A FEMINIST THEORY OF HAMLET - Taine Buchan While we humans live in a society ruled largely by men, we have little idea of ​​what a matriarchal society would be like as it clearly does not exist in today's society. For centuries we have fought for gender equality, but films, plays and novels remind us that women are subjugated and represent the weaker gender. Shakespeare's written tragedies had clearly shown his patriarchal perspective with his character Ophelia in Hamlet, whose motivation and dominance are fueled by her father Polonius. Gertrude is another woman in Hamlet who is portrayed as a weak-minded dependent character who has no power or control over what she does. If we look at these two characters from a feminist point of view we can certainly understand how the Western world of the 16th century represented women. Although she is typically read as an inconsequential character in Hamlet, Ophelia reveals the struggle of the female character who strives to have a voice of her own. A character whose importance to her family thrives on her beauty and naivety. Her character is a mirror of Elizabethan society which was described as weak and dependent on men. These were common reflections of women. His idea of ​​leadership and dignity is to always obey his father and respect his rules. When her father orders her to stop seeing Hamlet, she comes to terms and says "I will obey my Lord" (1.4.10). Her father Polonius and brother Laertes also expect her to be sexually pure to keep their imperial and superior name right. When Polonius and Laertes lecture Ophelia on how to remain a virgin, they remind her how important it is to maintain her chastity. In reality her brother and father want her to ab...... middle of paper ...... ividuality. She lacks the strength and courage to speak for herself and is weak and treated like an object for men to abuse and alter. Her character is a way to glorify men, in the sense that she is a slave to their needs. Through the feminist perspective, I can clearly understand how the tragedy can reveal the hidden truths about this weighty portrait of an Elizabethan woman through this lens. . Gertrude and Ophelia both lacked independence and individuality. They had no real dominance or courage because of the way they were treated by the men who owned them. The story clearly showed the weakness they were tormented by. The tragedy helped me understand how women were portrayed. Not only for me, but also for the audience. Even reading from my point of view, I can understand the portrayal of these two women in the sense that it must be true.