The role of women

The role of women is a theme in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, expressed through the characters of Gertrude and Ophelia.

Supporting role and passivity

Hamlet was written in Elizabethan England, which was a deeply patriarchal society. The play portrays gender roles in a traditional way. 

Only two women appear in Hamlet: Gertrude (Hamlet’s mother and the queen) and Ophelia (Hamlet’s lover and the daughter of Polonius). They do not have leading roles, but play supporting roles which are still important for the development of the plot.

Both women subject themselves to the wills of the men in their lives: For instance, Getrude allows her husband to spy on her son, and Ophelia turns her back on Hamlet when her male family members tell her to. Both women also let themselves be used as decoys in conversations with Hamlet so Claudius and Polonius can spy on him....