Hamlet Misogynist

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Many believe that in the William Shakespeare play Hamlet, Prince of Denmark misogyny is very prevalent. However, calling Hamlet misogynistic does not do justice to the complexity of the play. Hamlet is not simply misogynist, it's misanthropist. Misanthropy is the general hatred, dislike, distrust or contempt of the human species or human nature. This more accurately describes the play because almost every character displays the evils that come with human nature. Many people focus on the women in the play and mislabel Hamlet as misogynist. There are only two women in the entire play, Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, and Ophelia, Hamlet’s lover. Hamlet expresses hatred towards both the women throughout the play for different reasons. In I.ii.143-146, Hamlet states, “ Why, she would hang on him as if increase of appetite had grown, By what it fed on; and yet within a month – let me not think on’t – Frailty, thy name …show more content…
Hamlet is disgusted by his mother’s sexual “appetite” and lust she portrays. Since Hamlet thinks she was motivated by her sexuality to sin in such a way, he becomes disgusted by the idea of the marriage bed of Gertrude and Claudius. He cannot understand their desire to “live / in the rank sweat of an enseamed bed, / stewed in corruption” (III.iv.92-94) because to him, it goes against everything he believes about his mother and uncle’s morals. Hamlet, even through his disgust, still cares for his mother. This is shown when he begs her to repent. He asks her to “confess [herself] to heaven / repent what’s past; avoid what is to come” (III.iv.151-152). If Hamlet truly hated women at this point in the play, he would not worry about the potential suffering of his mother. Another infamous line from Hamlet is “Get thee to a nunnery” (III.i.121). In this he is stating that he believes Ophelia is a whore and that women are unfaithful which is what most his
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