Hamlet is a Misogynist

Hamlet Is A Misogynist


In William Shakespeare’s renowned play, Hamlet, the title character has many different states of mind and personality changes. However, he consistently shows throughout the play evidence of misogynistic behaviour. Because Hamlet feels so betrayed by the actions of his mother, he begins to associate this betrayal with the actions of all women, which in turn causes him to treat Ophelia cruelly and unfairly. Hamlet’s misogyny is shown in how he speaks to and about his mother, how he cruelly addresses Ophelia, and in how he refers to women in general. Hamlet shows many times in the play that he has a high disrespect for women, and uses his low opinion towards the female gender as a stereotype for all women. This, by definition could easily be interpreted as misogyny.
Throughout the play, the leading character of Hamlet behaves in a misogynistic manner towards the women in his life. However, many things he says in passing also invol...