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The Strength of Women in Hamlet Compared to Women of the Elizabethan Period



In a time when the rights and opportunities of women were limited, William Shakespeare wrote plays and poems that reflected women in a different light. During Elizabethan times women often had arranged marriages at an early age for economic purposes, while Shakespeare writes about love and its power through his own personal experiences. These sentiments are synthesized as evidenced by his language throughout his sonnets and plays. In Shakespeare’s __Hamlet__ females are portrayed as stronger than they were truly viewed in the society of Elizabethan period. I. Life of Women during the Elizabethan years (1558-1603) The life of married women from wealthy families and those from poorer families varied greatly beginning with their age of marriage. The standards were for brides of nobility, gentry, and wealthy urban elite to marry to ten years younger than their counterparts among ordinary women during early modern England, 1550- 1720. One could consent to marriage as early as the age of seven (R. E. Pritchard 27) and women of the upper class were not given as much choice as the lower economic classes, nor freedom in who they would marry. After the wedding, there was the ritual of “giving the women away.” The intent of this tradition was to “putteth women in the mind of dutie” and was greatly intimidating to the women of this time to such as great degree that many eloped to avoid a public wedding (Mendelson and Crawford 129). In a marriage, the wife had no legal stake in the physical and economic resources of the household and almost always no way to leave the marriage. Women had very limited job opportunities; therefore, a woman’s first priority in a marriage was to create a social and economic partnership before the concern of romantic attraction. During Elizabethan times, a woman’s love towards her husband was judged based on her subjugation to him, and rebelling was not only unacceptable, but dangerous as well (Mendelson and Crawford 131). II. Shakespeare and feminine influences throughout his life Shakespeare lived and worked during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. She was the first women to truly have all power in ruling over England. Elizabeth represented herself as both queen and king, manipulating contemporary images of monarch and gender. While she was formidable in her self portrayal as being as strong as a king, Elizabeth utilized her femininity to achieve goals. Such “feminine characteristics,” from her vanity to her virginity, facilitated her manipulation to turn enemies against one another, and to always have the upper hand (Mendelson and Crawford 354). This type of power can also be exemplified in another form, through a woman’s power of control through love. Shakespeare writes of his experiences with the torment of love in a series of poems referred to as “the Dark Lady.” Throughout these poems, it is apparent that Shakespeare acquiesces to his love towards her, for she has power over him. According to __Shakespeare__, by Michael Wood in reference to the Dark Lady, “the poet says he loves her ‘dearly’ but bitterly regrets her power over him, which he sees as manipulative and controlling. He becomes a slave to her dominating personality, beauty, and power.” There is reason to believe that she is of a higher social standing than Shakespeare (189); the issue of love among different social classes is a prominent matter within Shakespeare’s works, such as __Hamlet__. III. The women of __Hamlet__  From a modern perspective, Gertrude and Ophelia would be seen as weak female characters, as they were intended to be represented. Nevertheless, they had no means to grow their independence based on the manner in which women were viewed during Shakespeare’s time. According __Shakespeare and the Nature of Women__ by Juliet Dusinberre, “Ophelia has no chance to develop an independent conscious of her own, so stifled is she by the authority of the male world…a condition which makes her incapable of coping with a world she has no part of ” (94). With this in consideration, Ophelia is not a weak woman in relation to her death. Assuming the premise that Ophelia committed suicide, this act is actually one of independence and liberation from the male dominated society in which she suffocates. Superficially, it appears as though Gertrude is a weak character; however, analyzing what she does, and doesn’t do, can lead to conclusions of a stronger woman. Angela Pitt writes in her book, __Shakespeare’s Women__, “He begs her not to sleep with Claudius again, but although she promises not to tell anyone what he has said, she avoids giving a direct answer. It may be that Gertrude is attempting a practical compromise.” Gertrude is somewhat torn between her new husband and her son. By not giving Hamlet an answer she lets Hamlet believe what he chooses, while evading commitment. As previously stated, Shakespeare thought of women as powerful in relation to love. Despite the negative connotation, there are numerous references to the physical relationship of Gertrude and Claudius. Hamlet states, “but to live in the rank sweat of an  enseamèd bed sweat in corruption, honeying and making love over the nasty sty,” ( Kalaidjian et al. 1541) placing her in a position not necessarily of power, but one in which she has power over her own actions. In Elizabethan society woman did not have the choice of who she married let alone decisions once they were married. Hamlet declares of his mother, “ O most wicked speed, to post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets!” (Kalaidjian et al. 1485). This is another instance of Gertrude doing as she chooses regardless of the moral ramifications of her actions. Similar to how Gertrude chose to jump into the bed of incest with Claudius, she makes the decision to no longer sleep with him, “Hamlet implores Gertrude to discontinue sexual relations with Claudius. Her response to his urgings would then color her (and Claudius') behavior for the rest of the play… it is clearly the case that Gertrude has headed Hamlet's plea and has rejected Claudius' affections” (Frailty, thy name is women). This concludes in a strain on her marriage with Claudius that results in Gertrude as a dependent woman. Her ultimate break from Claudius is her warning to Hamlet about the poison in the drink. Wood’s __Shakespeare__ refutes any Freudian views between Gertrude and Hamlet, rather bases their relationship on the 1550 Latin version of Euripides’s __Orestes__. “Nothing is better than a loyal friend…and now again do spur my fit revenge and still are by my side,” refers to the bedchamber scene between Gertrude and Hamlet (225). By naming Gertrude a “loyal friend” she is not merely placed above the status of women in Elizabethan times, but as an equal to Hamlet. Conclusion Shakespeare’s Ophelia and Gertrude are not the archetypal woman that lived in Elizabethan society. The feminine influences in his life resulted in a subconscious awareness of the strength of women as depicted by these two characters. He illustrates each of the women in their individual constraints of dependency. As __Hamlet__ progresses, Gertrude and Ophelia’s autonomy develops in coping with the rotten state of Denmark.