Shakespeare's Hamlet - Gertrude Essay examples

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.

Although there is speculation that Gertrude had an affair with Claudius before her husband’s death, this is highly unlikely due to the way Shakespeare developed Gertrude as a character, despite the Ghost referring to her as “that incestuous, that adulterate beast.” (Hamlet I.v.49). She is the epitome of the “pampered woman” stereotype that surrounds female royalty, as she is remarkably shallow and lacks empathy, as when she recommends that Hamlet stop grieving immediately in Act I. While her simplistic mindset would make her a likely candidate to have extramarital relations, her relationship with Claudius suggests that he views her more as a trophy wife than a forbidden love. Gertrude also seemed much like a child in the play, rather than a

Moreover, as mother to Hamlet, she acts largely as a reflection of the evils within Claudius. Much of the antagonism Hamlet directs towards her is, thus, aimed clearly at the elements of her that mirror Claudius: her lustfulness and corruption. In return, however, Gertrude offers Hamlet a level of motherly love and understanding. When she says "Let not thy mother lose her prayers, Hamlet. / I pray thee, stay with us, go not to Wittenberg," she quite clearly is expressing simple love and a desire to remain close to Hamlet. While Claudius is purely destructive towards Hamlet, Gertrude's ability to filter her lustfulness and corruption through her womanhood allows her to act, at least on some level, as a positive force on Hamlet.

Through Hamlet’s soliloquies, an audience is exposed to hi belief that Gertrude has betrayed his father. In Elizabethan times, Gertrude’s marriage to Hamlet may have been regarded as incestuous and unlawful. Thus, Hamlet refers to the “sheets” of marriage as “incestuous”. However, Hamlet continual preoccupation with the “speed” in which Gertrude has not undergone a significant period of mourning. Conventionally, a period of mourning of one year would have been expected, whereas Gertrude remarried in two months. Hamlet likens Gertrude’s actions to that of “Niobe” and by drawing such comparisons emphasizes his beliefs in hypocrisy of her actions, thus betraying her deceased husband by marrying her former husband’s brother, she also betrays the late king

Shakespeare applies the characterization of Queen Gertrude to display Hamlet's hatred towards his mother. Hamlet adored his father and was dissatisfied that his mother did not mourn over her husband long enough, leading, to the rash decision of her marriage with Claudius. Hamlet felt that his mother was such a cold women that even, "...a beast wants discourse of reason"(1.2.150), in mourning over its children than his mother did over her husband. Hamlet also commented she, "Had left flushing in her galléd eyes..."(1.2.155) and then immediately married, which gave Hamlet the impression that she did not have a care for his father who was most gracious to her that he would not allow the winds too, "visit her face too roughly"(1.2.142). Hamlet

Due to Hamlet’s psychological state, he felt confused and betrayed by his mother. His mother marrying his dead father’s brother opened gates to his madness. To Hamlet’s mind, women represent frailty; they are weak and regard them as an embodiment of weakness. He referred to his mother as a morally and spiritually weak woman as her incestuous inconstancy drove her to remarry immediately after her husband’s death and that she committed a sin. The most notable frailty of Gertrude seems to be that, whether by nature or nurture, she cannot exist without men. He recorded saying that Gertrude, “a little month or ere those shoes were old, with which she followed mo poor father’s body” (1.2.147-148). She needs a man as her guide to her perception

In her first lines she says, “Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted colour off,/And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark./...Thou know’st ‘tis common; all that lives must die,/ Passing through nature to eternity.” (Shakespeare, I.ii.70-75) Here Gertrude is concerned for Hamlet’s emotional state and tries to comfort him and bring him out of his two month mourning. Gertrude even asks that Hamlet stay with her in Denmark and not return to Wittenberg. “Let not thy mother lose her prayers, Hamlet./ I pray thee stay with us, go not to Wittenberg.” (Shakespeare, I.ii.121-122) While some might speculate that her reasoning is to conspire with Claudius, her true nature is to have Hamlet close to her so she can comfort him during this hard time (Unknown, unknown). One could even argue “Instead of marrying Claudius because of her lack of self-control, I would argue that Gertrude is in fact protecting her son by marrying the man who killed her husband, the King of Denmark.” (Graf, 2013) Gertrude once again shows her concern for Hamlet’s sadness by hoping Ophelia could return him to his wonted way again. She even goes as far as to invite his old friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to the castle. This acts shows the reader that Gertrude is trying to cheer Hamlet up and solace him. At the play we see Gertrude reachout once again to Hamlet, asking that he sit beside her, to which he rejects. In the closet scene she acknowledges her

