Hamlet's Mother: Annotated Bibliography

Annotated Bibliography Thesis:

Gertrude was involved in the murder of Hamlet’s father, and was planning his death with Claudius.

Heilbrun, Carolyn. “The Character of Hamlet’s Mother.” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 8, no. 2, 1957, pp. 201–06. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2866964. Accessed 20 Mar. 2023.

"Gertrude is not a shallow or evil woman but a good and gentle one, misled by a male world" (Heilbrun, 225). "Gertrude is a radical figure in the play, for she defies the norms of femininity and motherhood by prioritizing her own desires and needs" (Heilbrun, 226).

“Guilt makes you so full of stupid suspicions that you give yourself away because you’re trying so hard not to”(Shakespeare 235).

Maxwell, Baldwin. “Hamlet’s Mother.” Shakespeare Quarterly, vol. 15, no. 2, 1964, pp. 235–46. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2867894. Accessed 10 Mar. 2023.

In this article "Hamlet's Mother,"Baldwin Maxwell explores the character Gertrude and her emotional state all throughout the play.He recognizes that Gertrude enjoys being in a position of

Smith states that Gertrude is stuck choosing between the love for her son and her new husband,but Claudius being a skilled manipulator plays on Gertrude's emotional vulnerabilities and uses it to his advantage.He says,"Gertrude is a tragic figure because she is trapped in a web of guilt and shame, unable to escape the consequences of her own actions" (Smith, 238).Gertrude followed and accepted everything Claudius had done and that makes her guilty,"In her sin, Gertrude represents the world that Hamlet must reject, a world in which moral compromise and self-interest reign supreme" (Smith, 1936, p. 90). Gertrude tried to justify her actions by saying she is grieving Big Ham’s death and she still cannot overcome the feeling of guilt, “Oh Hamlet, you've broken my heart in two!”(Shakespeare 207). When Hamlet points this out to her it takes a toll on her