Feminism

Feminism

1. In the Elizabethan Era, women were classified by their sexuality

   • They could be catorgised as virgins, wives, widows or whores
   • Feminist critics defend Gertrude and Ophelia to explain why female characters seem less developed than male characters

2. They defend Ophelia

   • Double Standard
     • The Treatment of Ophelia represent the double standard. They agree men who control her life are hypocrites and do what they want
     • Ophelia's initial independence is repressed by Polonius and Laertes. The male world denies her any independence
   • Madness
     • Elaine Showalter argues that Ophelia's madness highlights the sexism.
       • Madmen were said to be "melancholic", a symptom of an intellectual mind pushed too far, whilst madwomen were called "hysteric", an illness associated with disturbances in the womb.
       • She denies that Ophelia's madness is caused by the loss of the dominant men - they instead argue that Ophelia goes mad with guilt because she secretly wants Hamlet to kill her father so that they can have a relationship.
     • Her madness suggests that she is a victim, it is a rejection of the traditional male hierarchy - playwrights used madness to give women a voice.

3. Gertrude - A More Important Role

   • They accept that Gertrude is naive and does have ambiguous morality.
     • Carol Heilbrun present Gertrude as a peacemaker to create stability and argued for her right to have sexual desires.
   • Feminists reject the idea that Gertrud's sexuality is so important.
     • Bamber blame this on critics who accept Hamlet's accusations, when there's limited textual evidence.
       • She argues that "the relationship that we see between Gertrude and Claudius is...never sexual at all"