Interpreting Hamlet's Relationships with Ophelia and Gertrude

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Introduction

Ever since William Shakespeare' Hamlet delayed his action to take revenge , audience and critics alike started crying 'why'. One obvious answer is Hamlet himself. Hamlet was stared overshadowed by trauma and indecisions. A sudden lost of his father distempers him from real being. Due to this delay, Ophelia and Gertrude who are his most dear to him, now become complicated.  Now how far this complication ruins such relationship? Hamlet's relationships with Ophelia and Gertrude are complex and multifaceted when viewed through the lenses of trauma studies, feminism, and the Oedipal theory.

Interpreting through Trauma Studies

A critic may argue that Hamlet's delay in taking action is due to different reasons. One perspective quite mockingly suggests that Elizabethan audiences expected plays to last up to dinnertime, hence, Shakespeare prolonged the play. Another perspective suggests that Shakespeare based his play on an older work, thus requiring revisions. Finally, another critic may argue that Hamlet's hesitation is due to his personal inhibitions. From a trauma studies perspective, Hamlet's behavior towards Ophelia and Gertrude can be seen as a result of his own traumatic experiences, such as the death of his father and the betrayal of his mother. This trauma can manifest in his emotional distancing from Ophelia and his anger towards Gertrude. Hamlet's traumatic experiences, including his father's death and his mother's hasty remarriage, affect his relationships with these women.

Regarding Ophelia, Hamlet's behavior towards her becomes erratic and cruel after his father's ghost appears to him, causing him to question everything and everyone around him. Interpreting  from Act 3, Scene 1 as he tells her, "Get thee to a nunnery...I have heard of your paintings too, well enough. God hath given you one face, and you make yourselves another". This can be interpreted as a manifestation of his mistrust towards women, stemming from his traumatic experiences.

Similarly, Hamlet's relationship with his mother, Gertrude, is strained due to his father's death and her remarriage to Claudius. He tells her, "Nay, but to live/In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed,/Stewed in corruption, honeying and making love/Over the nasty sty..." (Act 3, Scene 4). This can be interpreted as a manifestation of his disgust and anger towards her for her actions.


Interpreting through Feminism

Feminist critics argue that both Ophelia and Gertrude are victimized by the patriarchal society they inhabit that influenced the dynamics between men and women in Shakespeare's time.. Ophelia is objectified and controlled by both her father and Hamlet, while Gertrude is punished for her sexuality and forced into a submissive role as a wife and mother.

In his treatment of Ophelia, Hamlet displays a condescending and dismissive attitude towards her, telling her to "get thee to a nunnery" (Act III, Scene 1) and questioning her honesty and virtue. This reflects the societal expectation of women to be chaste and obedient, with any deviation from these norms being seen as a threat to the patriarchal order.

Similarly, Hamlet's relationship with his mother, Gertrude, is marked by a deep-seated resentment towards her for her perceived betrayal of his father. This reflects the patriarchal view of women as the property of men, with Gertrude's remarriage to Claudius seen as a violation of the patriarchal order.

Interpreting through Oedipal Theory

The Oedipal theory suggests that Hamlet's relationships with Ophelia and Gertrude are influenced by his unconscious desire for his mother and his rivalry with his father. This can be seen in his treatment of Ophelia as a stand-in for his mother and his anger towards Gertrude's remarriage.  Another quote from Act 3, Scene 1 that demonstrates Hamlet's abusive behavior towards Ophelia:

"Ha, ha! Are you honest?...Are you fair?...That if you be honest and fair, your honesty should admit no discourse to your beauty...Beauty?...God has given you one face, and you make yourselves another...I have heard of your paintings too, well enough."

This quote shows Hamlet's cruel treatment of Ophelia as he mocks her honesty and fairness, and accuses her of using her beauty to deceive him. His use of sarcasm and derision in asking her if she is honest and fair underscores his contempt towards her. Additionally, his criticism of her use of makeup and "paintings" can be seen as an attack on her femininity and perceived shallowness, which can be interpreted as a manifestation of his mistrust of women in general, stemming from his traumatic experiences. which has been interpreted as his rejection of her due to his repressed desire for his mother. Hamlet's treatment of Gertrude is also influenced by his Oedipal complex, as he is resentful of her for marrying his uncle, who he sees as a rival for his mother's affection. Hamlet's strained relationship with Gertrude can be found in Act 1, Scene 2, when he tells her:

"Thrift, thrift, Horatio! The funeral baked meats
Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables.
Would I had met my dearest foe in heaven
Or ever I had seen that day, Horatio!
My father—methinks I see my father."

This quote highlights Hamlet's disgust and anger towards his mother for her hasty remarriage to Claudius, who he considers to be his "dearest foe." His use of the word "thrift" to describe the juxtaposition of the funeral feast with the wedding feast implies that Gertrude's actions were driven by financial gain rather than genuine love or respect for his father. His desire to have met his father's killer in heaven before seeing his mother's remarriage further emphasizes his disdain for her actions. Hamlet's relationships with both women are complicated by his unresolved feelings towards his mother.

Conclusion 

One could argue that Hamlet's relationships with Ophelia and Gertrude are a reflection of the societal and psychological issues present in the play, such as trauma, patriarchy, and the Oedipal complex. These relationships also serve to deepen the complexity and richness of the characters and contribute to the themes of the play. Hamlet's silence doesn't make him less present; his mind is always active, even when he's offstage. The play's scenes capture a single movement, as if taking snapshots or opening windows into a dynamic process. We cannot simply be spectators; we are drawn into the action, experiencing it as a living, changing entity, even when the characters are not physically present on stage.


Reference

1. Hamlet (complete text) :|: Open Source Shakespeare. (n.d.). Hamlet (Complete Text) :|: Open Source Shakespeare. https://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/views/plays/play_view.php?WorkID=hamlet&Scope=entire&pleasewait=1&msg=pl#a3,s1
2. MENON, C. (1938). SHAKESPEARE CRITICISM. HUMPHREY MILFORD OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS .

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