Karen Heine
March 30th, 2012
Mr. Jennings
Critical Theory Essay Final Draft
A New Perspective on Gender Roles in Literature
Throughout history, gender roles havedominated the interactions and relationships shared between two people. In Hamlet and The Importance of Being Earnest, the main male characters (comprised of Prince Hamlet, Algernon, and Jack) are all able to comprehend masculinity, completely confused when presented with femininity, and utterly perplexed when confronted with a mixture of the characteristics from gender roles.
In The Importance of Being Earnest, the boys feel naturally protective of their feminine females. This protection of the feminine population was obviously a result of the impact gender roles of the late 19th and early 20th centuries for higher classed women played. During this time period, women were not supposed to work or support their families in any way so they were dependent upon men. The men, being the breadwinners and providers, felt naturally protective of their women they so graciously took care of. Evidence to this is shown when Jack declines Lady Bracknell’s request for the marriage between her nephew, Algernon, and Jack’s own ward, Cecily. “It pains me very much to speak frankly to you, Lady Bracknell, about your nephew, but the fact is that I do not approve at all of his moral character. I suspect him of being untruthful” (Wilde 48). Despite Jack and Algernon’s close relationship, Jack graciously steps in-between the two aspiring fiancées to protect his dearest Cecily.
Throughout Hamlet,Prince Hamlet’s relationship with women always has been one of immense confusion and inherent distrust. The particular relationship between Hamlet and his mother will forever doom young Hamlet. Hamlet’s mother is alive in the time when women were only meant to reproduce. Her character carefully fits the following description of femininity in women: “…women as the feminine represented the following virtues which, importantly, have their meaning in relationship to the male; obedience, silence, sexual chastity, piety, humility, constancy, and patience” (Gerlach, Almasy, and Daniel). The two are not close since her role was really only for procreation and to rule a nation (which was the only position of power allowed to women). This detached relationship with his mother createsconfusion when interacting with any female or feminine person.
The relationship between a father (father-figure) and a young male is always important. The influence a father (father-figure) has on a young male is immense and shapes all future interactions and perceptions of males forever. In Hamlet, the relationship between Prince Hamlet and his late father, King Hamlet, is very close and healthy. Young Hamlet loves his father dearly and his loss is very painful. Unfortunately this happens except, for the unfortunate Prince Hamlet, his mother quickly marries her late husband’s brother, Claudius. Hamlet’s distaste for the current situation is clearly stated when he enters a public meeting in the castle saying aloud, “A little more than kin, and less than kind” (Shakespeare 9).A masculine person entering into Hamlet’s life (in the place of his late father) causes the young prince to have a strong emotionalreaction. Hamlet’s extreme dissatisfaction with Claudius is taken to another degree when one compares Hamlet’s confusion of how to go about interacting with femininity or women in general.
In The Importance of Being Earnest, Lady Bracknell is a woman who controls her own life in a time when such an attitude, as held by a woman, would be talked about. Her mixture of masculine characteristic and femininity is unsettling to Jack.Jack’s peculiar slew of reactions is seen throughout Lady Bracknell’s interrogation of Jack (Wilde 12-15). This opinionated woman causes the odd reactions of politeness, as is to court since Lady Bracknell is a female, and aggression, as if to challenge her authority. The gender roles denote the importance of “appropriate” gender roles during this time period.
The gender roles in Hamlet consist of the basic masculine-male and feminine-females. Shakespeare delightfully plays with the idea of mixing gender roles with their “appropriate” genders. Two examples of this are Laertes’ weeping at his sister’s funeral and Ophelia’s suicide. The idea of anyone crying, even in mourning or sadness, is considered feminine. “It may appear that crying is a natural expression of sadness, but in our society it serves as a double standard. In our society crying is seen as appropriate for women and inappropriate for men” (Fritz). So it makes sense Laertes’ hopeless sobbing is taken as feminine. Hamlet’s reaction to Laertes’ femininity was aggression and Hamlet tries to out-do Laertes. But Laertes’ mourning is not the only crossover between gender roles since his sister’s suicide is also a blending. Ophelia’s suicide is her attempt at taking her life into her own hands: by taking her own life. The number of women who commit suicide has never been excessively higher than the number of men who commit suicide:“rates of suicide in most countries, including Denmark, are higher in males than in females” (Hawton). These together caused Hamlet to be confused as both are opposite of what is expected in his time. They create a strange mixture of masculine aggression towards feminine-Laertes and feminine crying at masculine-Ophelia’s funeral.
“Although Shakespeare reflects and at times supports the English Renaissance stereotypes of women and men and their various roles and responsibilities in society, he is also a writer who questions, challenges, and modifies those representations” (Gerlach, Almasy, and Daniel).Hamlet, Algernon, and Jack are all off-beat characters nobody really understand when considering all their interactions as being one singular thing. The truth about these characters is only truly seen when one views each from three separate perspectives: interactions with masculine males, feminine females, and the mixture of unexpected with expected gender roles in a person.
Works Cited
Fritz, Faith. "The Perceived Societal Attitude Towards Men Who Cry." MWSU ::
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Gerlach, Jeanne, Rudolph Almasy, and Rebecca Daniel. "Revisiting Shakespeare and
Gender." Women in Literacy and Life Assembly of the National Council of
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<
Hawton, Keith. "Sex and Suicide." British Journal of Psychiatry. 177.6 (2000):
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Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. New York: Dover Publications, 1992. Print.
Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest. Mineola: Dover Publications, 1990.
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