Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Unmanly Grief

“But to persever in obstinate condolement is a course of impious stubbornness. ‘Tis unmanly grief. It shows a will most incorrect to heaven, a heart unfortified, a mind impatient, an understanding simple and unschooled. For what we know must be and is as common as any the most vulgar thing to sense, why should we in our peevish opposition take it to heart?” -page 27

In this passage, King Claudius viciously berates Prince Hamlet for daring to continue mourning his father. A lot of this scene is spent discussing Hamlet’s grief and how ridiculous it is. It is claimed that he should put a stop to it in the interest of moving the Danish government forward, but there is another, deeper reason that Claudius is so intent on muffling Hamlet’s sadness--it is, as he himself puts it, unmanly.

“‘Tis unmanly grief,” Claudius tells Hamlet. Hamlet is supposed to be the prince of Denmark, a royal, and he cannot waste his time doing anything as feminine as crying. Besides “unmanly”, Hamlet is also referred to as “obstinate”, “unfortified”, “simple and unschooled”, “vulgar”, “peevish”, and “unprevailing”. These are all awful adjectives, ones that an uncle/stepfather should never use in reference to his nephew/stepson, but they can all also be used as derogatory terms for women. Stubborn. Stupid. At every turn, Hamlet is referred to as a horrible, disgusting thing--he is referred to as a woman.

At the time the play takes place, women were, of course, discriminated against much more than we are used to. “Frailty, thy name is woman,” is said by Hamlet himself just moments after this passage takes place. As the new king, Claudius has a lot to worry about, including the man who will take his throne once he dies. He has a list in his mind of what a good ruler should be, and a woman is most certainly not one of them. Therefore, when a month passes and Hamlet is still expressing pain and emotions over the death of his father, Claudius sees this as dangerous. Hamlet, in his mind, is acting in a very feminine way, and this does not befit a future king. He makes this known, then, with all of his demeaning language. In doing so, he also makes it known that Hamlet’s grief makes him weak, stupid, and unmanly.

2 comments:

  1. I like that you started off the post with a background to what was happening in the book during the passage you chose, it helps the reader connect your thoughts to the play and sets up the reader for understanding the post well. You did a great job analyzing the word choices in this excerpt and reading between the lines to understand the true meaning of the passage. I did not read this passage as carefully and didn't pick up on the details and subtle meanings present. Your organization of the post works well and you seem to have a strong understanding of the play. Great job!

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  2. I like how clearly you explain the context of this passage. I thought it was really interesting how you connected this passage to feminism and Hamlet's earlier speech demonizing women. That's a connection I don't think I would have made otherwise. Well done!

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