Explore Shakespeare’s Representation of Women in Hamlet and Othello

Explore Shakespeares representation of women in Hamlet and Othello

Rida Hussain

It has been argued by many that were it not for the overt relationship women shared with men,

women would form no interest in Shakespeares plays1, particularly his tragedies. In Hamlet and

Othello, the main female protagonists Ophelia and Desdemona, respectively, are only involved in a

situation in which men are the key focus. Thus, this leads to the conclusion that the females in these

plays are only of secondary importance, and that they lack independence. Furthermore, the

helplessness and despair women seem to possess in any matter, from answering a simple question,

to convincing their loves of their innocence, followed by the nearly inevitable manipulation of any

response by the dominating male, can be said to insinuate that women have no control over their

own lives, and therefore are frail.

However, both of these statements prove to be false. There are, in fact, two sides to the portrayal of

every woman, and upon an analysis of the women in question, it is clear, that women do have

independence of thought, yet due to the society they are placed in, they lack independence of

action. This can especially be seen in Ophelias renowned state of madness and Desdemonas and

Emilias private conversations. Furthermore, it is contended that although women are frail, this is

not of their nature. Women are moulded into a character of frailty, due to the frailty of man, which

can be traced to causes independent of woman, and thus, perhaps, it is these fragilities in man

which cause him to compensate for his weakness via the oppression of females.

Critics such as Heather Brown have argued that Ophelia is a catalyst for the actions of the men2. By

referring to Ophelia as a catalyst Brown insinuates the she is only used by men, to obtain what they

require, and in doing so, Brown is also saying that Ophelia lacks individuality. However, to be able to

fully understand Ophelia, one must be aware of the situation she is placed in. Throughout the entire

play, Ophelia has been constantly surrounded by men and the lack of female influence in her life can

be seen in the absence of a mother, and any female siblings. Thus, this has led Ophelia to become

the subject of manipulation by all the males in her life, for their own benefit. As David Leverenz has

indicated, everyone has used her: Polonius, to gain favour; Laertes, to belittle Hamlet; Claudius, to

spy on Hamlet3. That all manipulation Ophelia has been subject to is perpetrated by man, we can

thus understand that Ophelia, in action, is a victim of patriarchal society.

As Shakespeare wrote in the Elizabethan era, the attitudes of the male characters in Hamlet and

Othello should come as no surprise; this was the epitome of the patriarchal society and this

background is the key to understanding why Shakespeare used such tactical methods to hint at the

independence of woman in his plays. The patriarchal society which formed Shakespeares audience 1 Heather Brown- Gender and Identity in Hamlet: A Modern Interpretation of Ophelia, Page 4

2 Heather Brown- Gender and Identity in Hamlet: A Modern Interpretation of Ophelia, Page 4

3 David Leverenz- The Woman in Hamlet: An Interpersonal View, Page 142-3


Rida Hussain

believed women to be the weaker sex, and the Renaissance had weakened what little economic

power women held, and so if Shakespeare was to portray women as strong-minded and powerful,

then the audience, especially the men, would not accept this well. In Shakespeares time, female

roles were played by young men, and there was heavy censorship on stage, and so for his works to

be successful, Shakespeare had to somewhat conform to societys expectations at the time. Contrast

this to the current state of theatre, and it is evident there is much more room for manoeuvre for

playwrights; our society is much more appreciative of women, and there is freedom on the stage.

The oppression of women in society is evident in Ophelias situation; she is constantly being belittled

by her brother and father, which eventually makes her so reliant on them that their absence leads to

her demise. Before leaving, Laertes warns Ophelia to beware of the dangers of desire when she

faces Hamlets unmastered importunity.4 By warning Ophelia of the dangers of Hamlets supposed

love, Laertes implies that Hamlets motives are not true to Ophelia, and that her relationship with

him could be damaging. Polonius later on, then carries forward this idea, and tells Ophelia to think

yourself a baby5. This constant reinforcement that Ophelia does not know what she is doing, and

that she should think herself a baby so that her father can decide everything, leads Ophelia to

eventually give up her ability to act upon her own judgements. In the conversation with Polonius,

Ophelia simply replies with, I do not know, my lord, what I should think6. Her response is exactly

one Polonius would have wanted, and from this it can be drawn that the constant patronising and

oppression of the wants of Ophelia have led her to give up her independence. That this conversation

is Ophelias first appearance in this play is also significant, as Ophelias first impression is one of

weakness, and thus this shows Ophelias character as one that is weak and feeble.

