Misogyny
Due to Hamlet feeling betrayed by the two closest women in his life (his mother and his lover), Hamlet becomes extremely cynical about women in general. He shows a particular obsession with what he perceives to be a connection between female sexuality and moral corruption. When Hamlet shouts at Gertrude, indicating his disgust at her "sexual appetite" (what he believes to be the reason she marries Claudius with such haste), he tells her "Frailty, thy name is woman!". He implies through his speech and even with his demeaning conversations with Ophelia, that women are simply slaves to their sexual desires and thus they are frail, to weak to be loyal. More so, it is clear that Hamlet has profound hatred for women because he compares his indecisiveness and cowardice to a "whore" or "scullion". Hamlet believes by not avenging his father's death, he is a coward, and therefore is like a woman. He likewise associates his inability to act out his father's revenge as betrayal and thus he associates his betrayal with women, especially his mother.
Furthermore, Hamlet is inexcusably cruel to Ophelia when he tells her to "marry a fool; for wise men know well enough/ what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go,"(3.1.11). Hamlet claims here that women make their husbands into "monsters" which is allusion to the idea that cuckolds (men whose wives cheated on them) grew horns. Hamlet assumes that all women are unfaithful and all wives cheat, which is why he orders Ophelia to a "nunnery" (a convent for unmarried women but also a slang term for "brothel"). Hamlet delves further into his tirade by indicating that "God/ has given you one face, and you make yourselves/ another: you jig, you amble, and you lisp". Here Hamlet demonstrates his belief that women through an analogy of women "painting" makeup on their face as a way to conceal their true selves. He mentions that by playing dumb, walking, and talking, women make themselves appear something that she is not. In other words, Hamlet is accusing Ophelia of pretending to be innocent when in fact she is promiscuous (like all women he believes) and he orders her again, to a nunnery.
His mistreatment and vile verbal abuse to Ophelia is partly in due to her acting out her father's orders, but stems almost entirely from his feeling of betrayal from his mother. He is extremely bothered and disturbed by his mother's sexual affairs with Claudius and so much so that he accuses all women of being unable to be faithful but as treacherous beings. This gives explanation to the "Oedipus Complex" theory and similarly is intertwined with the motif of incest which in turn supports the themes of sex, gender, and even moral corruption.
Furthermore, Hamlet is inexcusably cruel to Ophelia when he tells her to "marry a fool; for wise men know well enough/ what monsters you make of them. To a nunnery, go,"(3.1.11). Hamlet claims here that women make their husbands into "monsters" which is allusion to the idea that cuckolds (men whose wives cheated on them) grew horns. Hamlet assumes that all women are unfaithful and all wives cheat, which is why he orders Ophelia to a "nunnery" (a convent for unmarried women but also a slang term for "brothel"). Hamlet delves further into his tirade by indicating that "God/ has given you one face, and you make yourselves/ another: you jig, you amble, and you lisp". Here Hamlet demonstrates his belief that women through an analogy of women "painting" makeup on their face as a way to conceal their true selves. He mentions that by playing dumb, walking, and talking, women make themselves appear something that she is not. In other words, Hamlet is accusing Ophelia of pretending to be innocent when in fact she is promiscuous (like all women he believes) and he orders her again, to a nunnery.
His mistreatment and vile verbal abuse to Ophelia is partly in due to her acting out her father's orders, but stems almost entirely from his feeling of betrayal from his mother. He is extremely bothered and disturbed by his mother's sexual affairs with Claudius and so much so that he accuses all women of being unable to be faithful but as treacherous beings. This gives explanation to the "Oedipus Complex" theory and similarly is intertwined with the motif of incest which in turn supports the themes of sex, gender, and even moral corruption.