The Symbolism of Ophelia's Character in Hamlet Essay Sample

William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a play about the tragedy of avenging a father’s death. the emotions of Hamlet contemplating life and death, madness, and seeking revenge. Ophelia’s character is expected to act in a way that a woman would be in the Elizabethan Era, under the presence of a male-dominated society. Her relationships with the men in her life are what dictate her behaviour and overall role in Hamlet. In the beginning of the play, Ophelia is romantically involved with Prince Hamlet; she is told by the men in her life not to trust him. This does not end well for her as she renounces her affection for Hamlet; this would upset him very much and would make Prince Hamlet take his rage out on her. The ways she is treated by the people around her, especially after Hamlet's betrayal and her former lover murdering her father are what sends her into a state of madness and grief. Her emotions eventually are what send her to spiral in such a way she would die. Ophelia is a symbol of gender inequality in Hamlet because her character exemplifies how William Shakespeare's perspective on women parallels the treatment of women in the 1950s, showing that the gender inequalities during the Elizabethan period have not changed and persisted. 

The symbolism of Ophelia’s gender was shown through her being seen and not heard as an upper class woman in the Elizabethan period. In the Elizabethan era, society held a certain expectation that women should be obedient, silent, virgin-like, faithful and patient towards their husbands. This is exemplified through Polonius’s views on women, “Believe so much in him that he is young, And with a larger tether may he walk Than may be given to you” (I,iii,47). The statement from Polonius clearly states that Hamlet has more opportunities than Ophelia, as Hamlet is a young man and a prince, unlike Ophelia, who is a woman of lower social class and gender and therefore cannot exercise as much freedom. As well as being expected to obey and stay pure, women were also required to abide by other standards in order to remain pious and virgins. The religious doctrine of the Protestant Church expected women to abstain from sexual intercourse. This is a perversion of the traditional view that women were expected to be pure, which contradicts the actions of men having sex before marriage. For a woman to lose her virginity before marriage in the Elizabethan Era she would be ostracized from society and be thought as less than. This is an example of Ophelia's situation in her romantic involvement with Prince Hamlet when, for the sake of being intimate with him, she would lose everything, be cast from society and be thought of as nothing more than a courtesan. This is evident by means of Prince Hamlet stating “Ay, truly, for the power of beauty will sooner transform honesty from what it is to a bawd than the force of honesty can translate beauty into his likeness. This was sometimes a paradox, but now the time gives it proof. I did love you once” (III,i,131). Ophelia’s relationships with the men in her life predetermine her role as a young woman based upon the notion in the Elizabethan era of such expectations to be obedient and pure. To have such views on young women during a time of such transition, reflects Elizabethan England as a patriarchal society preconvented by a man's power over a young woman.

When Hamlet was written during the Elizabethan era, upper class women like Ophelia had no voice and were considered the property of men. Shakespeare portrays Ophelia in his work as a woman who accepts her destiny within life, but as a playwright of the time he would have one narrative about how women are expected to behave. In Shakespeare's time, society was exceedingly patriarchal to such an extent that the values of women were critically restricted within their societal roles. The laws and expectations against women forbade them from participating in certain roles based on a man's idea of how society should be run. This is made clear by Polonius as he states “The canker galls the infants of the spring Too oft before their buttons be disclosed. And in the morn and the liquid dew of youth, Contagious blastments are most imminent” (I,ii). The thought that women are easily persuaded and corrupt in a man's view. A certain aspect of Shakespeare's Hamlet is the way in which it portrays Ophelia's attitude. Shakespeare seems to portray a certain narrative, which is usually found in Renaissance literature, Like Hamlet, the play provides only one perspective on womenwoman, written by a man. Such depictions of Ophelia in Hamlet seem to be constructed so that those who view it would have an expectation of what a woman should be and behave like. Ophelia's characterization of being naive, childish, and unaware of the realities around her, exemplified by her being a woman, is also a reflection of femininity. Prince Hamlet makes of states “Or, if thou wilt needs marry, marry a fool, for wise men know well enough what monsters you make of them” (III,i). As quoted by Prince Hamlet himself, he expressed his thoughts on whether Ophelia should marry, suggesting she should marry a fool as her to be disloyal and lustful and that she will turn them into monsters. For William Shakespeare, who is considered to be the greatest playwright of the English language, to express his opinions in his plays is only normal for a male playwright in his time. But such views are clearly sexist towards women, and would only be further treated in the 1950s.

The common struggles of women in Canadian society in the 1950s are similar to those faced by women in Shakespeare's time. Before the 1950s, women worked on the front lines of the family, while men were in the war, after their return, some women decided to leave work. This created a transitional period for women who were free from the role of stereotyped housewives. In the family, this is in stark contrast to the Renaissance women’s ascension to the throne of England, consolidating the fact that women are just as capable of ruling as men. Life for women in the 1950's was a period defined by poverty, conformity, and sexism.  In 1950s Britain, women were expected to be homemakers and men were expected to be providers, which created stereotypical categories of male and female roles. This would create the stereotype that women in society are housewives and stay at home to take care of the children.  The domestic housewife's role was to take care of the children and keep the house clean in the absence of the male, who was off at work. Western culture has often depicted women in a very similar fashion to how they were portrayed in early pop culture. Films in the 1950s the main female leads were portrayed in a manner of being weak minded, needing a rescuing from of man. Sexism was a major component during the beginning phases of pop culture. 

Similar to sexism dominating in the 1950’s culture, we can also see sexism portrayed with this statement from Hamlet, “I have heard of your paintings well enough. God hath given you one face and you make yourselves another[…] It hath made me mad”(III.i.141-6). This means that women who wear makeup are considered sinful and whores because they choose to change and alter instead of taking what they have according to Prince Hamlet. When looking at the Elizabethan and 1950’s period it is clear that women were meant to be seen not heard through bring quiet, meek family care takers and no more. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a play about the tragedy of avenging a father’s death through the emotions of Hamlet contemplating life and death, madness, and seeking revenge. 

The symbolism of Ophelia's gender has been seen and not heard, as an upper class woman in the Elizabethan era.  Shakespeare's portrayal of Ophelia, through restrictions for women, women's attitude, and being seen as liars.  The 1950s and Elizabethan times share features of domestic housewives, the depiction of women in pop culture, and general expectations of women. So when we look at Ophelia in Hamlet, she was symbolic of gender inequality in the Elizabethan period and these standards of women are seen in the 1950’s. Ophelia is a symbol of gender inequality in Hamlet because Shakespeare's own perspective on women in his own time paralleled the treatment of women in the 1950s.