Female Power in Hamlet

Fe manlike Power in hamlet I. excogitation William Shakespeares crossroads is characterized by its tragic conclusion and its memorable cast. As a reflection of the time period in which Hamlet was written, the predominately male cast views the female characters as inferior. What the men do not absorb is that the women ingest more carry than what is initially predicted. Throughout the coquet, Gertrude uses her influence everyplace Claudius to gain governmental ground while Ophelia uses her sexuality to have control over her relationship with Hamlet. This sense of female originator also has a lasting effect on the theme of sexuality and corruption in the play.II. Gertrude A. Governmental Influence During the course of the play, Gertrude uses her status as a fair sex to establish herself as a capable and superior ruler. At the parentage of the play Hamlet chastises his mother for not only for her willingness to remarry afterwards the untimely death of his father but for her marriage to Claudius, the brother of the deep deceased. Hamlet views this as incestuous as did many others during the time the play was written (Pressley). We should limit in mind that she is the Queen of Denmark and has to bring out decisions that would take up benefit her nation.Gertrudes motivations were more political than unholy. Her marriage to Claudius gave the vest a more stable base of billet which would make the people of Denmark palpate more restore especially when facing a possible aggression by Fortinbras (Lenz). This union would also prove to the people that she was emotionally secure complete to be rule the state. King Hamlet also felt that Gertrude was strong enough to run the country be reach he made her the pass receiver of the throne after his death and not his eldest son which was traditionalistic (Pressley).Gertrude uses her influence as a powerful woman to help make her country and her life more secure. III. Ophelia A. Sexual Power Many critics ge nerate Ophelia to be a pawn to the men in her life, but end-to-end the play she proves herself to be neither silent nor merely obedient (Fisher 130). This pedagogy is only disproved in regards to her father. She does obey him when he tells her to stay away from Hamlet and when he asks her to be involved in a plan to obtain Hamlets state of mind. She does not have the same tractable tendencies towards her brother and Hamlet.When Laertes tries to warn Ophelia about the dangers of pre-marital sex, she just rebukes him as a cheat and establishes the existence of a double standard surrounding the issue. While in that respect is little doubt that Hamlet and Ophelia loved each other, sex was not involved in their affection. If they were to have a child out of trade union then both of their reputations along with the reputations of their families would be ruined and the heir to the throne would be in question. She had a certain loyalty to her family and the status they held and Hamle t had certain expectations as the prince of Denmark.This restrain on their endeavors does not limit the power of Ophelia over Hamlet. She still uses the fact that they could be to thrumher one twenty-four hours to her advantage. They were playful with each other and at timely highly implicative but this only shows the passions built up from their inability to act on their feelings (Neeley). Hamlet respects this silent sexual power when he tells her get thee to a nunnery in the hope of keeping her safely away from his furore (Shakespeare, 3. 1. 131). This conversation, though one sided, proves that Hamlet really did love and respect Ophelia enough to protect her from himself.IV. The Effect of Female Power on the Themes of Sexuality and turpitude in the Play Throughout the play, any sign of female power is portrayed as sinful or somehow connected with the wane of Denmark. Hamlet blames his mother more for his suicidal thoughts than his fathers death. This is shown through with(pr edicate) his preoccupation with his mothers incestuous sheets and his lack of action to avenge his fathers murder (Shakespeare, 1. 2. 162). Hamlet views female sexuality as the single cause of corruption in Denmark leaving it no more than an unweeded garden (Shakespeare, 1. . 139). more specifically this moral corruption can be seen in Gertrude. When her political power is threatened by her sons lover, she has her killed and stages it as furiousness induced suicide. Gertrude is the only person who describes Ophelias death and she repeats the word overpowerd multiple times almost as if she is convincing herself that it is true. She also calls Ophelia a mermaid, originally another name for a siren, which was known for unintentionally drowning young men (Shakespeare, 4. 7. 201).Gertrude meets her death from the poisoned wine, drowning in a sense on the poison, meant for her own son. Sometimes you have to think outside the pages, but the effect of female power on the theme of sex a nd corruption cannot be ignored. V. Conclusion While the women in Hamlet have few lines, they have a tremendous amount of influence over the men in the play Hamlet. Gertrude uses her influence to establish herself as an adept matriarch. Ophelia uses her power to keep her relationship with Hamlet despite their trials.