Kaylee Hall

Dr. Schuler

EN 405

4/27/23

The Mirror of Shakespeare

The first knee-jerk reaction to Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a negative one for some

individuals. Reading from a 21st century mindset, outrage erupts at the blatant injustice

towards the women. Why read literature that is so obviously a misogynistic male

perspective‽ This initial reaction to Hamlet and the depiction of inherent weakness of

the female gender in the play can be hard to overcome. However, if one does succeed

in seeing past the blinding rage, there is an interesting dynamic in Hamlet this essay will

attempt to explore in addition to how Shakespeare’s depiction of women in Hamlet,

provides reflection for modern mindsets.

It is very common for fans of Shakespeare to want him to be all things: a

revolutionary, an artist, a romantic, a homosexual, an equalist, an individual who

intrinsically understood human nature, a secret ally, etc. He may have very well been

some or most of these things, but he was most frequently a mirror. Each of

Shakespeare’s plays are a commentary on the world around him and the path forward

to change, albeit through comedy or tragic cautionary tales. While Shakespeare was

definitely a man of his time, there are clues to a progressive mindset in the lines of his

plays. Works like Hamlet allow modern audiences to analyze the dynamics at play and
reflect with insight on modern culture. Modern culture, generally speaking, has come a

long way since Shakespeare's times. However, in the minds of people today there are

still effects of misogyny and inequality. By acknowledging the blatant injustice in Hamlet

towards Gurtride and Ophelia, perhaps modern readers will be able to reflect on their

own life and thoughts with the same progressive mindset that they used to analyze

Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

At first glance, Gurtrude and Ophelia are depicted as weak, passive, and silent

under the male authority in Hamlet. Upon closer inspection, one can find that “they are

women who try to take control of their lives, actions, and behavior in different ways in a

contemporary patriarchal society” (Samuelsson). Gurtride is a shrewd and intelligent

Queen that attempts to make decisions in the best interest for the state and her son,

Hamlet, while simultaneously and passively attempting to prevent Hamlet from

destroying the world around him out of emotional actions and reckless revenge. She

does not let her emotions affect her strategic behavior as she attempts to influence the

reckless men around her for the benefit of her country. Reading from a feminist

perspective, one is able to interpret and understand that “an emotional and irrational

woman might intentionally behave in that way for logical reasons” (Samuelsson).

Ophelia’s presents in Hamlet represent clearly how women were seen in

patriarchal society. She is seduced by Hamlet’s character only to be rebuked and

rejected by Hamlet for attempting to have ownership over her sexuality. Hamlet cited his

reasoning for this rejection as her lack of priority and chastity made her unworthy of

marriage…to him… even though he was the one that tainted both. Her deceased father

(whom Hamlet murdered), and her absent brother made her an unkempt woman that
was unattractive to men who viewed her as an object to gain power and favor with other

men. Ophelia is depicted as the irrational, weaker vessel, descending into madness that

leads to her death. “By deconstructing Ophelia’s character, it shows that her madness is

rational….however from when she is interpreted from a male point of view in a

patriarchy, she is irrational, emotional, and mad” (Samuelsson).

Shakespeare’s Hamlet, unfortunately depicts broken relationships and the

poisonous pursuit of all consuming revenge. The lead protagonist, or perhaps antihero,

is the plot’s focus since his actions are the ones that lead to destruction and mass

death. Interestingly, even though by patriarchal standards Hamlet is, by default, the

rational sex, his actions are irrational and emotional. “If [Hamlet] had thought of the

people and the country that his revenge would effect, unnecessary deaths could have

been prevented, as well as Norway's invasion of Denmark” (Samuelsson).

For the most part, it can be argued that it is impossible to make a truly objective

reading of literature. Literature, at its core, is a form of art that strives to stir emotion and

thought towards the author's agenda. Every observation (or reading) of art is affected by

culture and values. Dovovan argues that (in relation to art from patriarchal social

structure) men are at the center of literary works and women are ‘the other’. He goes on

to state that these literary works are written from a male perspective (Donovan 4,5,15).

This can be observed in Shakespeare's work as most everything in Hamlet occurs from

Hamlet’s self centered point of view. Ophilias’s death is seen as a lost plaything of

Hamlets in which is throws a pity party, Grutride’s shrewd and strategic decision to re to

remain in political and social power is minimized as her having weakness of character,
immoral sexual drive, and her lack of allegiance to men that had only sought to own and

control her.