On the other hand, however, by proving Ophelia lacks independence of action, it does not mean that

she lacks independence of thought. If the influences of the patriarchal society at the time were to be

removed, it could be seen that Ophelia did, in fact, have her own opinions and judgements.

Conveniently, Shakespeare enables this to happen. When Ophelia loses her sanity, all constraints

placed by society are also lost, and thus we are able to witness Ophelias true self; her distribution of

flowers is a key symbol of her independence, as she uses them to delineate her opinions on each of

the characters. By saying I would give you some violets, but they witherd all when my father died7

Ophelia is implying that she thinks negatively of the Queens actions. Violets symbolise faithfulness,

and the word witherd implies that Ophelia thinks that the Queen was unfaithful to King Hamlet,

4 Hamlet- Act 1, Scene 3, Line 32



7 Hamlet- Act 4, Scene 5, Line 183-4


Rida Hussain

and that her ability to be viewed as innocent, or blameless, in Ophelias eyes has died. The fact that

no one before this speech had conversed with Ophelia on the topic of the Queens remarriage show

that Ophelia is capable of forming her own judgements, and that her thoughts were not decided by

others around her. Hence, with this analysis, we witness that Ophelia is not, in essence, a product of

her fathers manipulation.

The independence of thought in women is also shown in the private conversations shared between

Desdemona and Emilia. In one scene, Desdemona states Nay, we must think men are not gods8.

This acquittal that men should not be able to yield all power upon women, to the extent that women

consider them to have such sublime properties, represents a difference from Desdemonas actions

and thoughts, which is also shown in Ophelia. Frequently in the play, Desdemona refers to Othello as

my lord, and this, contrasted with her statement shows that in order to survive, women had to

treat men with the highest respect, but that does not necessarily mean that they thought the men

deserved such admiration. Shakespeare therefore portrays women as having to adapt to the

situation men in society have created, yet this adaptation does not come with a cost of losing their

thought.

On the other hand, Gertrude has frequently been described as the stronger female in Hamlet. Again,

such is not the case. Throughout history, Gertrude has been portrayed as a sexually hungry and

selfish woman, yet, as Rebecca Smith debates, Gertrude is never seen in the play inducing anyone

to anything at all monstrous.9 Gertrude is subject to manipulation, just as Ophelia is, and both are

manipulated by Hamlet. In the closet scene, when Hamlet murders Polonius, Hamlet manipulates

Gertrude into thinking that it is her fault he is mad, and upon blaming her for having an incestuous

he marriage, he manipulates her into helping him avenge his fathers death. Hamlet goes on further

and orders Gertrude to not go to my uncles bed10, and by exploiting his preliminary relationship to

Claudius, Hamlet successfully invokes guilt in Gertrude in order to ensure she complies with his plan.

From this we can conclude, that although she has been portrayed as a wilful character, who acts on

her own desires, she is still frail. Gertrude is frail because of her responsibilities as mother, wife and

Queen. Her many obligations have led Gertrude to become open to manipulation and have led her

to be exploited by many and her weakness is highlighted in her death. Gertrudes death is a prime

example of her predicament, because were it not for her obligations to both Hamlet and Claudius,

who were working against each other, then Gertrude would never have had the problem of trying to

8 . Othello- Act 3, Scene 4, Line 142

9 Rebecca Smith- The Dilemma of Shakespeares Gertrude, page 85



Rida Hussain

appease both her husband and her son, and her death is a symbol of the impossibility of

accomplishing what she was trying to do.

