In Hamlet, are Gertrude and Ophelia weak willed and morally suspect Essay Example For Students

In Hamlet, are Gertrude and Ophelia weak willed and morally suspect Essay In William Shakespeares time women had a very uncertain place in society, differing greatly from the standards of today, which were brought about partly by the Womens liberation and suffragette movement in the early 20th century. In Elizabethan times women were seen as subservient to men, insignificant and as many have argued second class citizens, with their rightful places being only to bring up children and housekeep in all cases except the rich and the aristocracy. In fact if a woman did not raise children and marry they were more than likely a prostitute or whore. This is very apparent throughout Shakespeares work as the roles of women were traditionally played by men and even more apparent is the fact that even the most important female characters appear to have had significantly fewer lines than those of their equivalent male counterparts. In Hamlet the predominant female characters are indeed the only female parts in the entire play, one being the strong regal Gertrude the Queen of Denmark and the other, weak, insecure Ophelia, daughter of Polonius and Hamlets uncertain lover. Gertrude can be viewed both as a confident, powerful figurehead and as a loving mother, although in saying this, I may create the illusion that she has a split personality which is not the case. The truth is superbly demonstrated in her relationship with Hamlet, as it is not that of a stereotypical mother and son, but more as an incestuous lovers relationship. Shakespeare was by no means the first to touch upon the idea of incest in his works, as it had been a popular theme widely used since the ancient Greek tragedies, such as Oedipus Rex. Their relationship is very like that of two lovers, it has its passionate highs and numb lows, its violent turmoil and gentle, intimate moments. Every aspect of their unusual interaction is portrayed graphically in director Franco Zefferellis interpretation of Act 3 Scene 4, which is staged in Gertrudes chamber and at its opening sees Hamlet and his mother engrossed in a passionate argument, which through Gertrudes effort is soon defused into a gentle intimate, more platonic exchange of comforting words in Gertrudes effort to heal the emotionally scared Hamlet. The peace, however is soon disturbed again when Hamlet launches a verbal attack on his mother, questioning her morals and the reasons she could possibly give for marrying his uncle so soon after the late kings death as he describes his disgust at her actions: Such an act That blurs the grace and blush of modesty, Calls virtue hypocrite, takes off the rose From fair a forehead of an innocent love, And sets a blister there, The aforementioned verbal attack is demonstrated with immense force in the very violent and somewhat sexual grapple that takes place between Gertude and Hamlet, underneath the canopy of the grand and luxurious four-poster bed. Due to the abuse Hamlet so vexingly administers to his mother, toward the end  of the scene the usually invulnerable Gertrude is reduced to a quivering wreck, filled with remorse and self-pity she begs Hamlet to stop, Oh Hamlet speak no more, Thou turnst mine eyes into my very soul, And there I see such black and grained spots as will not leave their tinct. In my opinion a reasonable explanation for Gertrudes actions and her haste to marry again so soon after King Hamlets death may be that she craves sexual fulfilment, the royal status of Queen, the continuation of the royal line and, to a lesser extent, stability and succession for her son. I arrived at this conclusion after Hamlets profuse insistence that his mother should remain abstinent and not engage in any voluntary intimacy with Claudius, which leads me to believe that Gertrudes exuberant libido and greed for a luxurious lifestyle is her greatest weakness. Gertrudes hastened remarriage could also help to paint her in a new light, as a vulnerable woman devoid of any obvious male protection following her husbands death. Her aforementioned re-marriage as a monarch to the deceased kings brother, would not have been much of a taboo to the Elizabethan audience, who had witnessed a similarly quick royal marriage in recent history, when the Tudor, king Henry VIII married his late brothe rs widow; Catherine of Aragon less than 100 years before in 1503. Hamlet - A Comparison To Humanity EssayAs a would draw it. Long stayed he so; At last, a little shaking of mine arm, And thrice his head thus waving up and down, He raised a sigh so piteous and profound As it did seem to shatter all his bulk, And end his being; that done, he lets me go, And with his head over his shoulder turned, He seemed to find his way without eyes, For out a-doors he went without their helps, And to the last bended their light on me. Hamlets madness can be viewed as nothing more than a ploy to avoid the affections of the sexually innocent Ophelia and in affect reject her, in this way as well as inflicting physical pain he leaves emotional scares which lead to Ophelias eventual madness Ophelias suicide only being implied suggests to me that Shakespeare has introduced a clever underlying sub-plot filled with suggested ideas of conspiracy within the royal court. My interpretation of this sub-plot is that, opposed to the more predominant theme, which suggests Ophelias mumblings and apparent insanity resulted in her untimely death, her sudden explosion of passionate anger was in reality the release of pent up frustrations brought about by years forced to be a non-individual, moulded very much of her father and brothers design. Her build up of aggression may not have resulted in madness but in the release of her own opinions and her rebellious questioning of the civilised royal society. This build up of aggression can be interpreted from her quick-witted exchange with Hamlet in Act3 Scene2 as she is disconcerted by and retorts to Hamlets sexual backchat using quick and abrasive replies: I think nothing my, lord And: Ay my lord. It is apparent that she may have inclinations to make a stand against the morals of her superiors as within her twisted and encrypted ramblings she makes profound statements regarding amongst other things disgust at the treatment of her fathers death as she bitterly retorts I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died, In response to this, I think the members of the court decided that the chance of any more damaging comments should be stopped, and Ophelia silenced. Such a conclusion may seem very far fetched and not evidentially based in the text, but further reading into the subsequent scenes following Ophelias death, show that many aspects of her death, the discovery of her body and her eventual burial are shrouded in mystery. This mystery is apparent in the conversation that takes place between the two gravediggers in Act5, Scene 1, as the two men question why, Ophelia, who supposedly committed suicide and in turn disobeyed God should be buried on sanctified ground: Is she to be buried in christian burial when she wilfully seeks her own salvation? Later in their conversation the two further question whether in fact her death was a suicide at all and even imply that she may have been drowned: If the man go to this water and drown himself, it is, will he, nill he, he goes, mark you that. But if the water come to him, and drown him, he drowns not himself; argal, he that is not guilty of his own death, shortens not his own life. In conclusion, I think that however different Ophelia and Gertrude  may appear from the outset, they both cannot help but to conform to the ideas of the different social standings for men and women of the age. Ophelia being under the control of her father, brother and the chauvinistic Hamlet and Gertrude, although she makes great efforts to appear strong, under the control of King Claudius. In this way, Ophelia like Gertrude is very stereotypical of the age in the way she serves and is oppressed by the men in her life. This is apparent throughout her relationship with Hamlet, of which Hamlet is definitely in control. Also, she is obviously been under the control of her father and brother since her mothers death.