Gender and Identity through Hamlet

In English class, we are currently reading the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. The tragic play dramatizes the revenge of Prince Hamlet on his uncle Claudius for murdering Hamlet's father, the King. Hamlet's father is also the brother of Caludius, who ends up taking both the throne and as his wife Gertrude, the old king's widow and Prince Hamlet's mother. Through the study of this play, I have learned to examine different critical approaches to various aspects of the play. There are unique, dynamic and mysterious female characters that play a critical role in Hamlet. It is for this reason that I found the feminist approach to Hamlet quite interesting. 

One specific question that feminist critics ask that intrigues me is: How is the work "gendered"? More specifically, how does it seem to define femininity and masculinity? By analyzing the play in this light, I found myself relating the idea of gender and identity to aesthetics and appearance. 

In today's society, much of gender and identity revolves around appearance. Men and women are expected to dress in a specific way to portray their gender appropriately. In turn, individuals are deemed "odd" and often outcasted for not following specific underlying gender roles of society, especially in terms of appearance. In theory, men and women have the freedom to portray themselves in any way they like. However, in reality, following social norms often hinders them from doing so. 

In Hamlet, the character Ophelia demonstrates the complexity of gender and identity. Ophelia is portrayed as an inferior character, controlled by the men around her. Ophelia is manipulated by Hamlet, who pursues her as a lover. Therefore, Ophelia represents the gender roles of society through her appearance as a weak character. Ophelia is portrayed as a feminine character through her appearance and props, such as her flowers. 

Ophelia is portrayed as a feminine character, as shown in this picture.

Ultimately, the idea of gender portrayed through femininity and masculinity is apparent throughout multiple generations, from the time of Shakespeare to current day. It is important to recognize this in order to realize how social norms play a role in our identity, especially through aesthetics and appearance. As readers, I would like you to ask yourselves: how do you define gender? How do aesthetics and appearance help to determine and identify gender? Does appearance limit gender?