Examples Of Misogyny In Hamlet

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The words ‘medieval’ and ‘misogyny’ are almost synonymous with each other. The Middle Ages were rife with antifemininistic ideas; from the paucity of equal rights to the widely accepted belief that a women’s only purpose was to have children and serve their husbands, medieval society was completely dominated by men. It is no surprise that in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the play’s protagonist adopts the misogynistic views that were commonplace in this time period. Hamlet’s misogyny is revealed in his attitude about the character of women, his treatment of Ophelia, and the outlook he has on his mother’s virtue. Throughout the course of the play, Hamlet makes various critiques on the qualities he perceives women to have. “God hath given you one face and you make yourselves another. You jig and amble, and you lisp, you nickname God’s creatures and make your wantonness your ignorance”…show more content…
“Get thee to a nunnery, farewell. Of if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool; for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them” (Act III, Scene I, lines 137-140). Shortly after Hamlet tells Ophelia that he no longer loves her, he adds salt to the wound by saying that Ophelia must marry a fool, since wise men know that she will make monsters of them. He assumes that she is unfaithful, even though she has been nothing but devoted to him. “Get thee to a nunnery. Why, wouldst thou be a breeder of sinners?” (Act III, Scene 1, line 121-122). Since Hamlet believes that all women are deceitful, he thinks that they children they breed will surely be just as disingenuous as their mothers. He wants Ophelia to go a convent because it lacks the influence of men, thus it is the only place where a woman can truly be faithful as well as unable to birth more sinners. Hamlet’s constant mistreatment and verbal abuse of Ophelia is clearly derived from a place of deep-seated
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  • Examples Of Misogyny In Hamlet

    675 Words  | 3 Pages

    defines misogyny as the, “hatred, dislike, or mistrust of women, or prejudice against women” (“Misogyny”). William Shakespeare was a hard misogynist and his views on women are evident throughout his play, Hamlet. A misogynist posits that men are superior to women and that there is no equality between the genders. Shakespeare’s Hamlet, composed of vengeance between the dynamic male characters, with severely underdeveloped and submissive women, is a prime example of showing Shakespeare’s misogyny because

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