Misogyny Against Women in the Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Macbeth

Abstract

This article intends to explore the misogyny against women in Shakespeare’s two famous tragedies ‘Hamlet’ and ‘Macbeth’. Misogyny theory is related to expression of hatred of caste, creed colour, race or gender in oral or sign language. The English literature illustrates many writers who consciously or unconsciously applied the misogynistic. William Shakespeare, one of the greatest literary figures of English literature, is not an exception. His greatest tragedies portray the characters who speak misogynistic dialogues against female characters. The textual data analysis of Hamlet and Macbeth reveals ample instances which provide evidences vindicating Shakespeare’s brawny innate tendency as misogynist against women. As a gender biased dramatist Shakespeare feels pleasure to disgrace the central female figures like Ophelia and Queen Gertrude in ‘Hamlet’ and Lady Macbeth in ‘Macbeth’. It can be interpreted that whether the strongest characters like Lady Macbeth or the weakest one like Ophelia and Gertrude, Shakespeare never attributed them individuality or independence; rather he tagged his female figures to revolve around their males.