Important Quotes

• "Then weigh what loss your honour may sustain"

  The repetition of the pronoun ‘your’ emphasises her own responsibilities as a woman and shows that Laertes wants his sister to keep his reputation intact.

• "your chaste treasure open"

  Use of the pronoun ‘you’ - it refers to Ophelia’s virginity. It references the fact that at that time, a woman’s main responsibility was to preserve her virginity.

• "fear it, Ophelia, fear it"

  Use of imperatives; he’s demanding her, reinforcing his power and authority as a man at that time, it also shows that he must fulfill his duty as her brother.

• "danger of desire"

  Alliteration combined with the plosive ‘D’ shows that Laertes is trying to convince Ophelia that Hamlet is dangerous.

• "contagious blastments are most imminent"

  Metaphor. Laertes is trying to suggest that just as plants are mildewed by wet dew in the early part of the day, maidens are ruined by male lust in the early years of life. This continues to objectify women, showing that her only value is due to her purity and innocence.

• “pooh! you speak like a green girl,”

  Simile. Alliteration. It is also a metaphor for inexperienced and naivety

• “think yourself a baby”

  Imperative; he demands this of her. His command infantilizes her. He wants her to be naive, to be innocent as that is the only way she will be valuable. Polonius wants her to think like a child, he does not want her to think independently.

• “That you have ta’en these tenders for true pay,/ Which are not sterling.”

  Repetition of tender. semantic field of payment. The ‘tender’ represents Hamlet’s lover for her, but Polonius warns her that they are not as valuable as she believes. She is foolish if she believes them to be true.

• “Tender yourself more dearly”

  Repetition of tender. He is commanding her to value herself more highly. Through this he is objectifying her by suggesting that. That her only true value is the way others view her

• “you’ll tender me a fool”

  repetition of tender. reveals his true motivations, he wants his daughters image to be intact as it will reflect badly on his reputation if it did. His main concern was his own image, and he doesn't want his daughter to tarnish his reputation.

Context

• Elizabeth I was a female monarch in a patriarchal society, resulting in her image revolving around her femininity and sexuality.

• Her relationships at court mirrored the style of a Petrarchan lover.

• However, she had to ensure that the way she conducted politics were in a masculine way, in order to seem worthy of being monarch.

• She had to have the heart and head of a man yet still act feminine

• “I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart of a king, and of a king of England, too” (speech to the troops facing the Spanish Armada, 1588).

Critics

• “In Shakespeare’s society, the ideal female is cherished for her youth, beauty and purity.” (Rogers)

• “Ophelia is deprived of thought, sexuality and language.” (Showalter)