Like every writer Shakespeare explores the roles of women in Hamlet, to a certain limit. Hamlet reflects the opinion and social conditions of the time. `Hamlet sees Gertude give way to Claudius' . In a certain way, Shakespeare tries to give Gertude and Ophelia, some way to rebel against their male dominance captivity. So it can be said that Ophelia rebels against this male dominance by becoming insane, thus `The madwoman is a heroine' .

The play Hamlet sees women placed in an Elizabethan England even though the setting is in Denmark. In Elizabethan time, women were not accepted in society without a husband, it was assumed that they would not be strong enough to cope. During this time status was important to men and woman. With a war between Protestantism and Catholicism, Christianity played an important role. One of the Ten Commandments being to honour you parents, we see...