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How Does Gertrude Change Throughout The Play

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In the play Hamlet, Gertrude, also known as Prince Hamlet’s mother and wife of the deceased King Hamlet, was oblivious to the fact that her current husband, King Claudius, killed her first husband. Gertrude remarried to King Claudius two months after her first husband passed away, solely to fill the seat of the throne, so that Prince Hamlet could one day inherit it, as well as fill the emptiness of her heart Thus explaining why Gertrude would remarry so instantaneously. Aside from quickly remarrying because one is a woman, we can be assured that Gertrude is oblivious to the decease of King Hamlet because of her shocking reaction to her son’s remark when in Act 3, Scene 4 Prince Hamlet accuses Gertrude of his father’s murder. Her reaction is “What have I done, that thou dar’st wag thy tongue in noise so rude against me?” (Shakespeare 3.4.40-41) If Gertrude would have been involved in King Hamlet’s murder, then she would not have asked such a question in such a shocking manner. Throughout the play in Act 3, Scene 4, Gertrude makes another shocking reaction when she says to Hamlet after he kills Polonius “Oh, what a rash and bloody deed is this!”(Shakespeare 3.4.28) Hamlet responds with “A bloody …show more content…

We know that she loved him because of when she tells Hamlet “Be thou assured, if words be made of breath and breath of life, I have no life to breathe what thou hast said to me.”(Shakespeare 3.4.197-199) In this reference, Gertrude is making a sacrificial promise to her son in means of keeping secrets from her new love to help find out how her first husband died. By sacrificing her new love for her old, this proves her true love for Hamlet. She makes this sacrifice to her son because if she would tell King Claudius that Hamlet was in search of him, he would know that Hamlet was aware of the murder of his father for the throne. Consequently, he would be scared of Hamlet’s potential aggressive

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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.

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801 Words | 4 Pages

Hamlet killed Polonius right in front of Gertrude, thinking he was Claudius. (doc. C). That must have been terrifying for Gertrude; she did not deserve to witness that. Hamlet had no point to treat her in the way that he did.

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(Shakespeare, pg. 201). As a consequence of Gertrude’s dishonor to Hamlet’s father, Hamlet’s last words to his mother were filled with anger and madness rather than sadness and sorrow. Gertrude’s role in Hamlet is one of many characters emphasizing honour being attacked. Had the Queen not hastily married her brother-in-law and husband’s murderer, Gertrude’s honour as a queen, wife and mother may have been

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948 Words | 4 Pages

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

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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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1598 Words | 7 Pages

The main character of William Shakespeare’s tragedy is actually a confused person that’s stuck between two choices. Some may argue that he feels guilty for his father’s death and so it’s his duty to avenge it. While others may disagree and conclude that he is just a maniac who is both violent and dangerous. Hamlet passes through the lane of hesitancy, where he hesitates to kill King Claudius. As a matter of fact, the main conflict of Hamlet is that he feels both the need to solve the crime and punish the responsible.

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651 Words | 3 Pages

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.

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930 Words | 4 Pages

Hamlet believes that Gertrude's quick marriage to his uncle was a sign of her weakness because it shows she could not stand to be alone, “A little month, or ere those shoes were old With which she followed my poor father's body Like Niobe, all tears- why she, even she O God, a beast that wants discourse of reason Would have mourned longer! , married with my uncle” (1.2.151-157). Here, Hamlet is clearly angry that his mother's emotions were so weak, wondering how she could quickly marry her husband's brother after burying her husband. It goes without saying Gertrude clearly can't be by herself and constantly needs a man in her life to fulfill that emptiness inside her.

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1327 Words | 6 Pages

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

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848 Words | 4 Pages

To begin, Gertrude is a victim because she is naive that eventually leads to her death. At the end of the play when Hamlet and Laertes are fencing, Gertrude unknowingly drinks the cup of wine filled with poison. Even after Claudius warns her not to drink it, she persists and tells him, “I will, my lord; I pray you pardon me” (5.2.318). Gertrude here thinks

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1259 Words | 6 Pages

Throughout the conversation and various parts of the play, Hamlet expresses his disgust for his mother 's actions. He insults her by comparing his father to Hyperion and Claudius to a satyr. He tells Gertrude not to sin by sleeping with him and tells her she is nothing but lustful for marrying a man like Claudius when he says, “That blurs the grace and blush of modesty,/ Calls virtue hypocrite, takes off the rose/ From the fair forehead of an innocent love/ And sets a blister there, makes marriage vows/

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582 Words | 3 Pages

The theme of betrayal saturates the play, with Hamlet feeling betrayed by practically everyone in his circle. His mother, Queen Gertrude, hastily marries his uncle Claudius shortly after the demise of his father, King Hamlet. This rash union appears to undermine the depth of her affection for Hamlet's father, and Hamlet interprets it as an act of treachery. He passionately exclaims, "Frailty, thy name is woman!" (Act 1, Scene 2), reflecting his disillusionment with the genuineness of his mother's love.

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1313 Words | 6 Pages

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.

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1056 Words | 5 Pages

Hamlet surely thought that his mother Gertrude dearly loved his father Old King Hamlet, now he may feel like his mother never loved his father. This may result in why he feels like he may not love Ophelia. We are also aware that Hamlet has trouble with his own happiness and this probably reflects on the way we feels towards people mostly women. Hamlet thinks that the reason real love does not exist is because of the female gender. Hamlet blames both his mother Gertrude and Ophelia for portraying men as monsters.

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932 Words | 4 Pages

He marries Gertrude, so he could take away the crown from Hamlet and call himself King of Denmark. Claudius gains Gertrude 's trust by showing a concern for Hamlet craziness and tries his best to be caring to the queen. This shows this mock side to the queen so it would be easy for him to become king, and that he has control over how he uses the women

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