《哈姆雷特》中的女人 Women in Hamlet文献综述
2020-06-25 20:49:25
Literature Review Shakespeare#8217;s creation can be divided into three stages: the first is romantic, passionate and optimistic; the second is real, deep, and anger; and his later years bring the mystery of the afterlife thinking, manifested as distant, religious, nothingness. As to the female in Hamlet, Ophelia and Queen Gertrude have been studied by lots of critics from different perspectives, including feminism, female#8217;s right to speak and the relationships between their characteristics and destiny. Foucault said that in appearance, speech may well be of little account, but the prohibitions surrounding it soon reveal its links with desire and power. This should not be very surprising, for psychoanalysis has already shown us that speech is not merely the medium which manifests---or dissembles---desire; it is also the object of desire.(216) This phenomenon is common in Hamlet. There is no doubt that the society is a patriarchal society, so men especially with higher powers are more qualified to enter discourse than women. In patriarchal society, women are treated as the other gender. In most cases, their discourse is regulated. They do not know what to say and how to say. Therefore, no matter what they say, they are treated as silence, and the women in this drama have aphasia. Here, aphasia does not refer to the disorder of speech caused by the brain being harmed, but refers to the psychological barrier of female discourse. On the face of it, women are involved in discourse, but these words are nothing. And He also noted that in contrast to all others, a mad words were credited with strange powers, of revealing some hidden truth, of predicting the future, of revealing, in all their naivete, what the wise were unable to perceive.(Foucault 217) It is precisely because of madness that Ophelia got rid of the discourse she deserved. On the other hand, Ophelia is seen as a madwoman because her speeches can not be integrated with the discourse of the man's world, nor does they conform to the rules that men make to women's discourse. Therefore, we can see that a woman unconsciously falls into aphasia and passively becomes a silent---doesn#8217;t have right to speak. Ophelia is a typical obedient female in the European feudal society who believes in European feudal ethics and regards the family as the center, which results in her tragic fate that she finally loses her first love Hamlet. Except for Ophelia#8217;s obedient personal weakness, her innocence also leads to her tragic fate that she is utilized by her father directly and King Claudius indirectly as struggling instruments of politics in their treacherous pursuit for power and avaricious struggle. (Li Lin 9) Ophelia is a paradox. She is marginalized, victimized, and even brutally mocked in Hamlet, yet she is one of the most quoted female figures of Shakespeare. Her victimization and above all, her poignantly symbolic and yet picturesquely framed suicidal death have given rise to certain movements and trends in art.(Mohammad Safaei 310) Queen Gertrude is a typical double personality. In the face of Hamlet, she will always be a kind and affable mother. Shakespeare shaped dual character of Gertrude either in the worry of Hamlet's impact on her new husband at the beginning, or the fear shown in the duel of Hamlet lately with Laertes of Gertrude.(Gong Ruowen 237) Zhang Lili noted that Claudius became the king after old Hamlet#8217;s death. Could Gertrude deny the king#8217;s to be his wife? Of course she can at the price of her death, but what good it can do to Hamlet? As a king, it is so easy to put Hamlet to death. Gertrude chooses to stay and be married just to protect her son. As a mother, she loves Hamlet more than herself. Some critics argued that Gertrude drinks the poisonous liquor out of her own will.(161) The image of the queen, or of all mothers in Hamlet's heart, should all be modeled, loyal and obedient to her husband. When such a character is broken by reality, Hamlet, more than feeling cheated, is more of an anger and fear of threatening male domination. This anger caused him to curse the queen in vile words, and even once wanted a mom. This fear aggravated his mania and depression. For former girlfriend Ophelia, Hamlet is overwhelmed by mixed love-hate feelings. He simply loved Ophelia's goodness and hated her weakness and ignorance, and only knew that she was guided by his father and brother. It could be said that Ophelia's betrayal further deepened Hamlet's misogyny tendency and disappointment.(Zhou Tong 39)