband has to say.

In conclusion, Ophelia and Gertrude are two very important characters in the play. They are used as a tool for the men and are easily over powered by them. Queen Gertrude was strong until Hamlet came to her and told her that she was the cause of all his problems. Also, Ophelia was not very strong from the beginning because she let the men over power her from the start when she fell in love with Hamlet. Ophelia and Gertrude set the tone for how women are treated in their society by obeying the order their husbands give to them and not putting up resistance, because they know that they can't over power the men.