In just a shallow reading of Hamlet (and the majority of Shakespeare's plays),

one finds that the female characters are fewer, less important, with fewer lines and

character complexity than their male counterparts. The women that do appear in

Shakespeare's plays are typically type cast into domestic roles subservient to the male

characters (Rackin 49-50). The misogyny stemming from this patriarchal society is

clearly evident as the text leans heavily on the assumption that the two women in

Hamlet, Ophelia and Gertude, are portrayed as weak and irrelevant (Samuelsson).

If one were to analyze Hamlet from a non-patriarchal view-point, evidence can be

found for the lack of male authority, accountability, and basic self-awareness from the

male characters in addition to being highly irrational and destructive individuals ruled by

the whims of their emotions, rage, and greed. Weakness is relative in Shakespeare's

Hamlet. The Dynamics at play in Hamlet provide commentary on the blatant hegemony

in the 15th century and the parrales to how life is today in the 21st century. Women may

not be openly seen as property, yes, but there are still ripples of that mindset in first

world countries.

Male jealous spurred out of a desired woman giving even platonic attention to

another male is evidence that internally that male claims exclusive ownership over the

attention/affection of the desired female person. It can be argued that the ‘giving away’

of the bride at a wedding can be a beautiful moment, but is subtly saying that a father, a

man, is giving a woman, a thing, to a husband, a man. This ‘beautiful’ moment in

weddings can be interpreted as a nefarious reduction of a female person to an object of

property. At its core, this mindset is intrinsically stating that female persons do not have

autonomy, but are an extension of male ownership as daughters of fathers and as wives

of husbands. Ophelia's father, Polonius seeks safety for his daughter as he discusses

Hamlet's lewd behavior and attempts to seduce his daughter with the King. However, in

doing so he claims ownership over her person, “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).

Ophelia is seen as obedient to the male figures in Hamlet, as she is forced to be

silent and listen to her brother and father’s opinion on her love (and desire) for Hamlet.

When she expresses or acknowledges sexual desire for Hamlet in complete ownership

of her sexuality, Hamlet took advantage of her to then proceed to rebuke, shame, and

cast her aside while telling her that she is unclean, unchaste, and unworthy of marriage.

Ophilia is depicted as torn from her love for her family and Hamlet, but the decisions for

her own affection are under the control of the men around her (Samuelsson). Fischer

makes the observation that women are portrayed and viewed as the unheard,

unimportant, silent sex, which is depicted in Ophilia’s character (Fischer 3). Ophelia's

role in Hamlet is small and she is often silent, not knowing what to think or say.

(Samuelsson)

By observing Ophelia, one can assume that in the society she lives in, men are in

control. Men’s opinions are final, as they are viewed as the rational gender, and

anything that strays from their perception of maleness, is deemed as ‘feminin’ and

therefore, weak, irrational, hysterical. Moreover, emotional women are written off as

hysterical, mad, irrational creatures if they stray too far from the appropriate amount of
their inherent weakness and vice of femininity. How unfortunate it is for women to be

tainted with femininity and anything more than the property of males.

Sexual activities outside of marriage is a sign of unchaste, impropriety, and

immoralism of a damaged woman when men are not in control of her sexuality. This

should be rather a bitter amusement for readers, as a woman's chastity can only be

tainted by men who assign it’s value. At first glance this element of Hamlet can be seen

as archaic views of sexuality long since removed, but the trace of this form of thought

can immediately be found in christian purity culture and secular views on the sexual

expression of women.

Modern poet, Taylor Swift, laments on this social issue of female autonomy in her

song, lavender haze, as she sings “the only kind of girl they [men] see, is a one night or

a wife“ (Swift). Her lyrics are a clear depiction of how society still views women, in and

out of the public eye, as an object to fulfill male fantasy, or property to claim as a

domestic companion. Ophelia was both a vessel for Hamlet's sexual satisfaction and a

tool for his revenge. (Bloom 408-409) When Hamlet had no use for his play thing he

cast her aside in a cruel and hateful way.

Hamlet: You should not have believed me, for virtue

cannot so ⟨inoculate⟩ our old stock but we shall

relish of it. I loved you not.

