Mothers have always been known for being very intuitive, kind and caring towards their children and husband. When a woman is free to make her own choices in life does it change her character completely? Or are mothers instinctively protective of their children and want the best for them? Although the mothers in Hamlet (William Shakespeare) and A Doll 's House (Henrik Ibsen) are often viewed in a negative light, they were still good parental figures. By examining scenes from both plays, the lifestyle of mothers during those specific time periods (both royalty and middle class), and considering what the playwrights were intending with these characters, it can concluded that Gertrude and Nora are not as selfish as they might seem.
Both Gertrude …show more content…
won to his shameful lust, The will of my most seeming-virtuous queen." which shows how King Hamlet puts all the blame on Claudius, and continues to talk about his love for his queen and how good their relationship was. Of course King Hamlet is upset and wants revenge, but this passage is usually misread and understood incorrectly-being about Gertrude, and not Claudius as it really is. However, Hamlet is really bitter towards his mother. In Act III scene IV, Gertrude is attempting to figure out what is the meaning behind Hamlet 's strange behavior, and Polonius is the one who pressures her to be harsh with him. During the entirety of that scene, Hamlet goes on and on, bashing his mother about her "sinful" ways, and even daring to go into detail about her sex life. He states "Not this, by no means, that I bid you do, Let the bloat king tempt you again to bed, Pinch wanton on your cheek, call you his mouse, And let him, for a pair of reechy kisses, or paddling in your neck with his damned fingers." He is essentially ordering his mother not to have sex, and abusing her with words while she constantly pleads for him to stop. Hamlet …show more content…
During the time of Shakespeare 's life, norms were very contrasting to today 's standards and so women were truly seen differently by everyone in society as a whole. However, this does not mean it is good, or acceptable, but analyzing how Shakespeare wrote these characters can only have been formed his own experiences and thoughts. One thing to consider was that the story of Hamlet takes place in Denmark and not England, so it is possible that he was trying to paint a different picture with these characters and was not assuming how people behave in England. However it is hard to tell where he got this information from, because Shakespeare probably did not search for character inspiration by looking at Norway or Denmark itself.6 As seen with Gertrude, he seems to have made her a very emotional and perceptive character, as was the norm in Victorian times, but women were never the ones to make decisions on their own without a man.7 This is very important in proving Gertrude 's innocence because it shows how she would not have been cunning enough to make the plan with Claudius to murder the King, and shows that she is far too passionate to even consider cheating on her husband. Even King Hamlet acknowledges how much in love he was with her. Furthermore, when taking A Doll 's House into consideration at the time it was
Both Gertrude …show more content…
won to his shameful lust, The will of my most seeming-virtuous queen." which shows how King Hamlet puts all the blame on Claudius, and continues to talk about his love for his queen and how good their relationship was. Of course King Hamlet is upset and wants revenge, but this passage is usually misread and understood incorrectly-being about Gertrude, and not Claudius as it really is. However, Hamlet is really bitter towards his mother. In Act III scene IV, Gertrude is attempting to figure out what is the meaning behind Hamlet 's strange behavior, and Polonius is the one who pressures her to be harsh with him. During the entirety of that scene, Hamlet goes on and on, bashing his mother about her "sinful" ways, and even daring to go into detail about her sex life. He states "Not this, by no means, that I bid you do, Let the bloat king tempt you again to bed, Pinch wanton on your cheek, call you his mouse, And let him, for a pair of reechy kisses, or paddling in your neck with his damned fingers." He is essentially ordering his mother not to have sex, and abusing her with words while she constantly pleads for him to stop. Hamlet …show more content…
During the time of Shakespeare 's life, norms were very contrasting to today 's standards and so women were truly seen differently by everyone in society as a whole. However, this does not mean it is good, or acceptable, but analyzing how Shakespeare wrote these characters can only have been formed his own experiences and thoughts. One thing to consider was that the story of Hamlet takes place in Denmark and not England, so it is possible that he was trying to paint a different picture with these characters and was not assuming how people behave in England. However it is hard to tell where he got this information from, because Shakespeare probably did not search for character inspiration by looking at Norway or Denmark itself.6 As seen with Gertrude, he seems to have made her a very emotional and perceptive character, as was the norm in Victorian times, but women were never the ones to make decisions on their own without a man.7 This is very important in proving Gertrude 's innocence because it shows how she would not have been cunning enough to make the plan with Claudius to murder the King, and shows that she is far too passionate to even consider cheating on her husband. Even King Hamlet acknowledges how much in love he was with her. Furthermore, when taking A Doll 's House into consideration at the time it was