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Jasmine Catano Mata

Mr. O’Meara

AP Literature Pd. 3

10 March 2022

The Masking of Revenge

“What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason” was exclaimed by the young Ms.

Spink in the dark and twisted children’s movie, Coraline, which was directed and released in

2009 by Henry Selick. Having such a reference to a piece of classic literature, that is over 400

years old, within a popular children’s movie in the 21st century emphasizes the true impact and

prevalence that Shakespeare’s ideas have within today’s society. Being a recognizable line from

the play, the statement of how magnificent man is opens the concept of the intricate components

that create men within the play. That is, the layers of reasoning, emotions, thoughts, and actions

that create the splendid work that is man. The play Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, written by

William Shakespeare in the year 1609, is focused around themes of revenge, death, honor, and

love. Prince Hamlet has taken it upon himself to get full revenge for his father’s death, but harms

numerous people through this journey. Laertes, the son of Polonius, had rushed to Denmark after

hearing of his father’s sudden murder and discovered through Claudius that Hamlet had been the

one to rashly kill his father which in turn began Laertes’ own pursuit for revenge. With greedy

desires and a lust for power and control, the play ends with the death of all the characters except

for Horatio who upheld honorable values and principles to fully encompass the ideals that

Shakespeare was pushing forward. With this, it is vital to understand and analyze the characters

of Claudius and Laertes within the play to acknowledge the messages Shakespeare is portraying.

King Claudius had brutally murdered his brother to take the throne in a pursuit for power, yet his
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values for power and control do not amount to any positive principle as displayed with both his

public and private actions.With Laertes, Shakespeare presented the value of family to in turn

display the rapid change of avenge to revenge within Denmark. In addition to analyzing these

two characters within the play, the idea of revenge that is present is vital to further understand

one of the many social messages that Shakespeare is attempting to push forward. To pursue

revenge, there needs to be a presence of selfishness to drive the person to achieve the revenge

they desire as well as the willingness to deceive. Due to this deception and selfishness within the

concept of wanting revenge, there is a trigger of a lack of honor, and when one acts without

honor, justice cannot be served whatsoever. Within Denmark, nothing carries truth or balance

and therefore justice is not served with the pursuit for revenge. Therefore, there is a need to act

with civic morality and truth in order to both carry and maintain a sense of justice within oneself

as well as to carry justice within society. With this, the pursuit for justice, if not completed with

meticulous actions and thinking, can in turn harm others throughout the process.

Claudius, within William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, displays

consistency relative to his attitude and mannerism as he loses a sense of civic morality during his

pursuit for power in control that in turn harms others around him. In the beginning of the play, it

is made clear that there has been a recent change to the position of power within Denmark as

King Hamlet has passed and his brother, Claudius, has taken the throne. With this, Hamlet is

notified of a ghost roaming the area and then has a conversation with this entity that appears to

be his deceased father. The ghost said:

Sleeping within my orchard,

My custom always of the afternoon,

Upon my secure hour thy uncle stole,

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With juice of cursed hebenon in a vial,

And in the porches of my ears did pour

The leperous distilment. (1.5.59—64)

Claudius’ plan and actions with the murder of King Hamlet were all passive. As the ghost

describes, Claudius used “cursed hebenon” as his method of killing King Hamlet. Through his

action of using poison as his main weapon of his search for power and dominance, he ultimately

opted for a much more passive and easier route to execute his plan. Rather than using a method

that would have been much more up front and physical, Claudius used a method of killing that

was cowardly as he was able to quickly leave the setting without being caught. Although venom

does carry a sense of slyness to it, venom also carries a cowardness to the person that uses it as

Claudius uses it to gain complete power of Denmark. To continue, Hamlet plans out a play that

reinacts the entire scheme of his father’s murder. After the play, Claudius has a moment to

himself where he is reflecting on his actions while Hamlet lurks in the background. Claudius

says during his prayer,

In the corrupted currents of this world

Offence's gilded hand may shove by justice,

And oft 'tis seen the wicked prize itself

Buys out the law: but 'tis not so above;

There is no shuffling, there the action lies

In his true nature; and we ourselves compell'd,

Even to the teeth and forehead of our faults,

To give in evidence. (3.3.57—64)

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Through Claudius’ diction that carries pure distaste and guilt, there is an overall negativity to the

emotions that Claudius is expressing in his solitude. Before this, Claudius makes it apparent that

he is not truly praying, not believing that he could or should based on the sin that he has

committed. Through the use of “corrupted currents” and “offence’s gilded hand,” Claudius

expresses distaste and guilt for the sins present within the world on Earth. That is, corrupted is

referring to his own actions as well as the sins that he has seen many others commit around him.

