The Feminist Side Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare

In the play Hamlet written by Shakespeare, a young prince is trying to avenge the untimely murder of his father. Later on, Hamlet pretends to be insane, when finding that his father is dead and then uses others to get what he needed. As this happens a girl about Hamlet’s age struggles with Polonius her father and Laertes her brother. Poor Ophelia is unable to fight back all those against her as she slowly goes insane. Ophelia has the idea that she doesn’t like to be undermined and tries to create this new image of herself. When this play is read from a feminist perspective, the way it is interpreted the work is in the mindset of advocating for women s rights. The feminist side of things shows how women are represented, but we would rather have a fair representation. Ophelias’ death was caused by the raging madness of Hamlet. Ophelias’ brother Laertes told her to make haste and to avoid Hamlet before she even goes to see him. In this scene, Laertes is about to leave town and he is basically telling Ophelia that Hamlet is a big flirt and a hot-blooded youth. Plus, it is brought up that Hamlet is being sweet right now, but later on, his affection won’t last any longer. Hamlet basically reinforces what Laertes said by being bullheaded and insensitive. When Hamlet says to Ophelia, â€Å"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,† (Shakespeare III, i 111-114). He isShow MoreRelatedThe Role Of Women in Hamlet Essay1063 Words   |  5 Pageshave influenced the way playwright William Shakespeare portrayed females in his plays. Shakespeare exemplified this in his revenge tragedy Hamlet, written in 1601 with one of the most significant characters, Gertrude. She is central to the p lot due to her relationship with the main character, Hamlet, being his mother. 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