women in hamlet exam COMPLETE QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS | ALREADY PASSED | 2026
LATEST!!
Save
Terms in this set (68)
C.L.Barber: "Shakespeare's art is ...its investment in the human family"
distinguished by the intensity of...
explanation for: C. L. Barber: Hamlet is concerned both by the external and
"Shakespeare's art is distinguished internal threats to Elsinore
by the intensity of its investment in A play about Kings and court which develops on,
the human family" and explores the philosophy of the family
Women were expected to remain confined to the
domestic sphere, thus female characters rarely
existed outside of this within theatre
However Gertrude takes on both a political and
domestic role, but is considered to be an
indication of the corruption of the court and is
met with little sympathy in the play, was
Shakespeare condemning her for this? Link to
Elizabeth
The Ghost, A1S5: "Ay that ...that have the power so to seduce! --won to his
incestuous, that adulterous beast, shameful lust the will of my most seeming-
with witchcraft of his wit, with virtuous queen"
traitorous gifts,-- o wicked wit, and
gifts...
, analysis for: The Ghost, A1S5: "Ay Gertrude is presented as a prize to be "won", in
that incestuous, that adulterous some sense she is dehumanised as a trophy for
beast, with witchcraft of his wit, with the male characters, whilst the ghost's use of
traitorous gifts,-- o wicked wit, and "most" projects an image of vulnerability and
gifts that have the power so to innocence onto Gertrude that contrasts Claudius
seduce! --won to his shameful lust the "adulterous beast"
the will of my most seeming- The qualifier "most" is also used to describe
virtuous queen" Gertrude in A1S5, in which Hamlet calls her the
"most pernicious woman" - in both cases, the
men project an exaggerated image onto
Gertrude
"Seeming-virtuous" explores the play's theme of
appearance vs reality
Repetition of "w" stresses these words in the
passage: "witchcraft", "wit", "wicked wit", "won", a
storyline of manipulation (similar to the book of
Genesis), and emphasises the supposed frailty of
women
Multiple speculations on why Gertrude marries
Claudius (Hamlet even suggests they had an
affair before his father's death), but Shakespeare
does not let us hear this from Gertrude. This
communicates both the anxieties that existed
over female sexuality, and the lack of voice
afforded to women - we hear about Gertrude's
sexuality from the male perspective, never for
ourselves (it thus could be exaggerated out of
disgust/attempts to control)
Hamlet, A1S2: "incestuous sheets" ...bed stewed in corruption"
A3S4: "an enseamed...
AND ANSWERS | ALREADY PASSED | 2026
LATEST!!
Save
Terms in this set (68)
C.L.Barber: "Shakespeare's art is ...its investment in the human family"
distinguished by the intensity of...
explanation for: C. L. Barber: Hamlet is concerned both by the external and
"Shakespeare's art is distinguished internal threats to Elsinore
by the intensity of its investment in A play about Kings and court which develops on,
the human family" and explores the philosophy of the family
Women were expected to remain confined to the
domestic sphere, thus female characters rarely
existed outside of this within theatre
However Gertrude takes on both a political and
domestic role, but is considered to be an
indication of the corruption of the court and is
met with little sympathy in the play, was
Shakespeare condemning her for this? Link to
Elizabeth
The Ghost, A1S5: "Ay that ...that have the power so to seduce! --won to his
incestuous, that adulterous beast, shameful lust the will of my most seeming-
with witchcraft of his wit, with virtuous queen"
traitorous gifts,-- o wicked wit, and
gifts...
, analysis for: The Ghost, A1S5: "Ay Gertrude is presented as a prize to be "won", in
that incestuous, that adulterous some sense she is dehumanised as a trophy for
beast, with witchcraft of his wit, with the male characters, whilst the ghost's use of
traitorous gifts,-- o wicked wit, and "most" projects an image of vulnerability and
gifts that have the power so to innocence onto Gertrude that contrasts Claudius
seduce! --won to his shameful lust the "adulterous beast"
the will of my most seeming- The qualifier "most" is also used to describe
virtuous queen" Gertrude in A1S5, in which Hamlet calls her the
"most pernicious woman" - in both cases, the
men project an exaggerated image onto
Gertrude
"Seeming-virtuous" explores the play's theme of
appearance vs reality
Repetition of "w" stresses these words in the
passage: "witchcraft", "wit", "wicked wit", "won", a
storyline of manipulation (similar to the book of
Genesis), and emphasises the supposed frailty of
women
Multiple speculations on why Gertrude marries
Claudius (Hamlet even suggests they had an
affair before his father's death), but Shakespeare
does not let us hear this from Gertrude. This
communicates both the anxieties that existed
over female sexuality, and the lack of voice
afforded to women - we hear about Gertrude's
sexuality from the male perspective, never for
ourselves (it thus could be exaggerated out of
disgust/attempts to control)
Hamlet, A1S2: "incestuous sheets" ...bed stewed in corruption"
A3S4: "an enseamed...
