Sexism in Hamlet

A Marred View

Of all the inequalities present in today’s society, perhaps none is as degrading or well documented as the inequality between men and women. The tragedy Hamlet, by William Shakespeare proves that this very same inequality was present during the Renaissance period. In the work, the protagonist Hamlet is prince of Denmark. His father, the current king, is murdered and the kingdom is left in peril, until the king’s brother Claudius conveniently assumes the throne. The queen is very quick to marry Claudius, leaving Hamlet to feel betrayed at his mother’s incestuous act. Hamlet feigns insanity to go about underestimated hoping to kill Claudius after the ghost of his father tells him to avenge his death. The plot heaves forward to a stunning climax where Hamlet gets his revenge, but is killed by poison. Finally, the kingdom is overthrown by the king of Fortinbras, which Hamlet foresees and encourages with his last breath. It is a fair assumption to say that while the feminism in the book is very apparent, readers may associate the very obvious with the very simple. This is not the case, as the feminism in this work, even though apparent, is quite complex and intentional, in particular delving into matters of stereotypes and male dominance. Indeed, Shakespeare writes wittingly about women; mainly their flaws and their inferiority on purpose to gain his desired cathartic effect, which readers of this classic wrongly assume to be unintentional . Specifically, three aspects of gender based discrimination are used. Firstly, the women are given stereotypical roles, in that they are limited in their freedom, and are portrayed as helpless. Secondly, it is looked down upon by men to possess any trait considered to be that of a woman’s. Finally, the men avidly dominate the women, using force of command as if they are things to be owned. Thus, the only way to truly understand the intentional feminism present in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, is to deconstruct specific...