Frail Women Indeed

I have always found that in reading literature of a time period far before my own, I am hyper aware of the treatment, behavior, and depiction of women. This awareness has grown since we began studying Shakespeare’s works. We have had an amazing plethora of strong, intelligent, strong-willed, hilarious women. I believe Helena, Hermia, Olivia, Viola, Beatrice, Hero, Desdemona, Emilia, Anne, and Margaret have all, throughout the readings, displayed behavior that has been flawed, and questionable, but worthy of a woman nonetheless. Unfortunately, right now, I cannot place the same beliefs in Gertrude and Ophelia. Their behavior in the first Act has been nothing close to exemplary, with Gertrude coming off as gold-digging and power-hungry, and Ophelia depicted as weak-willed and submissive.

Queen Gertrude, King Hamlet’s widow and King Claudius’ new bride has seemingly forgotten the fact that she buried her husband before she quickly took on a new one. In his first soliloquy Hamlet laments her behavior stating that “ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears/had left the flushing of her galled eyes/She married!” (1.2.158). Hamlet holds an obvious grudge against his mother, who believes barely let her salty tears fall from her eyes before she became the bride of a new king. King Hamlet himself is unable to imagine his “seeming-virtuous queen” could behave so cruelly (1.5.45). While I would be able to understand Gertrude’s motivations had I had the sense she was acting in her own self-interest and asserting herself, I was completely convinced of her uncomely behavior in reading her interaction with Hamlet, where she begs him to stop mourning the loss of his own father. She nonchalantly tells him that “All that lives must die/Passing through nature to eternity,” as though it had been more than a mere two months since King Hamlet’s death(1.2.72-73). I can understand a woman attempting to ensure that she is cared for and comfortable, but I cannot understand a woman who is unable to comfort her child when they are so obviously suffering.

Ophelia is slightly different, in that I am more taken aback by the behavior of her father, and her obvious lack of a backbone in defending herself. First Laertes warns Ophelia of Hamlet’s behavior, providing a very convincing argument that she should be wary and wise, and protect herself in the event Hamlet is unable to follow through on his affections for her. Her father, Polonius, however, berates and degrades her, treating her like someone incapable of making up her own mind and recognizing false behavior on her own. Polonius happily and freely sends his son away, but when it comes to his daughter, Ophelia, he first reprimands her for spending time with Hamlet, and then tells her that she is a “baby” if she ever remotely believes Hamlet’s affections (1.3.105). Worst, he goes on to tell her that “Running it thus – you’ll tender me a fool” (1.3.109). Here he is telling her that her behavior is making a fool out of him, when in actuality he knows nothing of the time Ophelia and Hamlet have passed and nothing of how they feel about eachother. And how does she respond, with a despicable “I shall obey, my lord” (1.3.140). In four words Ophelia manages to not only prove her submissiveness and docility, but also proves to her father that there really is nothing of value between her and Hamlet, and that she is willing to easily change how she feels for her father. Somewhere in the universe Hermia is cursing the very existence of Ophelia!

Granted, it is only the very first act of the play, and the true nature of Ophelia and Gertrude may still develop, but first impressions are hard to quell. Why is it that in a play full of men, Shakespeare created two such weak-willed female characters?