Women's Dependence on Men in Hamlet
             Women are an extremely interesting topic in the play Hamlet. They are almost completely dependent on men, which is shown through the characters Ophelia and Queen Gertrude. There are three important men in Ophelia's life: Hamlet, her brother Laertes, and her father Polonius. The three aforementioned men represent her entire life; her very existence revolves around the three of them. The same can be said about Queen Gertrude and the men in her life. When her husband dies, she is grief stricken, but still able to function. However, when Hamlet is in constant conflict with the new king, she finds it nearly impossible to live. She cannot stand having the two men that she loves being in conflict. Therefore, it is fairly safe to say that in the play Hamlet, women are almost entirely dependent on men, which is shown through the death of Ophelia after Hamlet kills Polonius and the terrible anxiety that Gertrude goes through because of the conflict between Hamlet and the king.
             In both Ophelia and Gertrude's cases, men are the only important figures in their lives; there are no women, at least not any that the play specifies. Because of this, both Ophelia and Gertrude develop a huge sense of dependency on the men that are closest to them in their lives. In both of their cases, however, the men that they love do not necessarily like each other. The two men that Ophelia loves most are her brother and father. However, her love for Hamlet is different and separate from her love for her father and brother. So even when her father and brother warn her against falling for Hamlet, she cannot resist. Laertes attempts one last time to keep her from getting hurt before he departs for college: "...Or lose your heart, or chaste treasure open to his unmaster'd importunity . Fear it Ophelia! fear it, my dear sister, and keep you in the rear of your affection, out of the shot and danger of ...