THE PORTRAYAL OF WOMEN
THE PORTRAYAL OF WOMEN Strong, ambitious, and independent. These are all characteristics that are associated with many of the women today. The role of women has made great strides over past eras, as we move closer toward a state of equality. From labels such as, "Frailty, thy name is woman!"(I, II, 46) females now are productive, confident, members of society. Women now have a powerful voice in the occurrences of today. However, society was not always so accepting of this idea. William Shakespeare's Hamlet exhibits society's submissive view of the female during the Elizabethan era. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Gertrude and Ophelia portray women who are romantically passionate, but are frail, passive, people lacking the precedence to make decisions concerning their own lives. Firstly, the characters Gertrude and Ophelia lacked the confidence to voice an opinion in the decisions being made about their lives. They were under the direction of their male counterparts and were obedient to their wishes. To illustrate, rather than continuing to voice her desire to continue her relationship with Hamlet, Ophelia willingly accepts her father's order to
How should I your true know>From another one (IV,V,23-24)The man she thought returned her affection has shut her out the flames of her passionate have been extinguished. Calls virtue hypocrite, takes off the rose>From the fair forehead of an innocent love, And sets a blister there; makes marriage vowsAs false dicers' oath. The female characteristic of weakness and inability to handle the lose of a loved one! is reinstated as Laertres says,O heavens! is't possible a young maids witsShould be as mortal as an old man life. The same reasoning is applied to Gertrude. Some are still reliant on the support of a male and are silent in the decisions of their lives. God hath given you one face, and you makeyourselves another, you jig, you ample, and you lisp. Although their lack of precedence may have been such to fit in the with the plot, there decision not to may their voices heard and fight for what they believed was right contributed to the dismantling of the lives of many including their own. (III,II,174-176)Women are portrayed as treasonous and incapable of keeping their word. He implies women are easily tempted and cannot be trusted in matters of the hearts. Ophelia, as well as women in general, are chastised by Hamlet for there ability to use beauty in corruption honest men. Let shame say what it will: when these are gone,The woman will be out. Gertrude is denounced by Hamlet for her decision to remarry and is compared to a prostitute by her own son. Infact, women were not even able to play roles of females in any on stage performances. (III,I,138-140)Women are critizied for using products such as makeup as a blanket to prey upon men. In his opinion, the love of a female is just like the weather; unpredictable and short lived.
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