In act three scene four of Hamlet, Shakespeare indicates that Hamlet feels utterly betrayed by Gertrude 's love for Claudius, both on his own part and on the part of his father. This is plainly evident from the first, as is shown by Hamlet 's line "would you were not so - you are my mother." This declaration of his wish to be rid of her indicates a complete loss of love and respect on Hamlet 's part. That this is the result of Gertrude 's marriage with his uncle is plainly evidenced by the preceding line, in which Gertrude is referred to as "your husband 's brother 's wife." This convoluted way of referring to her emphasises the incestuous nature of the relationship and further devalues it by referring to Hamlet, and not Claudius, as