I'll have to disagree with whats been said here. I think that hamlet, although craftily written and intricate, is a hideously anti-feminist play, particulary in the characters of Ophelia. I was disgusted while reading her character, and had to resist the submissive, obediant, weak ideals of the feminine she embodies. Shakespear has been called a feminist writer, though hamlet undoubtably proves this wrong.
Who called Shakespeare a feminist writer? Do they give support? I'm not doubting it, I'm just looking for something more substantial than a vague, unsupported statement.
Now, as far as Hamlet goes as a feminist play...I'm not sure that I totally agree with you. I mean, what about Gertrude? She embraces her sexuality and is the "jointress" that affords Claudius the kingdom. That's quite a bit of power to bestow on a woman for the play to be so anti-feminist, don't you think?
The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over. -Hunter S. Thompson
I know you didn’t raise the question of feminist or anti-feminist meanings but what does it mean to say that Hamlet is (or isn’t) a ‘feminist play’? Does it matter? Aren’t you debating the issue on its own rather biased terms? The original poster seems to assume that if Hamlet is an anti-feminist play, we should be justifiably disgusted. If someone complains that Hamlet is anti-feminist, why not just say, “so what?” rather than trying to argue that it isn’t?Originally Posted by gsingle33
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