Gertrude
This persons quick remarriage he sees as morally weak.
Who is Queen Gertrude?
Ophelia is controlled by this male family member who forbids her relationship with Hamlet.
Who is Polonius?
This character treats Ophelia as a political tool to gain favor with the king.
Who is Polonius?
Hamlet was written in this era.
What is the Elizabethan era?
This motif highlights the lack of privacy in the Danish court.
What is surveillance?
Hamlet criticizes Gertrude for marrying this man, whom he believes is inferior to his father.
Who is King Claudius?
This person warns Ophelia that Hamlet’s love is unreliable.
Who is Laertes?
Claudius and Polonius spy on Hamlet and Ophelia to maintain this.
What is political control/power?
Understanding misogyny in Hamlet requires analyzing this.
What is historical context?
Hamlet repeatedly associates women with this trait
What is weakness/frailty?
Gertrude’s silence or limited agency reflects this patriarchal expectation of women in the play.
What is obedience/submission to male authority?
Ophelia’s madness is caused by male control and this traumatic event.
What is Polonius’s death?
The play shows misogyny is reinforced by this social system.
What is patriarchy?
Hamlet is set in this type of society where kings rule and nobles control politics.
What is a feudal monarchy (medieval royal court)?
Ophelia’s flowers symbolize innocence, betrayal, and this theme.
What is gendered expectation?
In Act 3 Scene 4, Hamlet verbally attacks Gertrude for her sexuality and loyalty, showing this misogynistic attitude.
What is moral condemnation of female sexuality?
Hamlet tells Ophelia to go to a nunnery, showing this belief about women.
What is misogynistic distrust of female sexuality/deceit?
Women in Hamlet lack this compared to men.
What is agency/political authority?
Ophelia obeys Polonius and Laertes because daughters in this period were seen as this.
What is property or extensions of male authority?
Hamlet’s obsession with women’s sexuality connects to this motif.
What is corruption/decay?
Hamlet’s line that generalizes all women based on Gertrude: “___, thy name is woman
What is “Frailty”?
Polonius uses Ophelia to spy on Hamlet in this scene.
What is Act 3, Scene 1 (the “nunnery” scene)?
Hamlet’s insults toward women partly come from this personal struggle.
What is his loss of control/identity crisis?
Gertrude’s marriage is treated as a political necessity because queens in this period were valued for this role.
What is producing heirs / stabilizing the throne?
The idea that women are deceptive or untrustworthy links to this recurring theme.
What is appearance vs. reality?