Queen Gertrude is the Queen of Denmark, Hamlet’s mother, the widow of Old Hamlet and the wife of Claudius, brother of her dead husband. Gertrude is ignorant and a woman who means no harm but because of her actions it contributes greatly to the terrible events that occur throughout the play. In this play there’s many conflicts, one of the first conflicts was when Gertrude married King Claudius two months after Old Hamlet’s death. Gertrude is ignorant because she’s not aware of anything happening. For example she’s not aware that King Hamlet’s murder was by his own brother Claudius, even though they were some hints out there to show that it was King Claudius who killed Old Hamlet. To prove that in Act 3 Scene 2 Hamlet presents a play called the mousetrap where this play contains how Old Hamlet was killed and how Gertrude married her brother in law. Another situation that she is unaware of, is when Claudius and Laertes make plans to put poison into Hamlet’s drink, which ends up killing her. Her being ignorant was what caused her death. …show more content…
In Scene 1 Act 2 she says “Let not thy mother lose her prayers, Hamlet; I pray thee stay with us; go not to Wittenberg" (1.2,18-19) she’s trying to protect Hamlet but not seeing that she’s actually hurting him. What made Hamlet mad was that she had married her uncle two months after his father’s death. Gertrude causes the main problem in Hamlet’s life and she does it by only thinking of herself. Hamlet is a young loyal man while the queen is nothing close to being loyal. Hamlet is loyal to his father and want revenges for his death by killing Claudius while Queen Gertrude is disloyal to Old Hamlet by marrying his
“The lady doth protest too much, methinks” (3.2.254). This quote is significant because this is Queen Gertrude’s reaction to the play “Mousetrap” that is based on her own story. Gertrude is astonished by the play queen’s insincerity to her husband. Gertrude thinks that the play queen may never marry again due to her undying love for her late husband. However, she does, just like Queen Gertrude marries a second time to Claudius. Throughout Act 3, Hamlet tries to make Queen Gertrude understand the horrible sin she has committed by marrying Claudius.
Instead of admitting her wrongdoings and regretting her choices, she undervalues Hamlet's distress and misery by telling him, “you answer with an idle tongue” (III.iv.14). Gertrude continues to engage in wrongdoing alongside Claudius since she lies to herself and Hamlet by dismissing that her behaviours are tainted and immoral. Her failure to discern horrific activities leads her to blindly accept the sinful actions of herself and the other characters in the play. As a result of her unchecked corruption, her soul undergoes moral decay comparable to “an unweeded garden / [t]hat grows to seed.
Also, Hamlet displays his anguish at the Queen for dishonouring his dead father since “Almost as bad, good mother, as killing a king and marrying his brother” (Shakespeare, pg. 121). In this statement, Hamlet expresses how, through the marriage to her husband’s murderer, Gertrude is a symbol of dishonor and damaging her relationship with the prince. Hamlet is disgusted by Gertrude’s actions and recognizes her not as his mother but the queen and wife of Claudius, the murderer. The respect revered by children to their mother is not evident between Hamlet and Gertrude. In Gertrude’s death scene, Hamlet screams to his mother “Wretched Queen, adieu!”
Hamlet wished to punish Gertrude but was prevented by his father’s ghost. In Hamlet’s soliloquy in Act 3 scene 2, Hamlet will “speak daggers to her but use none” representing his future interactions with Gertrude. Shakespeare uses this metaphor to show Hamlet’s hatred towards his mother and to create tension. In Act 3 Scene 4, Hamlet reveals Claudius’ involvement in his father’s death to his mother, but she thinks Hamlet has turned into a madman. At this
Hamlet is not justified by treating Gertrude the way he did. Gertrude said that Hamlet has offended his new stepfather by the play that he put on (to find out if Claudius actually did kill the king). After Hamlet hears that his mother is not proud by the way he has been acting Hamlet just goes off on her. Hamlet then says that his mother has offended his real father (King Hamlet) and completely intimidates her. Then Hamlet accuses Gertrude of lustfulness and his mother starts crying and begs him to go.