With these phrases, Claudies addresses how he is able to easily slip past justice on Earth with his

own cunningness and deception of the sins that he has committed. By bringing up a contrast with

the words “wicked” and “prize,” Claudius establishes his own understanding of the true severity

of his crimes relative to the power that he now holds due to the sin of killing his brother. The

word wicked carries a negative connotation and the emotions of disgust and anger, versus the

word prize carries a positive connotation and the emotions of joy and happiness. With these two

contrasting ideas, Claudius cannot fully enjoy the said prizes that he now possesses due to the

guilt that follows him of his sin. Claudius is experiencing an immense amount of guilt for the

murder of his brother now that he is living in the position of power. He is carrying a sense of

guilt due to feeling unsatisfactory with the position that he is in. On top of this, he feels the

consequences of his actions catching up to him after seeing the play that Hamlet planned out due

to it being a reenactment of Claudius’ actions. Even so, there is a clear separation between

Claudius’ desire to repent his sin and keep the prizes he has gained from this sin. He

acknowledges that through this own guilt, he will not ask for forgiveness of the sin as his own

value for power is driven by greed to hold the prizes he has gained from the murder of his

brother. Finally, the last scene of the play depicts the fencing scene between Hamlet and Laertes.
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Laertes and Claudius had planned this entire event to ultimately poison and kill Hamlet for their

own personal benefits. In this case, Claudius said,

We’ll make a solemn wager on your cunnings

I ha’t:

When in your motion you are hot and dry--

As make your bouts more violent to that end--

And that he calls for drink, I'll have prepared him

A chalice for the nonce, whereon but sipping,

If he by chance escape your venom'd stuck,

Our purpose may hold there. (4.7.157—164)

Claudius decided to take a cowardly route in his pursuit for ending the ties he has to his previous

actions. By choosing poison as his tactic again, he is avoiding the physical confrontation to his

problem being Hamlet. The words that Claudius decides to use when describing this cunning and

completely deceitful act carry pure anger behind them. The word “violent” in itself carries a

negative connotation with the emotions of anger oftentimes being associated with it. This

combined with the word “solemn” when describing the wager shows the complete difference in

intention and actions within Claudius and the plan to murder hamlet. “Solemn” carries a serious

emotion to it that further establishes the deceitfulness of Claudius’ plan. Claudius' value of

power is shown through the very beginning, he only ever wants to stay in a position of power,

even if his moral compass indicates that what he is doing is wrong. Within his prayer, there is

this spiritual aspect that is with the mentioning of above. In this above, of heaven or

spiritualness, all actions are presented to be judged. He cannot hide them like he is doing on

Earth. Claudius himself claims to not be able to pray, making no effort. Claudius was also
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meticulous, and strongly wanted the plan to work out. So much hatred for Hamlet and so much

greed for power, he had multiple back ups, the poison in the cup, to be assured that Hamlet

would not leave alive.

A large encompassing idea throughout the play titled Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, written

by William Shakespeare, is the concept of revenge and its deemed necessity by the characters.

Revenge is defined by Merriam-Webster as “to avenge (oneself or another) usually by retaliating

in kind or degree.” Revenge oftentimes implies that the person is pursuing justice or

reciprocation of the experience, which in turn can oftentimes bring the idea of harm and violence

to mind. Even so, it is vital to recognize the difference between revenge and avenge within this

play in order to properly understand the different experiences relative to this encompassing idea

throughout the different characters. Avenge can imply making or achieving justice on the behalf

of someone else, which differs from revenge which is achieving justice or a reciprocation for

oneself. Although there is this clear difference between avenge and revenge, the use of revenge

within this play is almost used interchangeably with avenge and loses its clear difference as

numerous characters take it upon themselves to avenge someone else in a harmful manner, in

turn revenging the person rather than avenging them. An example of revenge throughout the

entirety of the play would be through the character named Prince Fortinbras. Although he is not a

focal point throughout the play, he does play a big role beyond the events seen within the acts.