Ophelia: I was the more deceived.

Hamlet: Get thee ⟨to⟩ a nunnery. Why wouldst thou be

a breeder of sinners? (Shakespeare, 3.1.127-131).

 With this harsh rejection and the murder of her father, Ophilia quickly descended

into the pits of despair and, from the male point of view, madness. Her reaction towards

Hamlet's deception and later rejection is understandable from a 21st century mindset,

but since her behavior was in contrast with the social and gender norms present in

Hamlet, Opheila was immediately written off to be hysteria. Opheila’s death has been

debated and interpreted many different ways. She could have very well faked her

madness as Hamlet did to deceive his enemy and her death could have been

accidentally. However, reflecting upon the thesis of this paper and the treatment of

Ophelia in Hamlet, one can also make the deduction that Ophelia’s death was a way for

her to regain power in her life by ending it. Her action viewed from the men’s point of

view in the play is seen as another irrational act of hysteria. However, from a 21st

century perspective there is more evidence to support that Ophelia had been discarded

and driven into despair, causing her to believe that the only hope of freedom she had

was in the release of death.

Women can personally relate to the unjust depiction and treatment of Ophelia

and Gurturde as it is a reflection of the subordination and oppressive lack of authority in

their own modern lives (Samuelsson). Gurtide and Ophelia provide complexity at a time

when women were not allowed to perform on stage and female characters were mostly

one-dimentual. Both women display strength under perceived weakness, independent

thought under forced social dependance. While Gurtide and Opheila were perceived as

weak and passive by their male counterparts, they significantly changed the course of

the play and influenced the male characters actions throughout the plot. Scholar Carroll
Camden argues that without Ophelia, Hamlet's revenge would not have been

successful. (Camden 247). Gurtude's cleverness and quick thinking saves Hamlet’s life

several times to the point of self-sacrifice when drank the poison meant for her son.

Hamlet gives an harsh and ugly reflection of what inequality and misogyny looks like

and the disorder it causes in the lives of both female and male individuals. Women in

Shakespeare's plays can inspire audiences of both women and men to raise a voice

against injustice and oppression and take a step forward towards a better future for

humanity as a whole. There are no free persons in a society that views other races,

genders, religions, or people as lesser than objects to be owned or controlled. When

female persons are oppressed, society as a whole suffers with them. As a modern

audience, we have no way of truly knowing Shakespeare's innermost thoughts, however

we can safely assume that this artist understood that social issues can never be

corrected and change cannot take place until injustice and oppression is addressed and

shows, “through his development and portrayal of the female persona, [He] shows how

fully he appreciates the difficulties involved in being a woman” (Greer). Shakespeare’s

work has remained relevant for centuries because his works are commentaries on

Human nature and problems societal discrimination causes. Hamlet is a tragedy, but it is

also a cautionary tale of how inequality and hegemony disrupts the natural balance of

gender. Perhaps the time will come when society will reach a level of equality in which

women cannot personally relate to unjust and misogyny displayed at the hands of the

male counterparts of Gertrude and Ophelia.

 Works Citied:

1. Samuelsson, Mathilda. “Shakespeare’s Representation of Women: A Feminist

Reading of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.” University of Gävle, 2020.

2. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Edited by Harold Jenkins, London, Meuthen,

1982

3. Camden, Carroll. “On Ophelia's Madness.” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 15, no. 2,

1964, pp. 247–255. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2867895.

4. Rackin, Phyllis. Shakespeare and Women. Oxford University Press, New York,

2005.

5. Donovan, Josephine, editor. Feminist Literary Criticism: Explorations in Theory.

Lexington, Ky, University Press of Kentucky, 1989.

6. Greer, Conley. "To Be A Woman: Shakespeare's Patriarchal Viewpoint".

Knowledge Box, 2023, Accessed 27 Apr 2023.

7. Taylor Swift. “Lavender Haze.” Midnights, Universal Music Publishing Group,

2022.

8. Bloom, Harold. Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human. New York, Riverhead,

1998.

9. Fischer, Sandra K. “Hearing Ophelia: Gender and Tragic Discourse in ‘Hamlet.’”

Renaissance and Reformation / Renaissance Et Réforme, vol. 14, no. 1, 1990,

pp. 1–10. JSTOR,