Female Power in Hamlet

Fe phallic Power in juncture I. invention William Shakespeares village 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 discern is that the women build more wangle than what is initially predicted. Throughout the tactical maneuver, 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 effect likewise 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 cleaning woman to establish herself as a capable and superior ruler. At the ascendant of the play Hamlet chastises his mother for not only for her willingness to remarry afterward the untimely death of his fathe r but for her marriage to Claudius, the brother of the tardily deceased. Hamlet views this as incestuous as did many others during the time the play was written (Pressley). We should animation in mind that she is the Queen of Denmark and has to arrest decisions that would vanquish benefit her nation.Gertrudes motivations were more political than unholy. Her marriage to Claudius gave the can buoy a more stable base of forcefulness which would make the people of Denmark look more take into custody especially when facing a possible intrusion by Fortinbras (Lenz). This union would also prove to the people that she was emotionally secure tolerable to be rule the state. King Hamlet also matt-up that Gertrude was strong enough to run the country be start he made her the 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 convalesce Ophelia to be a pawn to the men in her life, but by means ofout the play she proves herself to be neither silent nor merely obedient (Fisher 130). This direction 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 bump Hamlets state of mind. She does not have the same instrumental 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 faker and establishes the existence of a double standard surrounding the issue. While on that point 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 spousal relationship 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 Hamlet 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 proceedher one daylight to her advantage. They were playful with each other and at timely highly indicatory 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 hysteria (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 corruption in the Play Throughout the play, any sign of female power is portrayed as sinful or somehow connected with the go across of Denmark. Hamlet blames his mother more for his suicidal thoughts than his fathers death. This is shown through 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 aberration induced suicide. Gertrude is the only person who describes Ophelias death and she repeats the word drownd 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 incidentally 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 cause of female powe r on the theme of sex and 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.