Fortinbras is the son of King Fortinbras who was killed by the late King Hamlet. In addition to

murdering his father, King Hamlet also conquered land from Fortinbras. Shortly after the death

of King Hamlet, Prince Fortinbras decides to prepare an army to conquer back the land that was

stolen from his father which poses a threat to Denmark throughout the play. The new king of

Denmark, Claudius, announces,

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Colleagued with the dream of his advantage,

He hath not fail'd to pester us with message,

Importing the surrender of those lands

Lost by his father, with all bonds of law,

To our most valiant brother. So much for him. (1.2.21—5)

King Claudius is discussing the disturbance that Prince Fortinbras is imposing onto Denmark and

describes his attempts at avenging his father’s death. By discussing Fortinbras’ plan in a

mocking tone, King Claudius established an idea of inability and doom in regards to his pursuit

for revenge. In this case, Claudius does not believe that the justice that Fortinbras is avenging for

is going to be achieved or is even achievable at all. Relative to Fortinbras as a character, he seeks

to avenge his father in a far different manner than the other characters seeking vengeance. Due to

the inability to directly seek revenge on the person that harmed his father, the late King Hamlet,

Fortinbras turns to avenging his father through the retrieval of the land that was stolen. On top of

this, Fortinbras acts in a quick and immediate manner during his pursuit for vengeance compared

to other characters such as Hamlet who are more cowardly with their actions. Another character

within the play that contributes to the overall idea of revenge is Prince Hamlet. Being the

protagonist of the play, Hamlet dedicates his entire person to avenging his father. Even so, this

changes to revenge quickly as he turns to violence and solidifies this very early in the play.

Hamlet’s father, the late King Hamlet, was murdered by his uncle King Claudius. While having a

discussion with himself, Hamlet confesses and says,

A thought which, quarter’d, hath but one part wisdom

And ever three parts coward, I do not know

Why yet I live to say ‘This thing’s to do’;

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Sith I have cause and will and strength and means

…O, from this time forth,

My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth. (4.4.42—66)

Through the final phrase, comparing his thoughts to be bloody, alluding to violent revenge, or

absolute nothingness, Hamlet expresses his personal disappointment with his prolonged

hesitance. That is, Hamlet confesses that he has been extremely hesitant with his approach of

getting revenge. Even so, it is clear that his entire mind is consumed with the thought of

achieving revenge. The next character within the play that has a major pursuit for revenge would

be Laertes. His father was murdered by Prince Hamlet during a fit of rage when discussing King

Hamlet’s death to his mother. After traveling back from France, Laertes immediately presents

the fact that he personally has to avenge his father and bring justice forth. Even so, Laertes

changes from wanting to avenge his father to pursuing revenge as he decides to take a more

violent approach. Laertes announces,

How came he dead? I'll not be juggled with:

To hell, allegiance! vows, to the blackest devil!

Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit!

I dare damnation. To this point I stand,

That both the worlds I give to negligence,

Let come what comes; only I'll be revenged

Most thoroughly for my father. (4.5.131—7)

Laertes carries an extremely urgent and serious tone as he describes his vows for revenge to “the

blackest devil” and the “profoundest pit.” Laertes is similar to Fortinbras in that he is immediate

when it comes to seeking revenge for his father’s death. He is direct as he quickly agrees with
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King Claudius’ plan with no further questioning of the intentions that Claudius may have

regarding Hamlet.

Laertes carries the value of family throughout the entirety of the play until his very last

line as he falls into the selfish desire for revenge and in turn commits deceitful acts that harm

others. At the beginning of the play, Laertes has decided to go back to France but does not wish

to leave without leaving many pieces of advice for Ophelia relative to her ongoing relationship

with Hamlet. Along with numerous other warnings and statement, Laertes says to his sister

Ophelia,

The chariest maid is prodigal enough,

If she unmask her beauty to the moon:

Virtue itself 'scapes not calumnious strokes:

The canker galls the infants of the spring,

Too oft before their buttons be disclos’d,

And in the morn and liquid dew of youth

Contagious blastments are most imminent. (1.3.36—42)

