He treats her with little regard and believes that she is a “breeder of maggot” This is also evident when Hamlet says to her, “ I say we will have no more marriages. Those that are married already, all but one, shall live; the rest shall keep as they are. To a nunnery go” (3.1.150) Here Hamlet almost commands Ophelia to go to a nunnery, suggesting that she, as a sexually corrupt female, needs improvement. Therefore, Shakespeare’s use of language, illustrated by words adopted by male characters, not only identitifies how women are marginalised, but their ill-sentiments towards
Beatrice is cynical and witty; she doesn’t conform when it comes to the role of women in Elizabethan time. In terms of how males view females, there is a theme of cuckoldry (men who married unfaithful wives). This is shown in the first scene when Leonato confirms that Hero is his daughter, ‘Her mother hath many times told me so’, a joke at her expense, implying she is unfaithful to him. In a conversation between Claudio and Benedick, they talk about Hero. Claudio asks if he ‘noted’ her, Benedick tells him he did not, but he ‘looked on her’.
The phrase ‘no sleep’ is a euphemism for death and suggests that she will pay for what she has done. This is similar to Farmers Bride as he is frustrated that she will not interact with him. This is shown when he says ‘three summers since I chose a maid’; this suggests that she has been avoiding him for the past three years, which is frustrating for him. The word ‘maid’ implies that she is still a virgin, suggesting that his frustration could also be sexual In Sister Maude italics are used to emphasise her hatred for her sister Maude. This is used in the last line of the poem ‘Bide you with death and sin’; this symbolised her outrage at her sister and her hope that she will pay by going to hell after death.
Lady Macbeth tries to convince Macbeth that killing Duncan would be of great interest to him as it will give him great prosperity. Lady Macbeth is supposed to represent Shakespeare's employer, King James' opinion on all woman, that they persuade men to sin. At the time Macbeth was written, people did not have a very high view on woman as they were seen as inferior to men and only there for the purpose of reproducing and caring of the offspring whilst the men do the important things such as earn money. Modern audiences would not see Lady Macbeth's attitude towards her husband as a shock as men and woman are more or less equal in today's society, however in Elizabethan England her attitude towards her husband would have been seen as shocking. In Animal Farm, Squealer is used by Napoleon to clear
Titania, Hermia, Helena, and Hippolyta are the women in this play that show various ways of how friendships are complicated. Titania, the Queen of the Fairies, takes care of a changeling boy, whom her husband, Oberon, wants as his own slave; but her love for the boy and his mother, she creates a stir in the play. Hermia and Helena’s friendship goes back to their childhood days as best friends. Their path in friendship take a turn when Hermia and Lysander want to run away and get eloped, Helena tells the apple of her eye, Demetrius – who was ordered by Egeus (Hermia’s father) to marry his daughter – which causes catastrophe. Hippolyta is the Queen of the Amazons also, the soon to be wife of Theseus – the Duke of Athens.
thieves!" (Othello I, i, 79-81). Hamlet is referring to woman in general, but the comment is aimed directly at his own mother, Gertrude. Hamlet, who is still mourning over the loss of his father, is bitter towards his mother. Hamlet is
Women in Hamlet In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet there are two main women characters (Ophelia- who ends up mad, and Gertrude- who ends up dead). Is it simply a coincidence that these women, the only women in the play end up letting themselves are, and are continually manipulate, controlled, and taken advantage of by the male characters in the play? Is it truly coincidental that when Ophelia’s love- hamlet- is taken away from her that she goes and, and when Gertrude is suddenly without a husband, she marries his brother? These things are not coincidence. They were done purposefully, now the question is why>?
Leuce laughed a little, catching herself in time not to encourage the girl's impertinent impersonation of Demeter. If only her mother had also encouraged her to be careful, taught her how to restrain her self, and to always listen to her guardian; then Leuce would have had an easier time looking after the child, and keeping her safe. Persephone wasn't especially hard to look after though, which was the whole reason why Leuce had grown to relish her. She was quite obedient and well mannered enough for a child, but she's a Goddess and Gods don't have it in them to take orders from nymphs; its innate in them, in Demeter, in Hades, even Persephone
Despite the general opinion that “Hamlet” contains the weakest women in Shakespeare’s works, the unraveling of the main plot can only be attributed to them. The first case in which we see woman as the catalyst of the play is with Gertrude being one of the main motivations for Claudius murdering his brother. Once Hamlet died, Claudius and Gertrude quickly exchanged wedding vows, maintaining the stability of Denmark during the unexpected death of King Hamlet. Hamlet continuously alludes that he knows what Claudius has done, and seeks to make him feel remorseful for his actions. He achieves this goal through a reenactment of Hamlet’s death, and the exchange of everlasting love between ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Gertrude’, played by the actors at Elsinore.
Shakespeares portrayal of female characters in the play Hamlet mirrors the way in which women were perceived in his day. The actions of the characters Ophelia and Queen Gertrude are often heavily swayed by the words of the male characters. In the play, the male characters think of the women as archetypes, who do not make choices for themselves, and thus the female characters behave as though they are helplessly caught up in the plot and unable to change their situation’s. Hamlets lover, Ophelia, is by far the most piteous character in the play. Although it was Hamlet who wooed her, and with whom she was intimate it is Hamlet himself who later chastises her for her impious actions.