Essay about Treatment of Women in Hamlet and Trifles

Treatment of Women in Hamlet and Trifles Of all Shakespeare’s thirty-seven plays, perhaps the best known and loved is Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Many people think that it is unforgettable because of its poetic language and style. But, while these are factors that mark the play as a classic, it remains timeless because it explores many of the issues that are still important to people today. These issues, including loyalty to family and country, protecting loved ones, and deception are still prevalent around the world, and are especially prominent in the United States government. Another play that addresses major issues that are still relevant to society, especially women, is Susan Glaspell’s Trifles. Because Glaspell’s play†¦show more content†¦In his famous soliloquy, Hamlet asks himself, â€Å"To be or not to be, that is the question: Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune / Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, / And by opposing end them?† (III. i. 56-60). Thus, Hamlet first asks himself whether he should be his father’s avenger or not. More specifically, he asks himself whether it is more righteous to silently endure the rest of his uncle’s reign as king without getting revenge, or to end his suffering by killing his uncle to get revenge as his father wants. When asking himself this question, he is also taking into account his own life and how he might be hurt by keeping his loyalty to his father: To die, to sleep-- / No more—and by a sleep to say we end / The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks / That flesh is heir to! ‘Tis a consummation / Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep-- / To sleep—perchance to dream. (III. i. 60-65) This shows that he is exploring the possibility that he may also be killed in his search for revenge. It almost sounds as if he is foreshadowing his own death because he says that ending the â€Å"heartache† is something he desires. Therefore, Hamlet seriously questions whether he should remain loyal to his father, because he takesShow MoreRelatedThe Slave Mortality Presented By Nietzsche In His Genealogy1396 Words   |  6 Pagescould that way our frail bodies could survive. This take still has a place in the culture that we face today and in a lot of ways it has no place. Both of the plays The Good Woman of Setzuan by Bertolt Brecht and Trifles by Susan Glaspell depict worlds that are full of evil. In Trifles, a woman murders her husband and two of her friends justify it by using the slave s morality. He took away her ability to sing so it is justifiable that she killed him. Glaspell makes it clear that the house was â€Å"notRead MoreExpo5600 Words   |  23 PagesMacbeth: Easy Questions, Difficult Answers DERICK MARSH Macbeth is not an obscure play. The course of the action, unlike that of Hamlet, can easily be summarized. Most readers and audiences can come to some general agreement on what the play is about, provided that they can offer answers to the two major questions of understanding that the play poses. These answers, it need hardly be said, cannot be precise and absolute, since Shakespeare s plays, like life, never allow us the delusion of perfectRead MoreDuchess Of Malf Open Learn10864 Words   |  44 Pagesthe publication Anita Pacheco and David Johnson (eds) (2012) The Renaissance and Long Eighteenth Century, published by The Open University and Bloomsbury Academic. Learning outcomes After studying this unit you should be able to: understand the treatment of the themes of love and death in Acts 1 and 2 of John Webster’s play The Duchess of Malfi examine other related themes and concerns of Acts 1 and 2 carry out textual analysis recognise some of the historical contexts of the play. Background JohnRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare and Macbeth8813 Words   |  36 Pagesstory;  Macbeth  contains many examples of imagery and language that Shakespeare borrowed directly from his source, a practice common to all writers. For example, compare these words of Holinshed with Shakespeares words. Holinshed: What manner of women (saith he) are you, that seeme so little favourable unto me, whereas to my fellow heere, besides high offices, ye assign also the kingdom? Banquho My noble partner / You greet with present grace, and great prediction / Of noble having, and of royal