Laertes expresses his own beliefs upon Ophelia as he urges her not to let herself be so vulnerable

and fall for the lust and desire of Hamlet. Through this, Laertes expresses his concern for

Ophelia as his sister along with his concern on how they are viewed all together. It is clear that

Polonius imposes this upon Ophelia, but Laertes expresses his own concern for how their close

family is viewed and the purity that Ophelia should keep within herself. This comes into play

when Laertes sees the mass changes within his family that continues this drive for family within

his values. As he describes the women in his example to be the “chariest,” meaning the most

vigilant and aware of dangers, and further contrasts it with the actions of being slightly reckless
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that can lead to “contagious blastments” (Chary). Blastments means a harsh and apparent

influence where, in the case that Laertes describes, there is a fall for temptation that leads to the

demise of what was once a very cautious maid (Blastment). With this, Laertes is enforcing this

concern and value that he holds for his family as he warns his sister of what she can succumb to

with Hamlet. This furthers the idea that Laertes cares deeply for his sister and family as he is

distraught to find out about their demise. Even with this value, Laertes falls victim to the

temptation and selfishness of revenge which does not let his value of family amount to a

principle as his actions of revenge lead to harm being inflicted upon himself and Hamlet. After

coming back from France due to hearing the news about his murdered father, Laertes is full of

fury and anger towards whoever had murdered his father unjustly. He approaches King Claudius

with his grand emotions and urges to know who has murdered his father by saying, “To his good

friends thus wide I’ll open my arms and, like the kind life-rendering pelican, repast them with

my blood” (4.5.146—8). Through the comparison of a pelican, which at the time was believed to

give their blood to their youth, Laertes expresses his true drive to get complete revenge for his

father. The pelican in itself is described to be kind and an animal that creates and nurtures life,

but there is a contrast with the use of “blood.” The word blood oftentimes carries a negative

connotation with its association to violence and anger, but in this case blood can be referring to

the utmost devotion of someone to another person. Laertes is claiming to fully devote himself to

receiving the revenge that he selfishly desires by going as far as giving himself completely in

aiding the enemies of his enemy.This simile establishes the full extent to which Laertes is

capable of achieving in order to get the revenge that he selfishly desires. Although his father

cannot be reviven, Laertes is willing to put in the patience to befriend those of his enemy,

Hamlet, in order to get the revenge he craves. In this case, Laertes values family in regards to the
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extent that he is willing to go in order to get revenge for his father and later on his sister. Even

so, this value does not amount to a principle, as immediately, Laertes is able to rally up a mob

and then continues to rapidly devise a plan of cunningness and violence against Hamlet. So, even

if Laertes upholds the value of his family, he does not act upon it in a positive manner or light

whatsoever. Laertes claims to go as far as almost nurturing and caring for those who are the

enemies of his enemy in order to avenge his father completely. After first arriving with much

anger and fury, Claudius was able to somewhat reason and calm down Laertes. Even so, Ophelia

enters the room in her detrimental state which further worries and infuriates Laertes. After seeing

his mad sister and learning about his father’s unjust murder, Laertes claims,

And so have I a noble father lost;

A sister driven into desperate terms,

Whose worth, if praises may go back again,

Stood challenger on mount of all the age

For her perfections: but my revenge will come. (4.7.25—9)

When Laertes discusses his family members with respect and praises them. The words “noble”

and “perfections” both carry positive connotations and can be attributed with the feelings of

respect. There is a direct contrast with the words “desperate,” “lost,” and “revenge” which carry

negative connotations associated with sadness and anger. There is a direct contrast of how highly

Laertes discusses his family members to their current state which drives the selfish desire of

wanting revenge. Although Laertes claims that the want for revenge is for his family, revenge in

itself is selfish as the actions that he decides to take are not honorable nor serve any form of

justice. This furthers the idea that Laertes does value family, but does not have a principle to

further this as his actions are not positive representations of this value. Laertes’ claim and
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assurance that he will get revenge further pushes the idea that Laertes has drive within him. After

seeing Ophelia’s poor state, Laertes assures himself and Claudius that he will avenge his father

fully, no matter the challenges that he must face. This is further enforced through his actual

actions of following the plan that Claudius created.

