Hamlet Critical Analysis

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“Frailty, thy name is woman” In the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare, the two characters of Gertrude and Ophelia have great potential to be strong independent women however their circumstances often hold them back. Ophelia shows her frailty in numerous ways during the course of the play. Ophelia is displayed as the sweet, innocent, love interest of Hamlet who is dependent on her father and brother, Ophelia has little power to exert her individuality or to make her own decisions, which clearly puts her weaknesses on display. As the Queen of Denmark Gertrude must be a strong woman for the benefit of herself and her country, which she fails at in various instances throughout the play. Gertrude is clearly more concerned with her personal status than she is with respect or honesty towards herself, making her weak. Gertrude and Ophelia both adequately justify Hamlet’s assertion that “Frailty, thy name is woman” due to their various actions throughout the play. Ophelia shows her frailty in many circumstances in the play. At numerous times Ophelia takes into account the opinion of everyone around her, disregarding her own feelings. For example, when Ophelia’s brother Laertes proclaims, “The inward service of the mind and soul, grows wide withal. Perhaps he loves you now, and now no soil nor cautel doth besmirch the virtue of his will:” (Shakespeare 1.3. Ln 13-16). In this quote Laertes is suggesting that Hamlet might love Ophelia now, but the virtue of his will might change. Ophelia also takes into account the opinion of her father Polonius, and lets him triumph over her life and decisions, displaying her weakness and inability to think for herself and follow her own inhibitions . Ophelia follows the orders from her father to not see or speak to Hamlet when he slips into his “insanity”. Ophelia lets the men in her life deliberately belittle her at various times
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