Shakespeare has portrayed women to be fragile in Hamlet and Othello, but women are not frail by

choice. Instead, it is contended that women are frail, due to the frailties of man. This weakness of

man in Hamlet is shown in Hamlets inability to make up his mind, and act on a decision. The fact

that the full name of the play is The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark and not The Tragedy of

Ophelia highlights that the real cause of frailty in the play is Hamlet, and evidence for this is shown

in Hamlets behaviour- he is open to manipulation by Claudius, cannot decide on the innocence of

his mother and denies his love to Ophelia. That all outside variables which could have led to a

confused Hamlet have been eliminated (Hamlet is educated, well-off and loved) shows that it is man

himself who is weak.

Perhaps, it can be argued that by taking in the contextual background of Hamlet, which was written

after the death of Shakespeares son Hamnet, it can be seen why Hamlet is depicted to be weak.

However, the same contextual knowledge is invalid when looking at Othello, and so the way in which

Othello was so easily manipulated by Iago shows the insecurities of the males in Shakespeares play.

He, the one who the full senate call all-in-all sufficient11, should have been well aware of the

methods of manipulation.

By acknowledging these frailties in man, it can be then understood why with these frail men, are frail

women. In Hamlet, Laertes states that when his tears are gone, The woman will be out.12 The

exhibition of any strong emotions is thus represented as being feminine, and so, in a bid to assert

their power over woman, the males in Hamlet supress any feminine emotions, to seem as masculine

as possible. By representing feminine emotions as undesirable, it is clear why men treat women with

little respect, and consequently place little value on their word of mouth, or judgements. This is

clearly seen in Othello, when Othello dismisses Emilias vows of Desdemonas innocence as

unreliable on a baseless accusation that Emilia is a simple bawd13. By contrasting Emilias reliable

evidence due to her presence in Desdemonas and Cassios meeting, and Othellos acceptance of a

handkerchief and Iagos word as ocular proof14 for Desdemonas infidelity, both of which he does

not know the origin of, it is evident that due to mans attitudes towards femininity, females are left

with no support, and so are fragile. This is a prime example of what women were subject to in the

11

Othello- Act 4, Scene 2, Line 256 12

Hamlet- Act 4, Scene 7, Line 186-7 13

Othello- Act 4, Scene 2, Line 19 14

Othello- Act 3, Scene 3, Line 361


Rida Hussain

patriarchal society, and so it can be said that Shakespeare was representing the hardship women

faced in order to be recognised in society at the time.

As David Leverenz contends, the woman in Hamlet is the source of his most acute perceptions15.

Hamlets denial of his feminine sensibilities and his subsequent madness suggests that femininity is

required, in everyone, in order to maintain a balance, and so Shakespeare could be said to delineate

that, in fact, femininity on its own is what prevents frailty, and thus women are not frail.

Emilia is an embodiment of the will and independence that all four women in Hamlet and Othello

possess. Her disillusionment about and practical approach to the control men have is Shakespeares

representation of a strong woman, and her cynicism towards men is reflected in her talks with

Desdemona. Emilia believes that men should know that their wives have sense like them16, and this

statement clearly shows that Emilia understands that by trying to manipulate and oppress women,

men are trying to remove their sense, which prevents them from making any independent decisions.

The relationship between Iagos lack of respect for women, and that it is his wife who then ensures

his downfall is also a sign that Shakespeare believed respect for women is vital.

To conclude, it is contended that Shakespeare, in order to appease the audience at the time,

represented the actions of females in Hamlet and Othello to be controlled by the dominant males in

their lives. However, Shakespeare was not a product of his time, because he portrayed the opinions

and thoughts of females, Ophelia, Desdemona and Emilia, as independent of their lovers, and

therefore he represented woman as having to conform to societys beliefs of women being weaker,

whilst still conserving their individuality, and this is emphasised in Desdemona and Emilias

conversations and Ophelias use of metaphors in her madness. Lastly, women are interpreted to

seem frail because of the indecisiveness and insecurities of the male protagonists, Hamlet and

Othello, who ignore the faithful words of their lovers, only to be manipulated by Claudius and Iago,

effectively resulting in the death of the main female protagonists, Ophelia and Desdemona.

15

David Leverenz- The Woman in Hamlet: An Interpersonal View, page 135 16

Othello- Act 4, Scene 3, Line 89-90

Explore Shakespeare’s Representation of Women in Hamlet and Othello

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