The pursuit for justice through revenge within the play, Hamlet Prince of Denmark, by

William Shakespeare explores a chain reaction of harming others along the way due to the

selfishness that comes with engaging in deceptions for revenge that is masked as justice. That is,

it is within human nature to succumb into the ideas of deception for revenge when there are no

principles of honesty present within the person. Due to the idea of justice solely being rooted

within the consistent need for truth, there is no way to achieve justice through engagement in

deception. With this, there is a consistent masking of revenge with justice due to the lack of

honesty and the excessive presence of selfishness. Within the play, both the characters of Laertes

and Claudius present ideas of deception and selfishness relative to justice. Claudius presents

values of power which in turn lead to deceptive actions as he pursued to have and keep the

position of power as King by dodging justice completely until the very end of the play. Laertes

carried original values of family that in turn led to acts of deception as he decided to completely

engulf himself within the idea of getting revenge for his father’s death. Although this was further

fueled by Claudius’ own selfish desires for power, Laertes still was adamant on acting with

deception and selfishness to achieve what he thought was justice in his eyes. As for the

overarching idea of revenge within the play, it is concluded that revenge is fueled by pure

selfishness and deception. There is no way to achieve revenge while also achieving justice in the

eyes of society. If there is a continuous inability to forgive and an inability to overcome the

selfish desire for revenge, one cannot move forward and advance within society. This further
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pushes a misrepresentation of what humanity is and the individual selves within humanity as

when the actions of oneself are rooted within truth and honor and there is an apparent respect for

oneself and others, then progressions can be made in society to overcome the negatives of

revenge and injustices. The idea of overcoming the selfish desire to succumb to the temptations

of deception for personal gain are continuously combatted and mulled over today, it is only the

beginning of the intricate layers that create man. The mystery of man is continuously questioned

and thought over even in the children's movies played on full moon nights.
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Toxic Masculinity’s Lasting Presence

Within the play, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, written by William Shakespeare, the issue

of toxic masculinity is presented. That is, the concept of gender norms and the toxic mannerisms

and actions that may come with masculine norms is discussed through an Elizabethan

perspective within the play. Toxic masculinity is defined as “a cultural concept of manliness that

glorifies stoicism, strength, virility, and dominance, and that is socially maladaptive or harmful

to mental health” (Toxic Masculinity Definition & Meaning). Shakespeare presents the issue

through the mannerisms that many male figures within the play enforce on one another. This can

be seen with the interactions between the characters of Claudius and Hamlet, being uncle and

nephew, as well as with Polonius and Laertes, being father and son. Along with the idea of toxic

masculinity comes the idea of gender norms and oppression towards women. The way that men

are expected to act and present themselves goes directly in hand with how women are expected

to behave. With the concept of toxic masculinity comes the impacts that it has on women and

femininity presented within the play, as it does within society.

Shakespeare’s work reinforces the Renaissance view on the issue of toxic masculinity as

presented through the particular characters of Claudius, Laertes, and Polonius. In regards to

displaying the toxic masculinity within these characters, Shakespeare further displays the

impacts that these strict gender norms have upon women within the Elizabethan era and the

interconnection between genders based upon these ideals of toxic masculinity. Firstly, Douglas

Schrock and Michael Schwalbe wrote about the concept of masculinity and its evolution within

society. They said,“To elicit the attribution of possessing a masculine self thus requires

signifying - with or without conscious awareness - that one possesses the capacities to make

things happen and to resist being dominated by others” (Schrock and Schwalbe 280). Schrock
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and Schwalbe establish that the ideas and customs of being a man include exerting dominance

over others and resisting that same dominance. This, within Elizabethan society and beyond, has

proven to be used in a toxic manner in order for men to both hold positions of power and control

others. Claudius contributes to this attribute of toxic masculinity in his own consciousness of

needing to dominate those around him by holding such a position of power as King of Denmark.

