Hamlet Gertrude Essay

The Oedipal Relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude Throughout William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Shakespeare portrays Hamlet with the same types of behaviors and frustrations in humans that Sigmund Freud saw at a much later date. When the relationship between Hamlet and his mother is analyzed Freud's oedipal complex theory comes to mind. Sigmund Freud first wrote about his theory in his book An Interpretation of Dreams in 1899. Simply put, Freud states that it is normal for children to have sexual

The play Hamlet explores gender roles throughout it’s acts. The female characters Ophelia and Gertrude emphasize the way women were treated at the time in Elizabethan England. Through the actions other characters you can see how Hamlet reflects the oppression that other women faced during their time. Prince Hamlet is a prime example of a man who disrespects and disregards women and their feelings. Throughout the play, Prince Hamlet manipulates Ophelia multiple times. For example, in Act 2 Scene

"O most pernicious woman (1.2.105)!"  This proclamation by Hamlet foretells of his ultimate surmise.  Hamlet throughout Shakespeare's work is a strong character.  It seems that he has the upper hand in every situation.  This statement however, is a reflection of weakness.  His destruction stems from the inability to accept Claudius as father.  More importantly though, his mother's rush to remarry has caused more of inflated persona in Hamlet.  His inability to interact with the people around him makes

tragedy, Hamlet, presents ten male characters for every one female character. The only prominent female characters are two: Ophelia, Laertes’ sister and Polonius’ daughter; and Gertrude, the queen and wife of Claudius and mother of Hamlet. This essay will explore the character, role, and importance of Gertrude.   Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, is apparently disturbed by her son’s appearance in solemn black at the gathering of the court, and she requests of him:        Good Hamlet, cast thy

Hamlet is a play centered around the revenge tragedy of Elizabethan drama, written by William Shakespeare. In Shakespeare’s play, the death of Old King Hamlet triggers different actions in its major characters; especially Hamlet, Gertrude, Claudius, Laertes, and to a lesser extent Polonius and Ophelia. These actions are disastrous not only to Denmark as a political entity; but also lead to the deaths of the all the play’s characters, except for Horatio. In Act I Scene 5, the Ghost, seeming to be

The Conscience of the Queen William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet is perhaps one of his most intriguing and scandalous pieces of work. One character who is liable for much of this excitement and outrage is Hamlet’s mother, Queen Gertrude. To some readers and critics, Gertrude is conceived as an erratic, superficial and sensual woman. Others discern the Queen as an earnest, intellectual and sagacious woman whose tragic fault is her yearning for sexual satisfaction. Throughout the text, there are

Hamlet – a Comparison of Gertrude and Ophelia       Even though at opposite ends of the courtly society in the halls of Elsinore, the characters of Gertrude and Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Hamlet have much in common. This essay intends to explore that commonality.   Howard Felperin in his essay “O’erdoing Termagant” illustrates one point of similarity between these two female characters – they are both recipients of Hamlet’s ill-will. Here he describes Hamlet’s verbal attack on Gertrude

Gertrude of Hamlet                 In Hamlet, Gertrude is a woman who means no harm but whose poor judgment contributes greatly to the terrible events that occur. There are only two female characters in the play, and neither one--Gertrude or Ophelia--is assertive. But the decisions Gertrude does make eventually lead to her death and the downfall of others as well.       We first realize in Act I, Scene 2 that poor judgment is her major character flaw. As the mother of a grieving son, Gertrude

The character of Gertrude in Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, is not a woman for emulation by others. She is too human, and not very intelligent. Let’s consider her in this essay.   Mary Bradford-Whiting, in her article “Mothers in Shakespeare” compares the mother of Juliet to the mother of Hamlet:   Juliet has a mother, to whose heart of stone she appeals in vain:   . . . O, sweet my mother, cast me not away! [Romeo and Juliet, III.v.198]   Hamlet has a mother, each

Hamlet –Who is Gertrude?        This essay intends to explore Gertrude’s situation in the play in an attempt to answer many questions about her, the queen, wife of Claudius and former wife of his deceased brother, King Hamlet.   Back in 1883 Samuel Taylor Coleridge in Lectures and Notes on Shakspere and Other English Poets comments on what he interprets as a problem or inconsistency in the presentation of the character Gertrude in Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet:        Ham.