In western literature throughout the ages, the role and nature of women have inevitably come into question, as scholars have remarked on both the authors of western canons and the cultures that have nurtured their belief. By the 16th Century, many questions about both the actual and proper role of women in society had been raised. Addressed by various great theologians, philosophers, and authors, these questions became more and more complex in the face of Plato, Chaucer, and Machiavelli. As some authors began to present women in a stronger light, others harped on the weaknesses of women as a species, and the conflict in views became visible in the literature of the day. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, we can see this conflict taking place as Shakespeare presents a pair of female characters, Ophelia and Gertrude, that can be seen in very conflicting lights. When one views these women, it is very easy to view them as inferior, "feminine" characters. It is, however, a great deal less problematic for the audience if it looks a little deeper into the play to find another, equally valid, possible statement on womankind. This view shows women to be quite a bit more equal than one would imagine, and the audience can best catch this message by looking at both Ophelia and Gertrude and their roles, natures in the tragedy.
The character of Ophelia, like other Shakespearean characters, seems to represent many of the shortcomings of women. At the behest of Polonius and Laertes, she spurns the hero, and thereby spurns the audience as well. This, coupled with some earlier events, sets the tone for Hamlet's outrage at women and overtly brings the audience to comply with Hamlet's ideology. Later, Ophelia speaks to Hamlet with her father in the wings, Hamlet's rebuff, "Get thee to a nunnery" (II.i, line 121), begins to focus attention on the acts of women in general and on the women of this play in particular. Hamlet becomes an interprete...