More so, Claudius makes great efforts throughout the entire play to ensure that no one finds out

about his grave sin that allows him to dominate others, and goes as far to create back up plans in

his efforts to murder Hamlet. Cecilia Ridgeway discusses how the current society human’s live

in, with the established gender norms, is all based on previous structures and norms that have

carried on today. Ultimately, she concludes that the way the current society functions today with

“man” and “woman” has been established and built upon prior societies. She says, “These

interests affect the extent to which individuals actively gender their behavior. As a belief system

that privileges men over women, it gives most men and some women who benefit from male

dominance an interest in enacting and maintaining that system.” (Ridgeway 149). Ridgeway

establishes that there are aspects within the created system that benefit men and occasionally

women. This is a further reason for men to assert their toxic male dominance in order to remain

in power and remain in possession of this power given to them through the system. At the very

core of this system, is the need to self identify and place oneself into boxes, in this case gender.

Relative to Hamlet, the different characters express the ideas of toxic masculinity within an

Elizabethan society. In the first act, a short amount of time has passed since the death of King

Hamlet, and Hamlet is still mourning the loss of his father. So much so, that the way that Hamlet

is dressing in all black attire is a physical demonstration to those around him of his continuous

great grief and sorrow. When walking into the room with many other officials and noblemen,
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King Claudius spots Hamlet and tells him that he should not be mourning over his father

anymore. Claudius expresses his own toxic masculinity by specifically addressing the emotions

that Hamlet is openly displaying as “unmanly.” With this, Claudius is putting himself above

Hamlet and belittles him by completely putting down the emotions of someone who just lost a

father. By being in a position of power above Hamlet, Claudius is almost mocking Hamlet in

regards to Claudius being viewed as more of a “man” than Hamlet. To continue, Laertes had

asked for King Claudius’ permission to leave back to France and was saying his goodbyes again

to his father, Polonius. With this, Polonius begins to list numerous different pieces of advice for

Laertes. Polonius in this case is making sure to favor Laertes and praises him with these different

lectures and tips. This treatment differs greatly from what Ophelia receives within the play, as

both Laertes and Polonius belittle her to be completely submissive under their toxic masculinity

of being in complete control over her. It can be seen that this exerted normality of toxic

masculinity leads to the demise of Ophelia. Once Ophelia loses both figures who completely

controlled her decisions, she was left in a state of complete disarray without having anyone to

guide her as a superior, leading her to complete chaos and madness.

The play has numerous values and concepts that still apply and hold great value within

the 21st century. With the social issue of toxic masculinity, it has only just begun to be a topic of

interest as of late. That is, many people within society are making the effort to acknowledge the

impacts of this issue and have tried to pinpoint how exactly humanity can fully address the issue

to progress in society. The gender norms for men and women are consistently present today and

even more so enforced through the increasing use and popularity of social media. Due to this

growing mass use of rapid communication, toxic masculinity has grown a presence online all the

while the efforts to combat it have grown as well. Although the way that Shakespeare presents
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toxic masculinity within Hamlet is what was normal and expected within the renaissance period

of its creation, the play does present the same enforced ideas as today. This can be seen with the

mass opposition from many groups within America when a woman, Hilary Clinton, ran for

president. Being a position that has consistently been held by a man within American society,

this idea within toxic masculinity of men holding positions of power is still present today even if

the law does not directly state that the president must be a man. There is also the continuous

wage gap between men and women. Even so, there are now efforts being made to combat toxic

masculinity rather than the blatant acceptance and tolerance of it that was evident during the

Elizabethan period. These efforts can be seen with the increasing percentage of women holding

political positions of power within the United States as well as the general increase of

independence and education for women. Although these efforts have not fully combated and

solved the issue of toxic masculinity and its impacts, these concepts are being further studied and

learned within society to hopefully change the direction of society as a whole for both men and

women.
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Works Cited

“Blastment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/blastment. Accessed 02 March. 2022.

“Chary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster,

www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chary. Accessed 01 March 2022.

Coraline. Directed by Henry Selick, Focus Features, 2009.

Ridgeway, Cecilia L. “FRAMED BEFORE WE KNOW IT: How Gender Shapes Social

Relations.” Gender and Society, vol. 23, no. 2, Sage Publications, Inc., 2009, pp. 145–60,

www.jstor.org/stable/20676769. Accessed 18 February 2022.

Schrock, Douglas, and Michael Schwalbe. “Men, Masculinity, and Manhood Acts.”

Annual Review of Sociology, vol. 35, Annual Reviews, 2009, pp. 277–95,

www.jstor.org/stable/27800079. Accessed 16 February 2022.

