Revision:Hamlet - Gertrude and Ophelia - Strong or Weak?

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"Gertrude and Ophelia are typically weak Shakespearean women"

"Gertrude and Ophelia have many strengths"

What evidence is there to support both of these views? And what is your own view on the matter?

Justifications of first assertion

• Revenge tragedies not without their conventions, one of which is that the audience does not expect the female characters to be ‘strong’ e.g. other women in revenge tragedies e.g. Abigail (Marlow’s The Jew of Malta) and Anabella (Ford’s ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore) who are both incredibly weak.
• Thus, before even the first reading or viewing of the play, we have many preconceptions regarding the nature of the female characters of the play based entirely on the genre of Hamlet alone
• Focusing on Ophelia: Seemingly weak “green girl”. Submissive to her Father, her brother and her lover. She is pliable and arguably pathetic. When Laertes advises her that Hamlet’s “will is not his own” and that she should “fear” him, she does not try to oppose him, or justify Hamlet’s “affections” instead she tells Laertes that he “shall keep the key” of her memory. As such she hands him power over her, power that as the sole bearer of this figurative “key” no one else has.
• She grants all the other male influences in her life a similar power e.g. Polonius insults her and disparages Hamlet’s love, responding to her declaration that Hamlet “has of late made tenders of his affection to ...[her]...” he cries “Affection? Pooh!...Do you believe his tenders as you call them?” she meekly replies “I do not know, mr lord, what I should think”. Clearly here she has wittingly let Polonius offend and mock her, showing a weakness of mind and disposition too.
• However this respect may be an act of self-preservation rather than outright weakness. Perhaps to undermine men in Shakespearean England may have resulted in social exclusion or other consequences
• However, Shakespeare does not develop her character enough to make this interpretation unambiguous
• Modern director may present her as intelligent enough to swallow her pride and merely seemingly appear agree with Laertes and Polonius
• However, her later actions e.g. denying Hamlet “access” to her as result of Polonius’ orders undermine this interpretation
• Her submissive spirit leads her to madness – arguably a sign of weakness
• Due to obeying Polonius request not to “give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet” lead her to “repel” Hamlet’s letters which trigger his tirades e.g. “god hath given you once face and you paint yourselves another” This snubbing, in addition to her inability to deal with her Fathers’ death leads to her madness
• The fact that neither Gertrude or Ophelia stands up to Hamlet’s “daggers” instead blaming his behaviour on the Gods “O heavenly powers restore him” – particularly when O knows her Father and Brother are watching
• Alternately, this may be what causes her not to respond, after all when he is bawdy to her she tells him he is “merry” and “you are naught, you are naught, I’ll mark the play”
• Regarding Gertrude, she is too arguably weak
• E.g. Hamlet’s proclamation that he will “speak daggers to her, but use none” illustrate that he perceives her to be inferior, weak enough to fall foul to his words
• Gertrude is objectified by Claudius e.g. third in the triplet “my crown, mine own ambition and my Queen” – shows she does not come first to him?
• The haste of their marriage shows her weak reliance on men and general neediness “within a month” and “with such dexterity to incestuous sheets”
• Hamlet perceives passion to be weakness “give me a man that is not passion’s slave and I will wear him in my heart’s core” whereas G is incredibly passionate “in an enseamed bed, stewed in corruption, honeying and lovemaking over the nasty sty” and “how she would hang on him as if increase of appetite had grown by what it fed on”

Justifications for second assertion

• However, the constant references may not show weakness, but in fact strength, her powerful sexuality and strong hold it has over men
• Also strong given her social standing, once admired by “so excellent a King” who was so “loving” that he might not “beteem the winds visit her face too roughly”. Unconditional affection = might not always have been weak, however being molly coddled may hint at physical weakness/not very hardy
• She can also be seen as sly and seductive e.g. “a bloody deed – almost as bad, good mother, as kill a King and marry with his brother”, the fact she does not react to the player queen who says “a second time I kill my husband dead, when second husband kisses me in bed” and “the lady doth protest too much methinks” however, her role in the murder is questionable.
• She ignores Claudius when he demands “do not drink” saying “I will my Lord”
• Claudius has to repeat “let’s follow”
• Ophelia is strong too e.g. not just a character but also a device – her suicide triggers the plays finale. Clearly a strong hold on the males.
• Perhaps her death was suicide – arguably takes strength of character due to the risks associated with it such as going to hell. Undermining religious beliefs of the time “If this had been a gentlewomen, she would have been buried out o’Christian burial”
• Hamlet believe that women have a certain strength/power of over men = “for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them” – admitting that Ophelia/other women have strength over men and an ability to manipulate them
• Not as innocent as she appears e.g. when she is mad, singing bawdy rhymes, holds her own in the conversation with Hamlet. Picking “long purples” that “liberal Sheppards give a grosser name” the fact that Hamlet calls Polonius a “fishmonger” i.e. pimp

Comments

These notes are aimed at people studying Hamlet for AQA A2 English Literature, but will be suitable for other exam boards and qualifications too.

Originally posted by nat_x_alie on TSR Forums.