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Emma Rempel
Mrs.Banks
ENG3UI-06
January 14th, 2010
The Nature of Women in the 16th Century
Throughout history, the needs, opinions and experiences of women have been
overlooked. Women have consistently been oppressed and have been forced to live in the
shadow of the men within their society. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Gertrude and Ophelia
are constantly proven to be frail and powerless characters in the plot. They appear
helpless when problems arise, especially throughout Hamlet’s quest for revenge. Women
are displayed as victims of the chaos that is unleashed around them, with no control over
their own fates. Ophelia and Gertrude are shown to be weak and vulnerable, almost
completely dependent on the men around them, and are consistently spoken ill of by the
dominating male characters. These aspects of the book give further credence to Hamlet’s
statement “Frailty, thy name is woman” and help this statement become true throughout
the plot.
The plot beings with two female characters who have potential to be strong and
independent women, yet fall short in this task. Gertrude and Ophelia live within the castle
walls and both belong to royal families. Each of their backgrounds is different, yet each
are united by being the only female characters in the play, as well as being the only
characters that are portrayed as weak and helpless. Ophelia is Hamlet’s girlfriend, and at
first appears to be a strong, confident woman who is greatly in love with Hamlet.
However, as soon as problems begin to arise in Hamlet and Ophelia’s relationship, a
whole new side of Ophelia is visible to the audience. Ophelia appears naive and opinion
less the moment that Hamlet breaks up with her. When he tells Ophelia “You should not
have believed me, for virtue cannot so/inoculate our old stock but we shall relish of it. I
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loved you/ not” Ophelia simply replies by saying “I was more the deceived” (3.1.117120). Her meek reply implies to the reader that she is unable to argue for the truth, and
that she is too frail to justify her side of the story. Ophelia simply does not possess
enough confidence to stand up to Hamlet, which eventually causes her death in Act 4
Scene 7. It is safe to assume that Ophelia has committed suicide, since there were a
number of witnesses who watched her drown and reported it back to Queen Gertrude.
The fact that she chooses to end her own life proves that she possessed no willpower to
live, and could not recover emotionally after her breakup with Hamlet. It quickly
becomes apparent that Ophelia does not possess enough inner strength to take control of
her own fate; her confidence is so low that she feels she is unable to live any longer.
Ophelia quickly goes from an independent, happy woman to a girl stuck in a cycle of
insanity that is too great to surmount. This is all caused as a direct result of being
portrayed as a frail, powerless woman who cannot handle life’s challenges. Oppositely,
Hamlet’s mother Gertrude is symbolized as having a great deal of power as she is in one
of the highest position of nobility as the Queen of Denmark. Ironically, a person with
such high authority appears to be one of the weakest characters because she is a woman.
When Hamlet confronts his mother in a fit of rage Gertrude exclaims, “What wilt thou
do? Thou wilt not murder me? Help, help, ho!” (3.4.18-22). This statement from Gertrude
shows her vulnerability, and her inability to stand up for herself. The situation represents
the domination of men throughout the book and how, in the midst of a man, women are
powerless. The frailty of women is extremely evident throughout the plot because of the
helpless situations women are put in, and how they react to problems.
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Not only does Shakespeare stress the frailty of women by emphasizing their
personal faults, he also focuses on the relationship between men and women and their
relationships. Naturally, the male characters tend to dominate and shape the plot. It is
Hamlet who forms most of the action along his question for revenge, Claudius who
creates the tyranny, and Laertes who is the “hero” trying to avenge his sister and fathers
death. Women appear to be bystanders; they are completely reliant on the male characters
every decision, and have virtually no decision-making power of their own. Shortly after
the death of Old Hamlet, Gertrude marries his brother, Claudius. Whether this decision
was made out of necessity by Gertrude, or whether Claudius had his own methods to
entice Gertrude into courtship, Gertrude had little opportunity to do what she wanted. In
Shakespeare’s time, women did not have the option to be independent. After the death of
her husband, it is likely that Gertrude was very upset and mourning her husband’s death,
but if she wanted to remain queen, she had to marry Claudius. Shakespeare gives
Gertrude’s character no emotion, making her appear heartless and conniving, when in
reality she was practically forced into the empty marriage. This situation shows that
without a man, a woman has no power, despite their title. The influence that Claudius has
on Gertrude is almost as strong as the influence that Hamlet has on Ophelia. The
importance of Hamlet’s opinion is shown to be vital to Ophelia’s very essence. When
Hamlet leaves Ophelia with his malicious words during the breakup and proceeds to
walks out, Ophelia is distraught and cries “Oh, woe is me,/ T’ have seen what I have
seen, see what I see!” (3.1.160-161). Her emotional response shows the grandeur of
Hamlet’s effect on her, and reveals how truly distressed she is because of the situation.
