William Nguyen

Hopson 6th
April 22, 2016

Hamlet Research Paper Outline

I.

Introduction
a. Thesis: In the famed play Hamlet, Shakespeare comments on the debasement and
marginalization of women through the exploitation of the characters Ophelia and

II.

Gertrude.
Body Paragraph I: Ophelia
a. The traditional interpretation of Ophelia vs. the more modern/feminist view of
Ophelia (The Nature of Will, West)
b. The tragedy of Ophelia; Hamlets rejection and the exploitation by her father

III.

(Mermaid-like, Cohen)
Body Paragraph II: Gertrude
a. The shaming and marginalization of Gertrude
i. Gertrudes decision to marry Claudius
ii. Gertrudes importance to the story (Enter Queen Gertrude,
Montgomery)
b. Gertrudes sexuality
i. Link to Ophelias sexuality and its exploitation by Laertes and Polonius

IV.
V.

(Sexuality in the Reading of Shakespeare, Rose)

Body Paragraph III: The significance and role of Ophelia and Gertrude in Hamlet
Conclusion