Things Haven't Changed As Much As We Think They Have

As one of our assignments in english class, we were given the task to write an analytical paragraph comparing and contrasting Laertes, Hamlet, Ophelia, and Fortinbras. As I was writing this, I noticed that while all the males are tough and quick to act with muscles, the only girl, Ophelia, is the opposite of that. Hamlet, Laertes, and Fortinbras all try to avenge their father's death, but Ophelia doesn't. Being in the feminist group for our group projects on Hamlet, has also given me perspective on the way women are treated in the play. They are protrayed as weak and as people who are easily controlled by the men in the play.

From my experience as being a women, I've realized that though some things about the treatment of women have changed, a lot haven't. Women do have a lot more rights now than they did back in the time Hamlet was writen, but there are still a lot of things that differ between men and women. For example, if there were to be a draft for the military, only men would be drafted, not women. Also, it's a known fact that as a man, you just don't hit a woman. Last night my guy friend and I were joking around and I was trying to get him to fight and though he said yes at first, about 12 seconds later he admitted that he could never hit a girl. Any time a guy hits a girl, he immediately puts a target on himself because it's just something you don't do. Also, in my family and other families I know, there are double standards. While the men can usually do whatever they want, the women always have to be a lot more careful than the men and are protected a lot more than the men for fear that something might happen to them.

Yes women have gotten the right to vote and yes there is a lot more equality between women and men, but no it isn't completely equal and I don't think it ever will be. There will always be double standards and there will always be differences between men and women, because let's face it there ARE differences between men and women, both physical and mental. Girls and boys are brought up differently and are conditioned differently. People won't describe a girl as big and muscular and a guy as weak and emotional because that is not what the universal belief is. In the future it may change, but I don't think it will.