Sadly, there is nothing Ophelia can do to resolve the situation. It appears that as soon as
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Hamlet tells Ophelia she is not wanted, her life basically dissolves in front of her eyes.
This is when her mental instability begins, and is also the beginning of her demise.
Without Hamlet, Ophelia would have probably lived a completely normal life. Instead,
the lasting influence Hamlet has on her has ruined her. This influence shows how reliant
the female characters are on the male characters, as well as showing how frail and empty
they are without them. Even after death, Ophelia’s fate is left in a man’s hands instead of
her own. Her brother argues to the priest that her final rites must be read so she can live
peacefully in heaven, yet the priest does not agree with this because of the nature of her
death. “Her death was doubtful,/And, but that great command o'ersways the order,/She
should in ground unsanctified have lodged/ Till the last trumpet. For charitable
prayers/Shards, flints and pebbles should be thrown on her.” (5.1.200-205). This
statement from the priest proves that despite what Ophelia would want for herself, she
still cannot make the important decisions that will leave a lasting impact on her. Again
we are shown the powerlessness and frailty of women, and how men control their lives.
It is clear that the male characters in Hamlet play a huge role in the lives of the
women. From making important decisions to influencing their every action, women in the
play appear to be completely controlled by this dominating, masculine source of power. It
comes as no surprise that the men feel this sense of power too, therefore devaluing the
women in their society. The male characters such as Claudius and Hamlet appear to have
no appreciation of the women around them. Gertrude and Ophelia are constantly spoken
down to, as well as being dehumanized by the words of Hamlet and Claudius. Instead of
speaking to his mother in a constructive way, Hamlet bursts into her room with harsh
accusations and rude comments regarding his father’s death. He openly disrespects her
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and becomes very cruel when he tells her ““No, by the rood, not so/You are the queen,
your husband’s brother’s wife,/And—would it were not so!—you are my mother.”
(3.4.14-16). Hamlet is telling her that he wishes she was not his mother, and mocking her
marriage to Claudius. To say such things to the woman who gave him life is extremely
discourteous, especially when her new marriage is helping him maintain the way of life
he has grown up with. His rudeness is also imposed onto Ophelia when he breaks up with
her. Whatever his reasons are for ending the relationship, he does not do so with any
courtesy, and purposely leaves her with no dignity as well as breaking her heart. No
reasons are given to Ophelia as to why he’s breaking up with her which is an extreme
form of disrespect; Hamlet doesn’t even feel she is worthy of knowing why he hates her.
It is clear his intent was not merely to end the relationship, Hamlet wanted to break her
spirit and leave her in a vulnerable state to prove his dominance. Hamlet tells Ophelia “If
you marry, I’ll give you this curse as your wedding/ present—be as clean as ice, as pure
as the driven/ snow, and you’ll still get a bad reputation. Get yourself/ to a convent, at
once. Good-bye. Or if you have to get/ married, marry a fool, since wise men know far
too/ well that you’ll cheat on them. Good-bye.” (3.1.136-142). Ophelia does not deserve
any of the criticism that Hamlet unleashes on her, and is left with nothing but a shattered
confidence when he departs. Evidently, both Gertrude and Ophelia suffer as a cause of
Hamlet’s contempt toward them; their reputations of being frail and unimportant are
further sustained by the way in which they are spoken to by Hamlet. There is simply no
way they can defend themselves.
Throughout the play, it is undeniable that the male characters dominate most of
the plot with their chaotic behaviour. The needs and opinions of women are constantly
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pushed under the carpet, strengthening their image as weak, useless characters of the
play. The way in which Hamlet and many other male characters interact with Gertrude
and Ophelia prove that they are mistreated with words and behaviour yet remain
completely dependent on their male counterparts. Unfortunately, Shakespeare’s intent
seems to be to impose a common stereotype of women, that they are weak, powerless,
and unable to take charge of their own lives. Ophelia and Gertrude prove this to be true
by playing the role of “damsels in distress”, constantly being overpowered, and failing to
succeed in possessing any self authority. When Hamlet desperately exclaims “Frailty, thy
name is woman!” in Act 2, Scene 1 he is describing the universal weak nature of women,
and judging by they way woman are portrayed in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, this is a very
true statement.
Work Cited
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. ed. Marilyn Eisenstat.
Toronto: Harcourt, 1988.