"Frailty, thy name is woman" (1.2, Line 150)! A statement like such can only, at the very least, aggravate a woman who does not fit the stereotypical female. This is defined as one who is acquiescent and dependent of men. Additionally, she contributes to the endurance of the gender hierarchy by placing herself below the top half and allowing men to do so as well. Men, on the other hand, molded into the stereotypical male or not, would not necessarily be as offended by such an insult to their opposing sex. A standard man would be accepting of and/or ignorant to gender-related inequities; on the contrary, one who has put some deliberation into such, may acknowledge the existence when ever directly present. Readers who fit the stereotypical man or woman would pay no heed to the naming, behavior and representation of women in William Shakespeare's Hamlet, nor to any text.
             Because Hamlet is the main character and a male, it would be rather unorthodox for a female character of non-stereotypical traits to share the spotlight or even as any significant character. The women used in this play are portrayed as mere accessories, only working to worsen the conditions of the main male character's situation; therefore, causing the readers to sympathize or agree with him. To Ophelia, Polonius advises, "This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man" (1.3, Lines 84-86). Many would interpret this to be true: that if one is genuine to oneself, they can never then be deceptive to their lover. Though it may not be inaccurate to some extent, it subliminally tells the readers, women in particular, that the prime reason to be true to oneself is to satisfy a man's superego. To maintain a man's dignity and pride, what more can they have than a woman's loyalty and honesty to do so? Stereotypical men and women, upon reading thi...