Womens Roles in Gertrude and Ophelia - Essay Example

Hamlet: Women’s Roles as seen in Gertrude and Ophelia In the play Hamlet, Shakespeare includes two female characters d Ophelia and Gertrude. Each of these women seem to operate within the 16th century conception of the ‘ideal’ female in that they quietly and obediently follow the wishes of their respective male counterparts – Ophelia in the form of her father, brother and king and Gertrude in the form of the king. They float through the castle providing little to no valuable service and seemingly without volition or true activity of their own other than perhaps to sew. They seem puppet figures, meekly undertaking those activities expected of the medieval woman when not directly engaged in what they have been told to do by others. They are given few options in the expression of their own emotions and their sentiments have little to no bearing upon the decisions made for them. While Ophelia seems to be innocent of the events occurring to those around her, Queen Gertrude seems to be more on the inside of the plotting and scheming occurring within the castle. Thus, both Ophelia and Gertrude appear as little more than the ‘puppet figures’ throughout much of the play, each playing vital roles in the development of the plot at differing levels of involvement. Seizing upon any tool they can lay their hands on, the King and Polonius readily employ Ophelia as a weapon for their own purposes. At the beginning of the play, she is told by her father in no uncertain terms, to go against her heart and spurn all communication with Hamlet despite the close proximity in which they live: “I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth, / Have you so slander any moment leisure / As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet. / Look to’t, I charge you” (I, iii, 132-135). While this directive can be seen as the natural reaction of a father in working to guard the chastity, or sexual purity, of his daughter, it can also be seen as a wily of an ambitious parent attempting to both protect the assets of the family as well as provide a more alluring bait to the ultimate prize of marrying the prince. This interpretation is supported in the almost over-humble way in which he approaches the King and Queen with his theory regarding the cause of Hamlet’s madness, reciting the degeneration of the prince since Ophelia had stopped receiving his messages: “And he, repelled, a short tale to make, / Fell into a sadness, then into a fast, / Thence to a watch, thence into a weakness, / Thence to a lightness, and, by this declension, / Into the madness wherein now he raves” (II, ii, 146-150). This understanding of Hamlet’s condition, at least as far as the truth of his affections toward Ophelia are revealed in the recitation of the love letter (II, ii), provides Polonius with the tool he’s been seeking for greater career stability as well as providing the King with a tool to use against Hamlet himself. The King and Polonius plot to use the obedient Ophelia as a tool to control the actions of Hamlet even as Hamlet, unsure of whether Ophelia is acting on her own emotion or on the instruction of her father and the king, finds it impossible to trust her behavior. This removes a strong source of support and friendship for the confused young prince. When Hamlet slays the person hiding in the curtains in Queen Gertrude’s chambers in III, iv, he obviously hopes it is King Claudius and he is thus relieved of his promise to the ghost without the need for further proof against the king. This reveals his suspicion of his mother’s complicity in the old king’s murder, a suspicion that has been hinted at throughout the play. Hamlet constantly criticizes Gertrude from the beginning and throughout the play, about the incestuous relationship she shares with his uncle, the king, and Gertrude’s brother-in-law. This complicity is brought out to even further degree with the death of Ophelia. Within the Queen’s recitation of what happened to Ophelia, the only statement she makes that indicates supposition or assumption rather than direct knowledge is that it could not have been long before “her garments, heavy with their drink, / Pulled the poor wretch from her melodious lay” (IV, vii, 180-181). On the other hand, the Queen includes many details in her description that indicate first hand knowledge that would have been difficult to know any other way: “Her clothes spread wide, / And mermaid-like awhile they bore her up, / Which time she chanted snatches of old lauds, / As one incapable of her own distress” (IV, vii, 174-177). That the supposition comes at the end of this description suggests an observer who watched as Ophelia fell into the water and then continued to watch as she floated upon the surface for a moment before leaving so as not to fall accused of negligent watchfulness. This speech also serves to highlight the possibly treacherous aspect of the Queen, indicating that perhaps she isn’t quite the innocent fool she appears to be through Hamlet’s eyes. Had Ophelia not been brought up to be meek and mild, consistently and completely following the directives of her elders, she perhaps would not have aroused suspicion in Hamlet and instead provided him with an additional individual to confide in. At the same time, she could have avoided her own personal tragedy by not being placed in the maddening conflict of emotions that was created when her elders bade her to go against the dictates of her heart. At the same time, though, providing women with this kind of strength could be dangerous, as was illustrated through the character of Ophelia. Thus, in Hamlet, Shakespeare warns both for and against the clever woman. Works Cited Shakespeare, William. “Hamlet.’ The Complete Works of Shakespeare. Alfred Harbage (Ed.). London: Penguin Books, 1969, pp. 930-976. Read More