Gender Analysis: Theme

Action versus Inaction

From the very start of the play, Hamlet is shown to possess a great deal of uncertainty, and the conflict between action and inaction is a theme as well as a dramatic device. The women of the play contribute to the development of this theme in that they were very passive characters throughout. Queen Gertrude stands by as her new husband causes problems with her son and is exploited by Claudius in order to gain the throne.

Action versus Inaction

The men of the play, whether directly or indirectly, continuously use women to acquire what they want while neither of the women choose the path of action. Ophelia never takes direct action; she is instructed what to do by the men in her life: Laertes, Polonius, the King, and Hamlet. She is shown to be the victim of the actions of the men.

Sexuality and Incest

Gertrudes incestuous relationship with her brother-in-law plagues Hamlet as much as his fathers death. Gertrude essentially destroys Hamlets faith in all women, partially causing his contradictory feelings about Ophelia. Frailty, thy name is woman! he says, expressing his views that all women were weak . Interestingly enough, Hamlet is not so angered by his uncles incest; it is his mother that he blames.

Sexuality and Incest

This is probably a result of womens passive role in society. A womans sexuality, as a result, becomes a despicable thing in Hamlets mind. Part of why Hamlet blames his mother so intensely is because of his strong love for her. It is actually possible that Gertrude and Claudius truly love each other and their relationship is characterized by mutual reliance, and the King often confides his thoughts and misgivings to her.

Women as Victims
Aside from her passivity, Ophelia is notable for her tragic madness and eventual death by drowning. She is shown throughout to be completely at the mercy of the men in her life. Hamlet oscillates between declarations of undying love and cruel treatment, showing that Ophelia is very much a tool in his plans.

Women as Victims
Ophelia is shown to be passive, but never malicious. She is a representation of the innocent. Her madness was a result of Hamlets actions, therefore depicting Ophelia as the innocent victim of the consequences of the mens wrongdoings. When Hamlet feigns madness, Ophelia believes it to be her fault. After her fathers death, she feels doubly guilty and thinks she is to blame.

Women as Victims
While she does appear to be the victim of all the different circumstances, arguments can be made that her madness is in fact the first sign of action in Ophelia as opposed to inaction. Charney Maurice suggests that women's madness was more defined than that of men and can be 'interpreted as something specifically feminine', through depictions of madness authors were able to give women a chance to express their selfhood 'make a forceful assertion of their being' in a way that a male-dominant society wouldnt have allowed.