The Oppression Of Women In Shakespeare And Bram Stokers...

Shakespeare and Bram Stoker write suppression and madness into their female characters who represent the condition of women during their time. Ophelia from Hamlet and Lucy from Dracula are a symbol for all women from both the Renaissance and Victorian era and their actions portray the suppression of the patriarchal system. Throughout the whole play, Ophelia and Lucy walk down the same path as both of them get oppressed by their families and go through an extreme character development while expressing their desires. Shakespeare and Bram Stoker emphasize the suppression Lucy and Ophelia bear to portray a significant problem that was occurring during the Renaissance and Victorian era, the suppression of women. Like Shakespeares Ophelia, the†¦show more content†¦Laertes displays more concern for their name and reputation tarnishing rather than Ophelia’s feelings. Like Ophelia, When Lucy acted very much like her friend Mina, who acted like a â€Å"good Victorian women† and suppresses her urge for sexuality and â€Å"anticipate dependence and submission when they are joined with the masculine.†(Howes 109) Not only did men suppress the females emotionally, but also through physical tactics. Stoker displays physical oppression via Lucy and her chamber when she is transforming into a vampire. Van Helsing, a doctor, decorates Lucy’s room with a large amount of garlic wreaths and puts a guard outside her chamber. Not only did this keep Dracula away, but it also kept physically suppressed Lucy. The guard would keep watch and make sure that nothing would enter or leave in the daytime while the garlic wreaths kept lucy entrapped on her bed at night. Ophelia also goes through physical suppression when she goes mad. During the events while Ophelia was delirious, she was closely observed. This can be inferred by the amount and great detail each servant presents when they inform the queen about the actions of Ophelia. The constant observation is an act of suppression that the men in Hamlet utilize for an attempt to suppress her due to the fear that Stoker exploits in his novel. Howes stat es the exploit in his research, â€Å"Dracula feminizes desire and obsessively fears the woman in man, which is undeniably and naturally present and always