Shakespeare's Patriarchal Society

Shakespeare

Socialization is the process by which individuals internalize the mores and norms of the society they live in. It is through this process that the established social order is perpetuated. When individuals fail to accept the beliefs of society as their own, there is then the possibility of chaos for both individuals and society as a whole. This ability to create upheaval increases in accordance with the amount of power an individual may hold within the traditional power structure. If this independence from conventional thought occurs in someone with a high political rank, they potentially have the power to cause a collapse within that structure. A person with little political power who finds protection within the established system has little recourse and is left defenseless when that system collapses. Given their traditionally less visible roles in society, rebellious women stand is sharp contrast to their more compliant sisters.

In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia is the embodiment of cherished femininity. She complies with the system that protects her and thrives within its protective walls. Gertrude stands in striking contrast to Ophelia. She is antithetical to the traditional standard of femininity. Through her refusal to accept the gender based expectations of her time and her defiant actions, Gertrude is ultimately responsible for the downfall of the ordered power structure and brings about her own destruction. In Shakespeare’s society, the ideal female is cherished for her youth, beauty and purity. These qualities are appreciated and boundaries are set up to protect the ingénue. A compliant young woman accepts these standards and dwells safely in the space created for her. Ophelia is repeatedly praised for her beauty and purity, “Ophelia, I do wish that your good beauties be the happy cause of Hamlet’s wildness: so shall I hope your virtues will bring him to his wonted ways again,” (III.i.39-43).

Queen Gertrude herself not only thinks the...