Depection of Women in Hamlet

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Stefanie Rosa ENG 4U1 Women Depicted in the play Hamlet Women in the play Hamlet, Written by Shakesphere weren’t always depicted in a positive light. Two major female characters that may have been seen as week and dependant were Otheila and Gertrude. Otheila as the daughter of Polonious and had been known to follow her father obedient. She had managed to listen and follow her father’s advice, but then creates irony in what she truly wants. Women tend to contradict themselves with what they desire and the mentorship of who they may look up to. Gertrude was the queen and Hamlets mother and she also had a frail character. She was a woman that valued status and affection more than her characteristics of grace and charm that got her there. Both these women were weak and depicted as having no moral standards with respect to their week character, requirement of love and their depended on men. Otheila is one of the women that are depicted as a frail and dependant character because she is a woman. Her main dependence is with her father Polonious and agrees to stay away from Hamlet on the basis of wanting to prove her loyalty, even though she had feelings for Hamlet. It allowed her to be viewed as some sort of puppet that is created by her passive attribute even though she sometimes followed things may not have desired. The dependence on men overtakes her and leads to suicide. The quote” I would give you some violets, but thy withered all with my father’s death” (Hamlet Act V) depicts women having strong faith in men as the betrayal that went on with the male characters she trusted in her life. She depended on the insight into Hamlets attitude. Also, “I have heard of your painting too, well enough’ (Hamlet Act 3 Scene 1).The paining is some sort of representation of an image that is portrayed as the cosmetics that women wear. This shows that men believe woman act as
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