When the ghost talks privately to Hamlet, he learns not only about the murder of his father, but also about the unfaithfulness and adultery of his mother. Gertrude was seduced by “that incestuous, that adulterate beast,/With witchcraft of his wit, with traitorous gifts” – Claudius himself – prior to his brother’s passing. “So lust, though to a radiant angel link'd,/Will sate itself in a celestial bed,/And prey on garbage.” In the mind of Hamlet, this drastically reduces the goodness of womankind generally. Hamlet chooses to use an “antic disposition” to disguise his actions as he maneuvers to kill the one who poisoned his father in the garden. Wilkie and Hurt say that Shakespeare “is particularly fond of double-plotting.” (2156)

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

Thesis Statement: Gertrude, the wife of late King Hamlet was disloyal to her husband and also responsible for his death.

Gertrude's conscience may finally be bothering her, but only about her quick marriage, not about anything worse. If Hamlet hadn't scolded her, the thought might never have occurred to her that the marriage took place too soon. Her comments show that Gertrude probably was not an accomplice. Up until now, we might have believed Hamlet. However, Claudius and Gertrude are talking privately and still Gertrude makes no reference to any plot. Her sincere reason for hoping that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern can provide clues to Hamlet's behavior is so that she can help Hamlet feel better (a strong contrast to Claudius' sinister motives). In other words, Gertrude's worst fault seems to be insensitivity towards her son. She shows no awareness of how her husband died and therefore no insight into what Hamlet suspects. The irony here

Queen Gertrude is the mother to Hamlet, widow to the late King, and new wife to King Claudius as shown within the first act of Hamlet. Following her marriage to King Claudius, her relationship with her son Hamlet becomes strained. Queen Gertrude symbolizes much of what is considered to be a negative aspect of womanhood. To Hamlet, Queen Gertrude is a failure of a woman. Through his dialogue, it is presented that Hamlet desires a woman and mother to be concerned for her family and place tradition above all else. When Hamlet’s mother makes a decision outside of that realm and marries King Claudius, Hamlet strives to berate her for her choices. Through

Despite her passive character, many of Gertrude’s actions influence the mental deterioration and eventual death of her son, Hamlet. Prior to the beginning of the play, Gertrude marries Claudius, the brother of the deceased king. Hamlet’s thoughts about this incestuous marriage are evident in his first soliloquy when he states “O, that this too too-solid flesh would melt” (I . II . 129). The fact that Hamlet contemplates taking his own life because of his mother’s incetuous marriage demenstrates the instability of his mind. In addition to the immoral act of marrying the brother of one’s former husband, Gertrude works alongside Claudius by sending Guildenstern and Rosencrantz to question Hamlet’s strange behavior. During the confrontation between these three men, Hamlet remains aloof in his responses and says “when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw”(II . II .

Shakespeare does a great job at allowing his readers to understand Hamlet’s pain and broken relationship with his mother, Gertrude. There is sympathy towards Hamlet provided by Shakespeare to his readers to understand the discomfort Hamlet is going through when he thinks that King Henry deserves more than

It is tempting to condemn Gertrude as evil, but it is probably more sensible to consider her as weak and inconstant. Hamlet's heartfelt line "Frailty, thy name is woman" sums up his view of her actions early in the play. Like many of Shakespeare's women characters, she is "sketched in" rather than drawn in detail. We know that she has a deep affection for her son, which is commented on by Claudius in Act 4 "The Queen, his mother, lives almost by his looks." and we may assume that she has not gone to Claudius's bed unwillingly, although there is a lack of evidence that she returns the King's obsession with her.