Jayti Thakar. M.A. Part.1

1. JaytiThakar.
Roll No.38
M.A. part:1, sem:1.

2. Feminist Approach and Gender Study
In ‘Hamlet’.

3.  ‘Hamlet’ is considered as universal appealing
play written byWilliam Shakespeare. It covers
most of the major approaches which we
generally find in any human’s life. Here, we
found Shakespeare as a ‘True Genius’.
 We will discuss here one of those approaches
is ‘feminist approach with gender study’.

4.  The hero of ‘Hamlet’ is afflicted, as we
pointed out in chapter 6 with the world’s
most famous ‘Oedipus Complex’.
 we introduced this complex in reference to
prince Hamlet.
 Here, we will focus on relationship of prince
Hamlet with Gertrude (his Mother) and with
Ophelia (his beloved); two major female
characters of this play.

5.  The death of his Father King Hamlet and the
overhasty marriage of his Mother to his uncle
so threaten Hamlet’s ego.
“She is married ‘O most wicked speed!”
- Hamlet.
 He is a son who must act against his ‘parents’,
Gertrude and Claudius in order to avenge his
father and alleviate his own psychic injury.

6.  A Freudian critic would point out that the two
fathers in the play represent the two images
of the father Hamlet has: one is powerful and
good and another is powerful and bad, that is
sleeping with the adored mother. Here, with
Hamlet creates a male-female tensions,
which leads us to gender study.
 Hamlet contends with a woman’s body, his
mother, and he finds its sexual proclivities
disgusting, as he rails at her in her chamber.
 “Frailty!Thy name isWomen” this sentence
he used for his mother Gertrude.

7.  He loathes himself for being born out of the
female body, his own sexual conflicts and
confused desires threaten him from the
unconscious.
 He condemns his mother’s incestuous union
with Claudius but mirrors the incest in his
own oedipal desire for Gertrude.

8.  It obvious to see disturbed relationship
between Hamlet and Ophelia because of his
confused desires and melancholy.
 If he could neglect to take revenge with
Claudius, hasty marriage of his mother to a
murderer of her first husband and his oedipal
desire for mother; we could find him living
better life with Ophelia at least.

9.  But, his suppressed frustration bounce before
Ophelia often in the play.
 Just after mirror scene, he became violent
with Ophelia that she betrayed him for her
father and Claudius’ intrigues against him.

10. In
Mirror Scene
After abuses
her he
suggest her
to go to
“Nunnery”.

11.  Then soon Ophelia gone mad after Hamlet
and she died.

13.  The feminist reading that follows is based
upon Hamlet’s loathing of his mother and of
all feminine subjects as well including at time
his own (feminized) self. His fear and hatred
of woman turn inwardly and destroy him.
 The world of Hamlet is raven by such
struggles and the play’s psychological themes
are made more powerful by their contact
with the other major thematic pattern in the
play, politics and its intrigues.

14.  Submitted to SMT. S.B.GARDI
Department Of English.
 M.K.B. University Of Bhavnagar.
 Batch: 2015-2017.