Unsexing Shakespeare: Ophelia, Lady Macbeth, and the Confines of Womanhood in the Late Medieval /Renaissance Era

Words: 669
Pages: 3
Subject: Premium Writing

sources:
Günenç, Mesut. “Ophelia and Gertrude: Victimized Women in Hamlet.” The Journal of International Social Research vol. 41, 2015, pp. 164-164. https://doi.org/10.17719/jisr.20154115007

Ferguson, Lisa, “Lady Macbeth and Gertrude: A Study in Gender” (2002). Masters
Theses & Specialist Projects. Paper 656.
http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/656
Rani, Zamila Abdul, Siti Hawa Muhamad, and Siti Masitah Md Zin. DISCOVERING FEMINISM THROUGH GERTRUDE AND OPHELIA IN SHAKESPEARE’S HAMLET. 2016. http://conference.kuis.edu.my/iceb2016/eproceedings/EB024.pdf.
Jajja, M. Ayub. “A Feminist Reading of Shakespearean Tragedies: ‘Frailty,
Thy Name is Woman.” Johar Education Society, Pakistan, Lahore, vol. 8, no. 1. 2014, pp. 228-237, http://www.eco star.eh/handle/10419/188135

Thesis: Shakespeare’s portrayal of women in his plays is a complex and multifaceted subject that reflects both the patriarchal norms of his time and his own innovative ideas about gender and identity, as seen through the depiction of female characters who challenge traditional gender roles and expectations, while also perpetuating negative stereotypes and limiting the agency of women. In this paper, I intend to examine the characters of Ophelia and Lady Macbeth as representatives of the two opposite ends of this spectrum.
Outline:
1. Introduction
Background information on Shakespeare’s plays and their portrayal of women
Brief overview of the different perspectives and debates surrounding this topic
Thesis statement
2. Historical and cultural context of Shakespeare’s time
Overview of gender roles and expectations in the Elizabethan era (keep as short as possible)
Analysis of how these norms influenced Shakespeare’s portrayal of women
3. Positive portrayal of women in Shakespeare’s plays
One example of female characters who challenge gender norms and expectations
how these characters reflect Shakespeare’s innovative ideas about gender and identity
4. Negative portrayal of women in Shakespeare’s plays
One example of female characters who are limited by traditional gender roles and stereotypes
how these characters reflect patriarchal norms of Shakespeare’s time
5. Ophelia as ultimate victim
Because of her passive obedience to Polonius’s request that she break up with Hamlet and her subsequent madness and death, Ophelia is often seen as one of Shakespeare’s most pathetic female characters.
Representative critical views of Ophelia
Recap of Ophelia as passive victim
Obedient to her father, as demanded by society
Passively taking Hamlet’s abuse during nunnery scene
Incapable of surviving either his death or her possible abandonment by Hamlet after he seduces her.
Her insanity as a sign of weakness
Her possible suicide as metaphor for lack of power over her life
Alternative reading of Ophelia
Shakespeare’s destruction of her can be viewed as a compassionate warning of the quandary young women found themselves in during the late medieval/Renaissance era.
The irony of her potential seduction in light of the fact that Laertes’s warning about Hamlet comes right before his departure to France, where he is likely to engage in some seducing of his own (Ophelia’s response to him is an early condemnation of the double standard.)
6. Lady Macbeth as both monster and victim
Lady MB as monster who exceeds the boundaries of womanhood and causes the downfall of not only her husband but her own and many others’.
Alternative reading of Lady MB as a protofeminist trapped by her sex and unable to act out her ambitions for herself.
7. Conclusion
Recap of the main points and arguments presented in the essay
Final thoughts on the significance of Shakespeare’s portrayal of women in his plays
Suggestions for future research and analysis.