His suicidal thought and his erratic behavior cause for the king, queen, Ophelia and his friends to begin to spy on him just pushes him over the edge. His action cause concern for King Claudius who shows in ways that he is not trusting of Hamlet because of this the King begins to plot with Laertes to kill hamlet in fencing dual. During this dual Hamlet is stabbed and dies from the poison that was on the blade. Gertrude is seems to be a shallow woman in some ways yet King Hamlet, Hamlet and King Claudius are all devoted to her.
Hamlet eventually kills Claudius like his father told him to, but only did it after his mother, Gertrude, drank the poison that Claudius meant to give Hamlet. This is a result of external action from all the sorrows that was building up in Hamlet’s life. This brings us to our next character, Gertrude, Claudius’s wife and Hamlets
The treatment of Gertrude was not justified. Hamlet had no reason to treat Gertrude like she did something wrong. Gertrude is not the one who killed Hamlet’s father. The ghost of Hamlet’s father says “Against thy mother aught: leave her to heaven” (doc.
Gertrude’s betrayal of her son was caused by Claudius, as he comforted her after her husband’s unfortunate demise, and later married her, this was betrayal to Hamlet because he had a very high opinion of his father and thought very little of his uncle, Hamlet said “-married with my uncle, / My father’s brother, but no more like my father / Then I to Hercules; within a month” [I, ii, 151-153] showing that he believes that his mother betrayed him and his father’s memory by marrying his uncle, it also
Gertrude is Hamlet’s mother and the Queen of Denmark. When King Hamlet is murdered by Claudius, she didn 't seem to daunt her and shortly thereafter got married to Hamlet 's Uncle Claudius. This gives a suspense in this point of the play because it makes the audience think about if Gertrude had anything to do with the murder of her husband or if she helped plan the murder with Claudius. When Gertrude married the person that killed her husband, Hamlet takes it personal and she basically loses her son because he 's so upset with her.
Her dilemma of having to choose one man over the other is driving her to insanity because she can’t pick just one of them. Certainly she loves both of them or at least that’s what she thought, but Hamlet’s father is her true love while Claudius is the brother of her husband that just so happened to become king after his brother died. In short, she doesn’t know her true feelings for either person. Gertrude feels confused and overwhelmed by everything that just unfolded in front of her. It causes her an undesirable grief that she shouldn’t have had to deal
Hamlet’s views on women is adulterous which pertains to the misogynistic tendencies in the play; thus, Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude, sparks up his misogynistic approaches. Hamlet is repulsed with Gertrude since she was quick to re-wed immediately following Old Hamlet’s death and cries: “She married. O, most wicked speed, to post / With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!” (1.2.156-157). Hamlet is shocked that his mother remarries to Claudius, Old Hamlet’s brother, before letting the tears on her cheek to dry.
In act one Gertrude marries her dead husband 's brother Claudius, Hamlet is not very happy that his mother did this. Hamlet feels very betrayed by his own mother because she remarried so quickly. He feels as if this is an unforgivable
However, Hamlet soon discovers that Claudius has been lying to him, and Claudius’ real motive is to kill Hamlet in order to exterminate all possible threats to his reign. Claudius’ role play affects the entire country of Denmark, and he convinces the people that he is the rightful king, when he is not, and has murdered his brother for the throne. Gertrude, too, takes on a role; throughout the play, she seems oblivious to her wrongdoings. She claims that she loves Claudius, and did not just marry him for political reasons.
After the actors act out the murder scene, Claudius stand up and demands for light, proving that Claudius in infarct guilty of murder. Hamlet asks his mother how she likes the play and she responds with “the lady protests too much, me thinks,” (3.2.226). The fact that Gertrude thinks the player, queen declares her feelings too strongly is very ironic because it's exactly what she did/is doing. Polonius then informs Hamlet that the queen wishes to speak with him right away. Hamlet reminds himself about his father's wishes, which was to cause no harm to his mother.