Essay Considering Gertrude of Shakespeare's Hamlet

Gertrude never seems to get in the middle of Hamlet and Claudius' disputes, so many tend to assume that she is involved in King Hamlet's murder. However, there is an abundance of in-text evidence that suggests she is very innocent and oblivious to Claudius' plots throughout the play. Most of this evidence supporting that Gertrude has nothing to do with King Hamlet's sudden death. From the start, Gertrude comes off as a very clueless and almost blind character to the things happening around her. She mourns for the death of the man she loved, but with her country in mind does what she thinks is best. Sadly, while doing so, she involves herself in a dispute that turns deadly.

     Gertrude as well is exploited by men throughout the play. Gertrude is seen as a prize to Claudius, a way for him to succeed to the thrown without having Hamlet take over. Although it is not doubted that he loves her, but he first uses her to get the kingship without question. Claudius has been wooing Gertrude even before the death of the king, which a reason for the “most wicked speed” in which they were married. (Act 1, scene 2. line 156) Gertrude is also used by Polonius, but more so she allows him to spy on her having a discussion with Hamlet. Polonius tells the Queen that Hamlet is coming to her private chambers and that she should have a discussion with him on his lately “unrestrained” acts. She replies to Polonius that she will “warrant” him, and “fear [her] not” for she is on his side. (Act 3 Scene 4 Lines 1-7) Gertrude however is not an unintelligent woman, so a reader would wonder why she would allow herself to be exploited by Claudius. Carolyn G. Heliburn agrees with Gertrude’s intelligence saying that her speeches are “not the mark of a dull and shallow woman.”

Hamlet's rant to persuade her that Claudius is a bad man and the murderer of his father depicts his disrespect to his mother. For instance, he tells her, "You go not till I set you up a glass / Where you may see the inmost part of you." (III.iv.20-21) He is threatening his own mother! Later, he addresses her as "thou wretched, rash, intruding fool" (III.iv.32) Even though Gertrude's lust for Claudius aggravates him, Hamlet fails to show even the most fundamental respect to his superior. The relationship is full of disloyalty and distrust from Gertrude's part. First, she appeases, "Be thou assured... I have no life to breathe what thou hast said to me." (III.iv.201-203) It is assumed that she will listen to Hamlet and stay away from Claudius. However, in the next act, she displays her true loyalty to her husband, telling him that Hamlet is "in this brainish apprehension kills / The unseen good old man." (IV.I.12-13) This is partially contributed by her observations of her son talking to a ghost that she doesn't see. Polonius' death causes her to think Hamlet is dangerous, further driving the two apart. Her distrust to her son harms him by further solidifying Claudius' plan to execute him in England because the king sees him as a threat to the throne who is capable of killing. In the end, Hamlet and Gertrude's relationship take a bittersweet ending.

By the end of this scene, however, we see that she is penitent and appears willing to help her son. This exhibits how easily Gertrude is persuaded by Hamlet's incessant persistence, and emphasises her tendency to be dominated by, and mistreated by men, even to the extent of her own son. Gertrude's mistreatment is also obvious within her relationship to Claudius. For example, When Gertrude tells Claudius of Polonius' slaughter by Hamlet, rather than fret about the danger posed to his wife; he remarks that has he "been there," it would have been dangerous to him.

Gertrude knew about the plan to kill the King. Claudius wanted to become King, but the only way that could happen, the current King, would have to be dead. Hamlet’s family and everyone else were very religious. Marrying within the family was very frowned upon, especially in royal families. Because Gertrude was very religious, she would never marry incestuously. For Claudius to become the new King, he would have to marry the Queen, Gertrude. The quick marriage to Gertrude after the Kings death shows that Gertrude was really cheating on her husband before he was murdered.

Gertrude appears oblivious to the fact that Claudius killed King Hamlet to take over the crown and to have her. Her decision to marry her deceased husband’s brother had a lot of people questioning her sanity also. “The funeral baked meats Did coldly furnish forth the marriage tables” (Shakespeare 17). Gertrude had gotten married so quick after the funeral of King Hamlet that the food from the funeral catered for the wedding. During the play that Hamlet produced to show people what Claudius had done, she was blind to the fact that it was actually Claudius that he was talking about. Due to Hamlet knowing the truth, Claudius has been trying to kill him.

