hamlet feminist theory

HAMLETF E M I N I S T T H E O R Y

By: Angie Ellison, Jenny Torres, Minerva Dominguez, and Paulo Fonseca

FEMINIST THEORY: IS THE EXTENSION OF FEMINISM INTO

THEORETICAL , OR PHILOSOPHICAL DISCOURSE; IT A IMS TO

UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF GENDER.

WOMEN: CAN’T LIVE WITH THEM, CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT THEM…

Gertrude’s and Ophelia’s mistreatment and demise reveals Hamlet’s views of women that can be interpreted as fear and hatred that bring to light feminine qualities of his own.

Hamlet cannot trust women because he fears them. Although he hates women, he embodies his own feminine characteristics that prevents him from acting on his masculine ones.

Hamlet has a fear/hate for women. Hamlet’s “mommy complex” roots from his betrayal by

Gertrude for her marriage to Claudius. His betrayal by Gertrude leads to his prejudice of all women: his phobia hinders his ability to

trust them.

Hamlet exclaims “O god, a beast that wants discourse of reason would have mourned longer”. (Act 1, Scene 2, Line 149)

He sees Gertrude as weak and applies this to all women: “Frailty, thy name is woman!”

“Ay, truly. For the power of Beauty will sooner transform Honesty from what it is to a bawd than the force of Honesty can translate Beauty into his likeness.”(Act 3, Scene 1, Line 110-112)

O N E O F T H E R E A S O N S H A M L E T F E A R S W O M E N I S B E C A U S E H E B E L I E V E S T H E I R B E A U T Y H A S T H E P O W E R T O C O R R U P T .

Nunnery Scene

“ O T H R O W AWAY T H E W O R S E R PA R T O F I T A N D L I V E T H E P U R E R W I T H T H E O T H E R H A L F. G O O D N I G H T, B U T G O N O T T O M Y

U N C L E ’ S B E D ; A S S U M E A V I R T U E I F Y O U H AV E I T N O T. ” ( A C T 3 , S C E N E 4 , L I N E

1 5 5 - 1 5 8 )

Hamlet cannot trust women because they don’t meet his expectations.

Hamlet expresses feminine qualities such as indecisiveness and emotional

vulnerability, these prevent him from making decisions on his actions.

“Now might I do it. But now ‘a is a-praying. And now ill do it and so ‘a goes to heaven” (Act 3, Scene 3, lines73-75).

Hamlet’s indecisiveness to kill Claudius while he is praying reveals one of his feminine traits.

“To be or not to be- that is the question; Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune Or to take arms against a seas of troubles And by opposing end them;” (Act 3, Scene 1, Lines 55-59)

Hamlet is emotionally vulnerable like a

woman. Women are often stereotyped as

overdramatic and sensitive. Hamlet

embodies both of these characteristics.

“ O , T H A T T H I S T O O , T O O S U L L I E D F L E S H W O U L D M E LT, T H A W, A N D R E S O LV E I T S E L F

I N T O A D E W O R T H A T T H E E V E R L A S T I N G H A D N O T F I X E D H I S C A N N O N ‘ G A I N S T S E L F

S L A U G H T E R ”

“’Tis sweet and commendable in your nature, Hamlet, to give these mourning duties to your

father” (Act 1, Scene 2, Line 87-88)

Hamlet acts as a women when he lets his emotions get the better of him, resulting in the death of Polonius.

Through Hamlet’s mistreatment and prejudice of the female characters in the play, Hamlet’s own female qualities surface.

Hamlet was created by women and embodies his own female characteristics, yet he hates them. This paradox implies that Hamlet is self-loathing, which he projects

towards women, when he really hates himself.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Mabillard, Amanda. Ophelia. Shakespeare online.20 Aug .2000.(4 Feb 2013)

http://www.shakespearonline.com/plays/hamlet/opheliacharacter.html

Shakespeare, William, and William Shakespeare. Hamlet and Related Readings. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell, 1997. Print.