Introduction to Hamlet’s Misogyny
Hamlet’s misogyny shows Shakespeare of using characters having multifaceted personas and still becoming darling of the audience. If at one time, he seems a philosopher pondering over fate and luck, at another time, he is engaged in resolving metaphysical dilemmas of life and death. If at one time, he seems a politician, at other times he is a young commander, then a son, and then a royal member. In short, he has as many facets as many situations in which he is placed. Sometimes, it seems that he is merely a pondering philosopher, who cannot do any action until it is too late, but then there are clear hints within the play that he is rather delaying the action in order to show to the public that his acts are justified within the ambit of law. With it, it also is clear that at several times some of his acts do not conform to the topical social norms. In the midst of this, the debate about Hamlet’s misogyny is also prominent at some places. Hamlet seems to be misogynistic and becomes disenchanted about women because of the hasty marriage of his mother, Gertrude, with King Claudius. Also, his bitter conversation with his mother, his treatment of Ophelia, and his inclusion of the story of Gonzaga in the play show ample evidence of this.
Gertrude and Hamlet’s Misogyny
The play opens with the replacement of guards, but when Hamlet comes on the scene, he is engaged in conversation about the arrival of the ghost of his father which does not show Hamlet’s misogyny. Although the ghost guides him on what to do regarding his revenge and the role of his mother as it says in Act-I, Scene 5, “So to seduce!–won to his shameful lust / The will of my most seeming-virtuous queen” (26-27) where it is clear that Gertrude is a virtuous lady, but she has been seduced by the satanic King Claudius. However, it does not ask him to chide or rebuke the queen, as it states clearly” leave her to heaven / And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge” (42-43). That is the very reason that when he comes face to face with his mother, he plays upon words saying, “seems, madam! nay it is; I know not ‘seems.'” (Act-I, Scene-ii 12). That is the place where he speaks his first famous soliloquy in which he deduces that “Frailty thy name is a woman” (29). Here his language has become strong, as he clearly sees Gertrude marrying his uncle with such a speed that it has surprised the people as well. However, it could be interpreted in a different way as Earnest Jones has defined it in his paper where he thinks that he loves his mother too much and that he is suffering from Oedipus Complex. This mental state reflects his repression of desires that he is giving vent to in the shape of speaking against and rebuking Gertrude wherever he meets her (Jones 99). Steven Mullaney states that this “transgression is not merely against her first husband… What distracts Hamlet from his almost blunted purpose is Gertrude’s aging sexuality, conceived at times as a contradiction in terms, and at times as a violation of her own body (137). This has produced in him strong feelings against women that led to his being a disenchanted person who rebukes whoever comes his way, but surely not make him a misogynist.
Ophelia and Hamlet’s Misogyny
The other proof of Hamlet’s misogyny comes to the fore when he chides Ophelia, his beloved strongly in the Nunnery scene. Hamlet thinks that Ophelia is also a party with her father Polonius. He is of the view in his heart that Ophelia should have supported him but her complicity with the crime makes him more disenchanted with her and generally with all women. He asks her whereabouts of her father and she states he is at home but actually, he is not at home but listening to their conversation. Therefore, he lashes out at her saying, “Get thee to a nunnery, go. Farewell. Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them” (Act-III, Scene-i 123-127). Here Earnest Jones quotes Goethe that Hamlet sees “see in Ophelia many traits of resemblance to the Queen …Ophelia as a sensual wanton (Jones 72). His disenchantment with his mother coupled with that of Ophelia’s disloyalty, makes Hamlet so bitter toward her that even she loses her state of mind. However, he, in the end, expresses his love for her more than her own brother.
Play Within Play and Hamlet’s Misogyny
The third evidence is his treatment of Ophelia during the play is staged within the play in Act-III where he speaks to Ophelia. Ophelia tells Hamlet that the play, “Moustrap” is brief but he bitterly replies that that is as brief as the love of a woman showing Hamlet’s misogyny. In fact, at this stage, he is comparing her to Baptista, the wife of Gonazao who betrays her and marries her assassin. His comments on Ophelia and his own mother Gertrude are generally targeting the whole women per se. It is because he loves both of them very much and instead of partying with him, both of them play their roles against Hamlet. However, it could be stated that in fact, he wants to awaken the conscience of both of them by speaking harshly to both of them. This comes at the end of the play at the grave of Ophelia when he becomes furious with the intervention of Laertes and says, “I lov’d Ophelia. / Forty thousand brothers / Could not with all their quantity of love / Make up my sum” (Act-V, Scene-I 264-265) which shows that it is actually his love, but he has become disenchanted. However, he still thinks that his mother is in complicity with the king that she should seek forgiveness from heaven in Act-III. Again this evidence becomes weak as he does not act against the queen but asks her to seek forgiveness for her acts, though the ghost intervenes to suggest him to do this. This may exonerate of Hamlet’s misogyny, yet, it is a strong evidence.
Conclusion
Therefore, it could be concluded that his treatment is based on the current situation and the role of both of these women against her that it seems Hamlet’s misogyny. Had this situation not arisen in the kingdom, and he was not set to “set it right”, Hamlet would not have been termed a misogynistic. He is actually giving vent to his frustration over love they used to shower, but they have now become a party against him. Gertrude is with the king while his own Ophelia is in complicity with her father in exposing her. His love becomes clear for both at the end of the play when he declares that he loves Ophelia and advises his mother that she should seek forgiveness from heaven.
Works Cited
- Mullaney, Steven. “Mourning and Misogyny: Hamlet, The Revenger’s Tragedy, and the Final Progress of Elizabeth I,1600-1607,” in Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol. 45, No. 2, Summer, 1994, pp. 139-62.
- Jones, Ernest. “The Oedipus-Complex as An Explanation of Hamlet’s Mystery: A Study in Motive.” The American Journal of Psychology 21.1 (January, 1910): 72-113.
- Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Moby Lexical Tools. Moby Lexical Tools. N. d. web. 06 Aug. 2020.
Relevant Questions about Hamlet’s Misogyny
- How does Hamlet’s misogyny manifest in his treatment of Ophelia?
- In what ways does Gertrude’s character contribute to or challenge the theme of Hamlet’s misogyny?
- How do other male characters in Hamlet exhibit Hamlet’s misogyny in their attitudes and actions?
