Question

Therefore I forbid my tears: but yet it is our trick; nature her custom holds, let shame say what it will: when these are gone, the woman will be out. (Hamlet; Act 4, Scene 7) When Laertes says these words after Ophelia’s death, the word "woman" refers to ________________.

a) Ophelia’s exit from the action of the play
b) Weakness of reason he thinks is inherent in women
c) The mother of Ophelia and Laertes
d) The deviousness he thinks is inherent in women

Answer 1

In Hamlet; Act 4, Scene 7, Laertes refers to 'woman' as weakness of reason he believes is inherent in women, signifying gender stereotypes of the Elizabethan era when expressing emotions as a man was seen as showing weakness. option b is the correct answer.

Step-by-step explanation:

When Laertes says, "Therefore I forbid my tears: but yet it is our trick; nature her custom holds, let shame say what it will: when these are gone, the woman will be out," after Ophelia’s death in Hamlet; Act 4, Scene 7, the word "woman" refers to b) Weakness of reason he thinks is inherent in women.

Laertes is attempting to stay strong and not cry over the death of his sister Ophelia, reflecting Elizabethan attitudes towards gender roles.

His usage of the word "woman" reveals the stereotype of that time that when a man shows emotions or vulnerability, as through tears, they are displaying traits culturally assigned to women, which were viewed as weaker or less rational.