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Gertrude: The Most Mysterious Character In Shakespeare's Hamlet

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Gertrude may be the most mysterious character in the whole play of Hamlet. She never comes right out and says what she is thinking or what she actually means? When reading Hamlet, so many questions are spinning through your head. Did she help with or support the murder of the late king? Does she actually care about or love Claudius? Can we trust this tricky queen? While we don’t have any clear answers to these questions, we can make our own s and choose the answers for ourselves. I believe that Gertrude is a sneaky and self-centered Queen who will do whatever it takes to keep herself happy and powerful.When the play opens, Gertrude is already Married to her Brother-in-law, Claudius. We are not giving any details about the wedding our how their …show more content…

Gertrude says, “O Hamlet, Speak no more! Thou turn’st mine eyes into my very soul, and there I see such black and grained spots and will not leave their tinct” In the Have No Fear version this line is interpreted as, “Oh, Hamlet, stop! You’re making me look into my very soul, where the marks of sin are so thick and black they will never be washed away.” I loved this version because it comes right out and says that she feels like her sins will never be washed away. This guarantees that she has done something to make her feel guilty. This could support to idea of Gertrude knowing the truth about Old Hamlets death or being involved in it herself. Later in the conversation the Ghost of Old hamlet comes and Hamlet begins speaking to him. Gertrude does not see the ghost and her reaction shows her inside character. She doesn’t ask many questions to try to understand what is happening. She just starts saying how her son has gone crazy. The motherly thing to do is trying to understand what was happening so that she can help and protect her son. Instead she jumps to conclusions and calls Hamlet insane. She acts very self-centered and more concerned for herself and what that could mean for her and not expressing concern for her

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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.

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Adversity can take us by surprise, but everyone at some point in life experiences it. The way our personal identity can be shaped is through our phases of adversity. The experiences of dealing with difficulties can shape the way we view life and the actions that will show our persona. When we persevere adversity and obstacles it shows our reputation and our true type of identity. In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare, illustrates the way Hamlet, as well as other characters, deal with adversity through the types of motives they are seeking.

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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.

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First, I do not think hamlets acts were justified because of the treatment Gertrude had. According to Doc A: The ghost says not to blame her and get revenge on his uncle but hamlet did blame her and she already remarried after just 1 month of being with the new king Claudius. According to Doc C: Hamlet was speaking in a very harsh way to Gertrude and she said “say no more these are like daggers in my heart”. Then Hamlet (thinking it was the king) stabs Polonius through the curtain.

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314 Words | 2 Pages

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!”

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948 Words | 4 Pages

King Hamlet loved Gertrude with all his heart that he “might not beteem the winds of heaven visit her face too roughly” this represents true unforgettable love. Hamlet is exasperated about his mother’s hasty marriage that he claims a “beast that wants discourse of reason would have mourned longer”. Gertrude’s hasty marriage with Claudius seems to Hamlet as done with “wicked speed to post with such dexterity to incestous sheets” showing Hamlet is disgusted with this relationship and aggressively disapproves to this action. Further into the play Act 3 Scene 2, Hamlet is having a conservation with Ophelia when he mentions “look you how cheerfully my mother looks, and my father died within two hours” showing anger towards the happiness of his mother. Throughout the play Hamlet uncovers horrible deeds his uncle has committed, which were “Remorseless, Treacherous, lecherous”.

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Hamlet's uncle claudius killed king hamlet out of envy. It was envy for the throne and for the power to be the king of denmark. In act three scene three he clearly states that he murdered king hamlet for his own ambition, for the crown and for the queen of denmark, Gertrude. A lot of the deadly sin envy goes around throughout the story of hamlet. A lot of people want something someone else has.

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809 Words | 4 Pages

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.

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1410 Words | 6 Pages

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.

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In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamlet struggles to cope with his late father’s death and his mother’s quick marriage. In Act 1, Scene 2, King Claudius, Queen Gertrude, and Hamlet are all introduced. Hamlet has just finished publicly speaking with his mom and the new king, and after he is interrupted by his good friend Horatio, who reveal the secret about King Hamlet’s ghost. Hamlet’s soliloquy is particularly crucial because it serves as his initial characterization, revealing the causes of his anguish. Hamlet’s grief is apparent to the audience, as he begins lamenting about the uselessness of life.

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Hamlet is speaking his dagger-like words to Gertrude which confirms of her adulterous acts and Gertrude responds: “O Hamlet, speak no more. / Thou turn’st mine eyes into my very soul, / And there I see such black and grained spots” (3.4.88-90). Gertrude uncovers that she has morality and she is guilty of her sins. The references to the ‘black and grained spots’ are metaphors that alludes to her incest and her obedience with Claudius’ murderous act.

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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

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In the midst of Hamlet’s confrontation with his mother, the ghost appears and stares at him. Hamlet breaks down and tells the ghost not to look at him that way unless he wants him to cry instead of being powerful enough to get his revenge. While this happens, Gertrude holds to the belief that her son has gone mad as she watches him talk to himself. Gertrude can not see or hear the

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1313 Words | 6 Pages

However, in in act 5, scene 4, Gertrude finally admits that she has wronged her son and her first husband, and in her conversation with Hamlet, she says, “O Hamlet, speak no more. Thou turn’st my very eyes into my soul.

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With this information that Polonius receives he cannot wait another minute, and goes to see the King right away. Hoping, by explaining to the King, that Hamlet is actually in love with Ophelia, there would be a royal wedding in the near future, making Ophelia Princess of Denmark. Polonius see 's the situation as a great opportunity for him to raise his social status in the community. Likewise, when Gertrude marries Claudius, while addressing the crowd, Claudius says, "Therefore our sometimes sister, now our queen"(1.2.8). After killing his brother, Claudius uses Gertrude to get to the throne.

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