A Feminist Reading of Shakespeare's Ophelia (Hamlet): Challenging Traditional Interpretations

Introduction

William Shakespeare's tragic play "Hamlet" has captivated audiences for centuries with its complex characters and themes. Among these characters is Ophelia, the young and innocent love interest of the title character. While traditional interpretations of Ophelia portray her as a weak and passive victim of circumstance, a feminist reading of the character reveals a more nuanced and powerful portrayal of a woman struggling against the oppressive forces of a patriarchal society.

The Oppressive Forces of Patriarchy

Ophelia painting by
John William
Waterhouse

Ophelia appears only but very few limited scenes and even her story is structured on Hamlet's. Again Ophelia is surrounded by male figures who seek to control and manipulate her. To satisfy his growing questions about whether Hamlet is feigning madness, Claudius, the Uncle -King makes three attempts to verify Hamlet’s sanity. In one of his endeavors he makes use of Ophelia, the daughter of the lord chamberlain, Polonius. Her father Polonius too treats her like a child and forbids her from pursuing her own desires, while her brother Laertes warns her against the dangers of premarital sex. Even Hamlet, the man she loves, ultimately rejects her and drives her to madness.

Despite these oppressive forces, Ophelia asserts her own agency in subtle ways throughout the play. She defies her father's wishes by secretly meeting with Hamlet, and she expresses her own desires through her songs and speeches. Even in her madness, she retains a sense of individuality and autonomy, as seen in her symbolic distribution of flowers.

Reinterpreting Ophelia's Madness

Ophelia's madness is often interpreted as a result of her emotional vulnerability and the men in her life abandoning her. In fact, her madness is variously interpreted. Her erotomania, or love-madness became a subject of long debates. So called feminine faulty stereotypes were imposed upon her at Elizabethan and Augustan era. In the mad scene, she often time becomes standard imagery of female sexual mystery. The Victorian types saw more introspective survey. However at modern time, a feminist reading of her character suggests that her madness is a deliberate and subversive act of resistance against the patriarchal structures that have oppressed her.

Through her madness, Ophelia challenges the societal norms and expectations that have restricted her actions and desires. She speaks truthfully and openly about her own experiences and desires, revealing the hypocrisy and corruption of the male-dominated society in which she lives.

Conclusion

Shakespeare's portrayal of Ophelia offers a powerful critique of the patriarchal society in which she lives. While traditional interpretations of her character emphasize her weakness and passivity, a feminist reading reveals a more nuanced and empowering portrayal of a woman fighting against oppression.

As feminist literary critic Elaine Showalter writes, "Ophelia's story dramatizes the tragedy of having no way to tell your own story." She again adds, "On the stage, Ophelia was costumed in virginal white to contrast with Hamlet's scholarly black, and in her mad scene she entered with dishevelled hair, singing bawdy songs, and giving away her flowers, symbolically deflowering herself. Drowning, too, was a symbolically feminine death." By giving voice to Ophelia's story and interpreting it through a feminist lens, we can challenge the traditional narratives that have silenced women throughout history and empower them to tell their own stories.

Ardhendu De

Reference

1. British Library. (n.d.). British Library. https://www.bl.uk/shakespeare/articles/ophelia-gender-and-madness

2. RONK, M. C. (1994). Representations of “Ophelia.” Criticism, 36(1), 21–43. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23116623

3. 11.3: Showalter, Elaine. “Ophelia, Gender, and Madness” (2016). (2019, December 13). Humanities LibreTexts. https://human.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Literature_and_Literacy/Writing_and_Critical_Thinking_Through_Literature_(Ringo_and_Kashyap)/11%3A_Literary_Criticism_Readings/11.03%3A_Showalter_Elaine._Ophelia_Gender_and_Madness_(2016)

4. Lee Edwards, "The Labors of Psyche," Critical Inquiry, 6 (1979), 36.