The Women.

Women, most of the times have an important role in the stories I have heard. Although I have only read two Shakespeare plays, in both of them woman is of vital importance. In Romeo and Juliet she is the main character and the story revolves around how she can marry Romeo leaving aside the family issues. She can be seen as a rebel that contradicts her family and most importantly her father on a tradition that existed I am guessing long before she did. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth has the power. Shakespeare portrays her as strong woman in character by making her manipulate her husband’s actions to get what she wants. Both demonstrate woman strength, and how in both cases they go “against a man” to get what they want.

In Hamlet, the female roles that exist are nothing like the ones mentioned above. Two women are very important in the play: Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother and Ophelia, Laureates daughter and Hamlet’s lover. They don’t show a sense of power or rebellion towards men. Instead they fallow order and can be seen as insecure characters. In Act 3 Scene 4 Hamlet has an encounter with his mother after the play and he is rude to her, still she does not show so much sense of authority towards his son, she shows fear. Hamlet’s actions can be justifies. His mother married the man that killed his father I wouldn’t be too happy either but why does she let him her treat that way? at some point in the scene when the conversation has just started Gertrude says: “Hamlet, thou hast thy father much offended.” and Hamlet answer her: “mother, you have my father much offended”. (A3.S.4) Gertrude was talking about Claudius, his step father and Hamlet meat his father. It was a way of telling her again, that he is appalled with what she has done. He makes points like this repeatedly in the scene trying to make her feel bad about what she did. He is rude and still she does not do anything. It may be because she knows that was she did was wrong and is too ashamed to accept, demonstrating a weak and insecure character, the opposite as the other women in Shakespeare plays.

Before the ghost appears, Hamlet is rude again and tells her: “Nay, but to live in the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, stewed in corruption, honeying and making love over the nasty sty”(A.3S.4). he makes her feel guilty of sleeping in the same bed that belonged to her husband with her brother, insulting her and she says nothing more except “no more, sweet Hamlet.” He makes her loose her pride by telling her she nothing more than a prize to Claudius, a sign of victory.