Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on Feminist Criticism of Gertrude and Ophelia in William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”. Have the paper e-mailed to you 24/7/365.
Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 5 page paper which examines how modern feminism might react to or interpret the playwright’s portrayal of the characters and specifically considers their interaction with each other and the male characters, and whether they serve as catalysts that explain or otherwise move the drama toward its inevitable conclusion. Bibliography lists 5 sources.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: TG15_TGophger.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
critics (most notably A.C. Bradley "completely misrepresented the character of Gertrude" (MacCary 111). This play powerfully illustrates how the perceptions of characters are completely influenced by gender assumptions.
Literary critic Thomas MacCary bluntly observed, "Criticism is biased by gender. The reading of a text is almost necessarily oblique, its perspective distorted by unconscious expectations" (111). In this
instance, the chief protagonist, Prince Hamlet of Denmark, is regarded by many critics as being effeminate or a latent homosexual because of his inaction and the way in which emotions
often overpower his reason (Stone 71). As for the tragedys lone female characters, Hamlets mother Queen Gertrude and his lover, the delicate Ophelia, they do not simply serve as
attractive window dressing for what is an essentially male-dominated play. Quite the contrary, these women serve as catalysts which inspire the actions of the male characters and also reflect
the views of a repressed patriarchy that existed in Shakespeares time. Though dubbed as the Elizabethan era, the prevailing attitudes of sixteenth-century English society were undeniably male. Therefore,
it comes as no surprise that the men are clearly the focus and perceived to dominate every aspect of the plot and conflict, whereas Gertrude and Ophelia are blatantly constructed
to subordinate and to submit to all of the whims and desires of their male counterparts. Gertrude may have been a Queen and Ophelia a mere commoner, but their roles,
as dictated by the stringent rules of Elizabethan society, were practically interchangeable and both defined and perceived by their gender. Women were of unequal class status, and whatever position
they occupied on the social ladder would be determined by men, whether it be by husbands or fathers. As a result, Elizabethan women had virtually no control over their
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