Analysis of Female Characters and Misogyny in Shakespeare's Hamlet

This essay delves into William Shakespeare's "Hamlet," focusing on the portrayal of female characters, specifically Ophelia and Gertrude, and argues that Shakespeare employs delicate and naïve female figures to redirect the plot, emphasize emotional connections, and highlight tragic love. The essay supports this thesis by examining how the women are depicted as dependent on men, acting as connectors between male characters, and sketched as docile figures subject to male control. Through textual evidence, the analysis reveals that the female characters' dependency and obedience drive the plot and develop relationships, ultimately showcasing a potentially misogynistic view of women reflective of the era in which the play was written. The essay concludes by restating that the females in Hamlet are undeniably obedient to the male characters and allow the men to make decisions on their behalf. The delicate female characters also work towards the advancement of the plots and development of relationships by showing their constant dependent on the male characters.

Running head: HAMLET
Portrayal of Women in Hamlet
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1HAMLET
Introduction
Hamlet is a tragic novel play written and composed by William Shakespeare from 1599 to
1602. The play depicts the story of prince Hamlet of Denmark and his revenge against
Claudius, his uncle who murdered Hamlet’s father in order to cease the throne of the game
(Armstrong p 71-81).
Thesis statement
In Hamlet, Shakespeare uses delicate and naïve female characters in order to redirect the plot
and feature the emotional ties and the tragic love. All the female characters therefore are
shown to be flawed, and portrayed in a stereotypical, sexualized manner and therefore shows
misogyny towards women which was a problem during the era in which it was written.
Supporting points and evidences
Supporting point A: How the factor of romance in the play is tied with the notion of
feminine dependency
1. In the play the female characters, Ophelia and Gertrude, are shown to be dependent on
men, father or beloved, and therefore have a significant influence on the concepts of love and
romance.
2. Ophelia: “No my good lord, but as you command, / I did repel his letters and denied/ His
access to me”. (2.1)
3. Gertrude: “Oh Hamlet, speak no more, thou turnst mine eyes into my very soul. And there
I See such black and engrained spots as will not leave their tinct”.
(Cartmell and Michael)

2HAMLET
Supporting point B: How women are taken as the bridge to build relationship between
characters within the play
1.The Women in the play make connection with the men because of their dependency on
them. Therefore women are shown as connectors who develop bonds between characters.
2. Ophelia: “ Lord Hamlet, with his doublet all unbraced; no hat upon his head; no stockings
foul’d, ungarter’d and down-gyved to his ancle; pale has his shirt; his knees knocking each
other; and with a look so piteous and purport as if he has been loosed out of hell to speak of
horrors, he comes before me”. (2.1)
3. Gertrude: “Let not thy mother lose her prayers, Hamlet. I pray thee, stay with us go not to
Wittenberg”. (1.2)
(Xie et al.)
Supporting Point C: How women are sketched as docile ad delicate characters
1. The female character sketch is laid in a manner so as to be objects of means to the ends of
the male characters. Be it the demand for obedience from the male-lover or the strike of fear
from father, women in Hamlet is malleable.
2. Ophelia: “I shall watch the effect of this good lesson keep, / As watchman to my heart”.
(1.3)
3. Gertrude: “Be thou assured, if words be made of breathe, and breathe of life, I have no life
to breathe what thou has said to me”. (1.2)
(Worthen p 83-98)
Restatement of the thesis statement

3HAMLET
In Hamlet, the females are shown to undoubtedly obey the male characters and allow the men
to make decisions on their behalf. The delicate female characters also work towards the
advancement of the plots and development of relationships by showing their constant
dependent on the male characters.

4HAMLET
References:
Armstrong, Richard H. "The Tragedy of Hoemdiplet: Freud’s Fusion of Oedipus and
Hamlet." Codex: Revista de Estudos Clássicos 6.2 (2018): 71-81.
Cartmell, Deborah, and Michael Scott, eds. Talking Shakespeare: Shakespeare into the
millennium. Macmillan International Higher Education, 2017.
Worthen, William B. "Shakespeare Performance Studies." The Shakespearean International
Yearbook. Routledge, 2017. 83-98.
Xie, Ruobing, et al. "Does William Shakespeare really write Hamlet? knowledge
representation learning with confidence." Thirty-Second AAAI Conference on Artificial
Intelligence. 2018.