Hamlet: Women in Thought

In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, there are many mixed and contrasting views of women. Hamlet sees Ophelia as a temptress he cannot trust and sees Gertrude, as the root of his feelings toward all women, as not loyal and only interested in power. His views begin with Gertrude and while his father was still alive, he envied her marriage with him. The mother is always the person that a man's feelings toward all women root from. If the mother is loyal and sweet and proves she's a respectable woman, then the man shall view all women that way and treat them as he treats his mother. That's why people always say that you should watch how a man treats his mother because that’s how he will treat you. After the tragic death of his father, Hamlet witnesses Gertrude remarrying before the grave was even cold. That really messed up how he saw his mother. Those feelings deepened when Claudius and Gertrude tried to make him call Claudius "father". Those feelings stemmed out to how he viewed his love, Ophelia. After Gertrude remarried, Hamlet's faith in women depleted. He saw Ophelia as only doing her father's bidding by trying to marry him for the attention. He quickly separated himself from her by telling her he'd gone mad. One of the big questions in Hamlet is "Was Hamlet ever in love with Ophelia or was he just using her?" In my opinion--because a lot of Hamlet is left up to interpretation--is that he was in love with her but due to the acts of Gertrude and then his changing opinion about women, he lost that love. In truth, I believe that Hamlet truly respected women and loved his mother and Ophelia. It all roots back to Gertrude and her acts of deceit toward Hamlet's dead father. Also, the fact that the ghost of the King telling Hamlet that Claudius killed him was not a fact to win him over to the marriage of Claudius and Gertrude because that meant Gertrude married the very man that killed her beloved husband and his father. I think that after Gertrude remarried, Hamlet's views of the sanctity of marriage were blurred. He viewed their marriage as amazing and the ideal but then again after the marriage to his uncle, he probably thought Ophelia would do the same to him. Everything roots back to his mother and how he looks at her for his thought of women.

Utopia.

Would you move to Utopia given the chance? I wouldn't. This is my reaction to Utopia in terms of moving or not...continuation of discussion in class.

I would not move to Utopia. More speaks of being equal but for some, equality is not deserved. If I worked to reach the status I held and worked for what I got, I would not want someone who didn’t work to be the same as me. I’d like to keep the status I earned through hard work, preservation, and determination.

I would not want to leave all of my belongings behind. I’ve accumulated things that make me Kate as materialistic as that sounds. It’s a way I express my individuality. Also, I’d have to give up my laptop that holds my poetry, essays, stories, and novels that are so very important to me.

I endure that self-expression in Utopia is lost. I would not want to wear the same clothes as every other single or married woman. Not everything looks good on everyone. I love my clothes and appearance. Maybe it was different back in Henry VIII’s England but now I would not move to Utopia. I thoroughly think I’d stay even if I lived in Henry VIII’s England as well.

In regards to moving every couple years, I am convinced I hate moving. I’ve done it so many times that people may think I enjoy it but I don’t. When I find somewhere I like, I’d want to stay for as long as I thought proper. I don’t remember if I read this or not but isn’t it that people could just go into your house in Utopia? I wouldn’t want that either. More must have been on something or very open.

Along the lines of war and invasion, Utopia seems very protected but I don’t doubt some of the things like equality for all would go over well and that could very well cause a civil war.

In terms of religion, I do not think Utopia is very religiously diverse place where you could be something other than Christian. I, personally, take a lot of theological teachings and combine them. For example, I follow the teachings or Buddha but the religion of Christ.
Having to share all of everything would be hard. I wouldn’t want someone who didn’t work for their food to just take the food I grew, made, and cooked.

On the other hand, some of the things I like are that it would be a fresh start and you’d always have someone there for help. I like that there would be no poor and no rich. I only care about effort.

All in all, I know I wouldn’t go to Utopia no matter if I was living now or in Henry VII’s England.