Essay Title:

Silenced Voices:

A Feminist Reading of Ophelia and Gertrude in Hamlet

William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark presents a dramatic

exploration of betrayal, power, madness, and revenge. While the play is often studied through
Hamlet’s internal conflict, the treatment and roles of its two prominent female characters—
Ophelia and Queen Gertrude—invite powerful feminist analysis. Though central to the plot,
both women are manipulated, silenced, and ultimately destroyed by the men around them. Their
voices and identities are constantly shaped by patriarchal expectations. Through a feminist lens,
Hamlet reveals the systemic marginalization of women in both its dramatic world and the social
norms of Shakespeare’s time.

Ophelia:

The Obedient Daughter Turned Tragic Victim

Ophelia is introduced as a beautiful and gentle noblewoman—young, obedient, and dependent.

Her character arc reveals how women are expected to serve male desires and expectations
without autonomy. From the beginning, her father Polonius and brother Laertes control her
romantic decisions. In Act 1, Scene 3, Laertes warns Ophelia against Hamlet’s affections,
saying:

“For Hamlet and the trifling of his favor, / Hold it a fashion and a toy in blood” (1.3.5–6).

This reduces her relationship to childish foolishness and instructs her to be cautious of her
sexuality, while no such control is imposed on Laertes himself. Polonius reinforces this control
with blunt commands:

“You do not understand yourself so clearly / As it behooves my daughter and your honor”
(1.3.96–97).

Here, Polonius implies that Ophelia’s sense of self and honor are invalid unless shaped by
paternal authority. These early scenes frame her as a passive recipient of male judgment rather
than an individual with agency.

As feminist scholar Elaine Showalter argues in her article “Representing Ophelia: Women,
Madness, and the Responsibilities of Feminist Criticism”, Ophelia becomes a "female figure that
takes on the burden of representing woman as madness, beauty, and victimhood" (Showalter 80).
Her madness is not a result of weakness but rather the collapse of the male-controlled structures
that defined her.
Ophelia’s Descent:

Madness as Protest and Silence

Ophelia’s descent into madness in Act 4 is one of the most emotionally intense moments in the
play. After her father's death and Hamlet’s rejection, she loses the two male anchors of her
identity. Her mad songs are filled with fragmented thoughts, sexual innuendo, and grief. For
example:

“He is dead and gone, lady, / He is dead and gone; / At his head a grass-green turf, / At his heels
a stone” (4.5.29–32).

These verses suggest emotional turmoil but also signal a suppressed voice finally expressing
itself, albeit incoherently. Her madness becomes her only method of communication in a world
where she has been consistently silenced.

Feminist critic Carol Thomas Neely describes Ophelia’s madness as “a rebellion and escape
from the social roles of daughter, sister, lover, lady” (Neely 320). Madness offers her a fleeting
sense of freedom—an unfiltered voice beyond patriarchy—but it is not sustainable. Soon after,
Ophelia dies, possibly by suicide. Even in death, her agency is debated. Queen Gertrude’s
description of Ophelia’s drowning in Act 4, Scene 7 is poetic, but also passively portrays the
event:

“Her clothes spread wide, / And, mermaid-like, awhile they bore her up” (4.7.173–174).

Gertrude's account romanticizes the tragedy, ignoring the neglect and oppression that led to it.

Gertrude:

The Queen in a Patriarchal Cage

Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother and Denmark’s queen, holds a position of power in title but is
similarly controlled and judged by men. She quickly remarries her husband’s brother, Claudius,
after the king’s death—an act that draws Hamlet’s scorn and obsession. Hamlet accuses her of
moral weakness and sexual betrayal:

“Frailty, thy name is woman!” (1.2.146).

This iconic line sets the tone for Hamlet’s attitude toward women throughout the play—
misogynistic, accusatory, and dismissive. Gertrude is blamed for both her desires and her
passivity. Yet the play never clearly states her involvement in King Hamlet’s murder, nor her
true feelings for Claudius. She is judged based on Hamlet’s assumptions rather than her actions.
In her confrontation with Hamlet in Act 3, Scene 4, she is emotionally overwhelmed by his
accusations. But instead of defending herself, she yields:

“O Hamlet, speak no more: / Thou turn'st mine eyes into my very soul” (3.4.88–89).

Her silence and submission are interpreted by Hamlet as guilt, but from a feminist perspective, it
reveals how women in patriarchal societies are forced to bear the blame while lacking the power
to resist.

Scholar Janet Adelman, in her influential essay “Man and Wife Is One Flesh: Hamlet and the
Confrontation with the Maternal Body”, argues that Gertrude becomes “a site of sexual and
political anxiety” for Hamlet. Her sexuality threatens Hamlet’s worldview, and she becomes the
emotional battleground for his inner conflict (Adelman 33).

Feminist Implications:

Misogyny and Gender Expectations

Both Gertrude and Ophelia are defined by their relationships to men—mother, daughter, lover—
and judged through a patriarchal lens. They are given little space to express independent desires
or make meaningful choices. Their voices are filtered through the male characters who interpret,
manipulate, or dismiss them.

Their deaths—Ophelia’s tragic drowning and Gertrude’s accidental poisoning—occur passively.

Ophelia is driven mad by male control and neglect; Gertrude dies by drinking from a poisoned
cup meant for Hamlet, a victim of court politics she barely controls. These endings underscore
their lack of agency.

Even after death, the men continue to debate their legacies. Hamlet mourns them, but on his
terms. The play ultimately reflects a world where women are essential but expendable, praised in
memory but oppressed in life.

Conclusion:

Women as Mirrors of Patriarchal Power

In The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, Shakespeare’s portrayal of Ophelia and Gertrude
illustrates how women are marginalized, silenced, and subjected to patriarchal structures. Their
emotional pain and deaths are the consequence of a society that demands obedience but offers no
space for expression. A feminist reading reveals not only their individual tragedies but the
broader cultural assumptions about gender and power. By examining their roles closely, we
uncover a deeper understanding of the emotional and political cost of a world built on male
dominance.

Works Cited (MLA 9th Edition)

Adelman, Janet. Suffocating Mothers: Fantasies of Maternal Origin in Shakespeare’s Plays.

Routledge, 1992.

Neely, Carol Thomas. “Documents in Madness: Reading Madness and Gender in Shakespeare’s
Tragedies and Early Modern Culture.” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 42, no. 3, 1991, pp. 315–338.
JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2870370.

Showalter, Elaine. “Representing Ophelia: Women, Madness, and the Responsibilities of

Feminist Criticism.” Shakespeare and the Question of Theory, edited by Patricia Parker and
Geoffrey Hartman, Methuen, 1985, pp. 77–94.

Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Edited by Barbara A. Mowat
and Paul Werstine, Folger Shakespeare Library, 2012.