    Queen Gertrude and Ophelia, the main female characters in Shakespeare’s dramatic tragedy Hamlet, have a variety of personal qualities and experiences in common. This essay, with the help of literary critics, will explore this commonality.

In addition, Gertrude goes through a moment where she is figuratively blind when making a judgment. When Hamlet told her about how King Hamlet was killed she didn’t believe it. He says she has been blind this whole time to it and even though Claudius appears innocent he is not. Gertrude married soon after King Hamlet’s death because her love and loneliness blinded her. This led to her to make incestuous actions. Hamlet is annoyed with his mother and how naive she is to his father’s death:

Her feelings of confusion and unsure loyalty reflect some of Hamlet's deep-seated weaknesses, while her unnatural sexuality and traitorousness ultimately reflect the darker qualities of Claudius. Gertrude - though distinctly female and independent in her worldview - is in many respects tainted or misguided by the flaws in both her lover and her son.

Gertrude does not tell Claudius the truth about what happened between her and Hamlet. This shows that Gertrude is following Hamlet’s advice because she is choosing to remain silent on what Hamlet told her. Furthermore, Gertrude only reveals that Hamlet killed Polonius and not what Hamlet had advised her to do, which was to stay away from Claudius. Gertrude might be trying to follow Hamlet’s advice because of her sense of guilt.

When Hamlet died Queen Gertrude was quick to marry his brother, Claudius. Hamlet II was very distraught and was grieving over his lost father, while Gertrude doesn’t seem to deal with the death of her husband. She even says, “Thou know’st ‘tis common- all that lives must die…” (1.2.71). This shows two things

A few characters in this play give insight on Gertrude that point in the direction of her being shallow and evil. One example is late in the first act when Hamlet cries “O most pernicious woman! O villain, villain, smiling, dammed villain!” This is when, deep in thought, Hamlet realizes that his mother could have possibly taken part in his father’s death and he thinks she’s evil. In Hamlet’s head, everything makes sense now because it is now understandable how she got over the death so quickly. This is the first time that Hamlet realizes his mother’s true character. This is a very imperative notion about Gertrude’s personality because for her very own son to think a validation like this is extreme. Often times a man will love and defend his mother until the day he dies, while Hamlet, on the other hand, is thinking of her playing a role in his father’s death. When the ghost speaks of Gertrude’s speedy marriage, it provides more evidence of her shallowness. The King’s ghost says that she is “seeming virtuous”. He is basically saying that while she looks holy and righteous, she isn’t. The new King offered her something (or many things) that she wanted, and she took the bait and married him. She didn’t care that her husband had just died, or how her son would react to this

The fact that Gertrude is adverse to truth is not an argument. She lies to herself about the consequences of her actions, and she lies to those around her about the impact of her dishonesties. But it is important to understand that she lies to protect. She does not create elaborate fabrications with ill intent; she tells only small, white lies in order to keep herself and those close to her safe. She is forced to tell the King that Hamlet slayed Polonius, but nonetheless, she does what she can to help her son. She tells Claudius that Hamlet "weeps for what is done" when it is quite obvious he does not. On the surface, it could be difficult to comprehend why Hamlet, his father, and Claudius all had such a deep devoutness to Gertrude. But the

as he was always off at war…who else to warm the royal bed than the

Gertrude desire to stay queen had led to the failure of noticing Hamlet’s attitude towards her resentful new marriage. Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother the widow of old king Hamlet and the wife of claudius the old king’s brother claudius. her feelings for her first husband has not been revealed yet, her relationship with her second husband’s guilt or sons accusation. she plays a major role in Hamlet’s inner life he complains about his mother failure to honor his father's memory, his doubt about her seems to color his response to ophelia. she accidently dies at the end of the play when she drinks a poison that was intended for her son. (Harold Bloom). At the play Queen invites hamlet to sit near her she is definitely trying to make him feel like he had a place in the court of Denmark. She