Shakespeare, William. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. BFW publishers.1609.

“Toxic Masculinity Definition & Meaning.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com,

www.dictionary.com/browse/toxic-masculinity#:~:text=Toxic%20masculinity%20is

%20loosely%20defined,and%20society%20as%20a%20whole. Accessed 27 February

2022.
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Annotated Bibliography

Blanchard, Eric M. “Rethinking International Security: Masculinity in World Politics.” The

Brown Journal of World Affairs, vol. 21, no. 1, Brown Journal of World Affairs, 2014,

pp. 61–79, www.jstor.org/stable/24591031. Accessed 17 February 2022.

This one is more particular on the concept of masculinity within politics. It dives into the

ideas of hierarchy and the different political power positions that men have held over the course

of history. In turn, they describe how these have built and impacted the way that society expects

men to respond in political positions as well as positions of power.

For this source, I am going to extract the parts where they particularly discuss the concept

of a hierarchy within political positions. This can directly tie once again to how Claudius

controls all international relations relative to the political position of power that he took over.

Ridgeway, Cecilia L. “FRAMED BEFORE WE KNOW IT: How Gender Shapes Social

Relations.” Gender and Society, vol. 23, no. 2, Sage Publications, Inc., 2009, pp. 145–60,

www.jstor.org/stable/20676769. Accessed 18 February 2022.

This article discusses the background of gender has completely shaped and formed any

kind of social relation and system that is currently in place. That is, organizational practices

currently used and used in the past are based on infused gendered meanings.

I plan on using this source to further challenge the systems in place throughout the play,

both through the forced familial system with Ophelia, as well as the positions of power seen with

Claudius and Hamlet.

Schrock, Douglas, and Michael Schwalbe. “Men, Masculinity, and Manhood Acts.” Annual

Review of Sociology, vol. 35, Annual Reviews, 2009, pp. 277–95,

www.jstor.org/stable/27800079. Accessed 16 February 2022.

 Catano Mata 20

This one is a social/sociology focused paper on the concepts of masculinity and defining

the group of “men” within society. With this, the source addresses the social issue of Toxic

Masculinity by discussing the ways that men expect other men to act, as well as how society in

general expects them to act. That is, within both personal, social, and political relationships. The

way a man presents himself is vital to how they are going to be perceived and respected.

I’m most likely going to focus on the political aspect of this paper. They dive into what is

expected from men in a political outlook, what is expected from them on how they act with

political decisions. This can clearly relate to how Hamlet acts within the ongoing political

mishaps, as well as how Claudius acts within a position of political power.

Díaz, Pablo Castillo, and Nahla Valji. “SYMBIOSIS OF MISOGYNY AND VIOLENT

EXTREMISM: NEW UNDERSTANDINGS AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS.” Journal

of International Affairs, vol. 72, no. 2, Journal of International Affairs Editorial Board,

2019, pp. 37–56, www.jstor.org/stable/26760831. Accessed 25 February 2022.

This source addresses the violence behind misogyny and toxic masculinity. It addresses

the extremism within the violence that men often enact upon women within the social hierarchies

and structures within society. That is, these toxic gender norms encourage further violence across

all/most cultures. With this, the authors of this article aim to address the necessity to create

changes within social norms in order to prevent and limit the harm and violence against women,

concluding tha women push forward peace.

I can most likely use this source in reference to comparing the impacts that the toxic

masculinity that Laertes and Polonius carries has upon Ophelia. How Ophelia is ultimately put in

this position of violence and instability due to the actions regarding the gender norms imposed

on her and her brother and father.

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“What Were the Gender Roles in the Elizabethan Era?” Reference, IAC Publishing,

https://www.reference.com/world-view/were-gender-roles-elizabethan-era-

aaf4ab9a2b06f21b. Accessed 25 February 2022.

This source discusses the different superficial gender norms and values within the

Elizabethan Era. These include how men were expected to act, as well as the dependency that

women had on men. The source discussed how men had complete control and essentially

ownership over their families, especially their wives and daughters.

With this source, I can mention the imbalance of power between Ophelia, Polonius, and

Laertes. How the values at the time within men and women impacted their relationship and

created an unhealthy dependency between Ophelia with the male figures in her life.