In Elizabethan England - the period of William Shakespeare - women were socially degraded and taught they were inferior to men. In his play, "Hamlet," Shakespeare's perception is thoroughly displayed as women are victimized and presented as inferiors; objects that assist or hinder the action of men. Specifically, Gertrude and Ophelia are displayed as instruments of deceit, fragile-minded women with a dependence on men, and the cause for their own source of maltreatment and degradation. Gertrude almost immediately falls under the emotional spell of Claudius and allows herself to become objectified, essentially neglecting her own son. She does not try to reason with Hamlet and find the genuine reasons for his sorrow but instead allows for her son to be spied on by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, ignoring the needs of her own child. Gertrude becomes an object used to spy on Hamlet when she ultimately gives in and allows Polonius, who has hidden behind a tapestry, to listen to the conversation she has with her son. When the Queen states, “I'll warrant you. Fear me not. Withdraw, I hear him coming” (III.IV.9-10). it shows that Gertrude is fully aware of the situation she is in and has agreed to allow Polonius to listen in to her son in his most vulnerable and intimate state, considering his mindset. As a loving mother she should have allowed her son the opportunity to vent his situation and problems in an intimate and secure situation, but instead puts him in a predicament in which Hamlet unknowingly kills Polonius. Since Gertrude is a woman, she is victimized and portrayed as the cause of Polonius's death. If she had not been part of the story we can assume that Polonius would have not been behind the tapestry and inadvertently killed. This event also allowed Hamlet to be sent England, prolonging his revenge. Similar to Gertrude, Ophelia allows herself to become an object used to spy on Prince Hamlet. His former lover, one who we can assume Hamlet truly loved and cared for, abruptly exits his life without warning or explanation solely on her father's wishes. Her only response to such an overwhelming request was, “I shall obey my Lord” (I.1.145). Ophelia throws away what seemed as a passionate and loving relationship on simply the sudden request from her father, without considering the repercussions and the effects at would have on her partner. Already in a sorrowful mood with all the hectic events occurring including the death of his father, Ophelia just ends the relationship with Hamlet without an explanation, leaving him with no one. Adding to the feeling of depression and loneliness, she agrees to confront Hamlet and give back the love letters that he has written to her. This indifference toward Hamlet, which has been fabricated due to her father, is shown when she states, “My lord, I have remembrances of yours that I have longed long to redeliver. I pray you now receive them” (III.I.102-104). Ophelia simply allows herself to inflict further emotional damage entirely based on the fact that Polonius believes the cause for Hamlet's apparent madness is his love for her, never drawing a line on