Ophelia

            Hamlet, a play written by William Shakespeare, was written during a time where all literature was written from a male point of view. This means that all woman characters were also depicted from the male point of view. This piece of literature is no exception. In order to view the text from an honest point of view, one must first understand what feminist criticism is and how it is used in literature. Feminist criticism plays a major role in this play. Specifically, in Hamlet, the reader can understand how Ophelia is exploited or used politically, emotionally, and physically by the male characters in the play.
             Feminist criticism is the term used to describe the way women are discriminated against because of their gender. Feminist criticism is not an act of rudeness but a lens that one has learned to look through their entire lives. If one is brought up to look through this lens, although it may not be on purpose, they will always treat women as less than equals because it is in their subconscious. One example of resistance to this idea is, "One can argue, for instance, that western society has actually been structured to protect women from brutalities of war, allowing them to be nurturers, mothers, and housewives". By this, the author means that women are sheltered much more than men are. This is very evident through the play "Hamlet".
             Ophelia has many key relationships with males throughout this play. One of these relationships is with her father, Polonius. In this play, Ophelia does everything that her father tells her to. He is her lord and she is to obey him. The main discussion they have is over her relationship with Hamlet. On example of Polonius' dominance over Ophelia is in act 1, scene 4. Polonius says, "This is for all: I would not, in plain terms, from this time forth, have you so slander any moment leisure, as to give words or talk with the lord hamlet. Look to't, I charge you. Come your ways.