Shakespeare Feminism Is One of Research Paper

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A broader music discourse of English culture of early modern is reflected in the use of music dramatically with unrelenting relations between excess, music and feminine (Dane 435). Christian and platonic thought presents music ideologies which are conflicting and are being contented by the British writers of the early modern: Semantic indeterminacy and sensuous immediacy are presented by music and also the divine order earthly embodiment presented by music. A feminism depiction is seen here whereby the Pythagorean harmony is the positive aspect of music or its masculine aspect and the cultural dissonance is the negative attribute or the feminine aspect. The marginalities are expressed through the singing of Ophelia which is allowed to be not only literal but also dissonance figuratively. Jacobean and Elizabethan stages gender types inspires Ophelia representation. Women's song cultural constructions is problematic through Ophelia singing which lets the 'woman out', her disturbing feminine energy must be absorbed again into both discursive and social orders of the play. Ophelia's drowning is described by Gertrude and it repatriates the music of Ophelia making her madness look pretty.

There is stereotype in the Hamlet play against women whereby Shakespeare which depicts them as fragile and weak minded in comparison to their male counterparts. The struggle between male and female is seen between Ophelia and Hamlet. A key position is lost by the Hamlet and Ophelia in the play in their lives. Because of the losses, most of the characters led to the becoming of mad. Ophelia loses her sanity primarily because of the murder of her father caused by Hamlet although the verbal abuses and pressure from Hamlet is also a reason for her madness. Depressing songs are sung by Ophelia during her father's death as she appears to have lack life (Hamlet 4. 5. 160-161). Hamlet seeks revenge and eventually slips into madness when he discovers that it is Claudius who was responsible for his father's death.

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The madness of Hamlet is visible in the scene at Gertrude's chamber whereby he starts talking to the ghosts of his father. In this case this ghost of King Hamlet is essential a hallucination because the ghosts was visible earlier by other witnesses. A serious conversation is held by Hamlet and his father in the hallucination this is perceived as talking to incorporeal air (3. 4.19). When faced with an anxiety, the two individuals display different character attributes although they both undergo mental breakdown. In dealing with the murder case, Hamlet takes a proactive role in handling his father's death hence considered strong. He vows to bring the criminals who were responsible for the death of his father. Ophelia is described as unstable and weak. Ophelia prefers to mourn and sing depression songs whenever faced with similar awards (Adelman 45).

The association of weak mindedness, obedience which is mindless and subservience is related to the female gender in the play Hamlet. Ophelia and Gertrude serve this purpose of mindless females that yield to the men's will in their surroundings. Small and almost irrelevant roles are the ones being played by the female characters in Hamlet and therefore being portrayed as subservient and weak. The females make no direct action hence appear to play minor roles in the entire storyline. Through feministic perspective and focusing on Ophelia and Gertrude and the interactions between them and the male counterparts, feminism in Hamlet becomes evident. Antifeminist aspects are evident in the female characters and the surrounding plot through the roles played by them and the manner in which the major characters refer to the female characters. Gertrude, Ophelia and women are granted limited roles and opinions in Hamlet. Because the play puts much of it focus on Hamlet who is also a male protagonist no room is left for females.

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