“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 th
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She lies to him back about the location of the other man she can trust, her father, “At home, my lord” (3. Tender yourself more dearly, Or you’ll tender me a fool” (1. This is obvious to all readers, men or women, stereotypical or not; however, what is less obvious is the reason behind it. By trusting Hamlet, he will take advantage of Ophelia and she will have a baby as proof, making the above statements true. When readers recognize that Hamlet is an innocent man and Ophelia is an indecisive woman, they tend to be more supportive of Hamlet. She never developed her own opinions and decisions; men constantly influenced her. 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. is 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. Had Ophelia decided solely to remain honest with Hamlet, she would not have been pressed to deceive or be deceived. Polonius continues by reprimanding Ophelia for even considering Hamlet’s sweet words, “Think yourself a baby That you have ta’en these tenders for true pay, Which are not sterling. They use her as a possessive object by Polonius being too afraid to “give” up his daughter, and Hamlet trying to “have” her for his “own. Many would interpret this to be true: that if one is genuine to oneself, they can never then be deceptive to their lover. Is he not suffering for the love of Ophelia because of Polonius? Here, the ultimate battle is between the two male characters who play roles in the female’s life. ” Ophelia is forced to believe one man or the other, but not to develop ideas of her own.
Approximate Word count =
734
Approximate Pages =
3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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