Shakespeares Hamlet - Regarding Gertrude Essay - 1965 Words

Regarding Hamlet’s Gertrude In William Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy Hamlet, the audience meets a queen who is a former and present queen. She was unhappy before – how does she feel now? Is she evil, guilty, motherly, lascivious? The multiple aspects of her personality deserve our attention. Angela Pitt in â€Å"Women in Shakespeare’s Tragedies† comments that Shakespeare’s Gertrude in Hamlet is, first and foremost, a mother: Gertrude evinces no such need to justify her actions and thereby does not betray any sense of guilt. She is concerned with her present good fortune, and neither lingers over the death of her first husband nor analyses her motives in taking another. . . .She seems a kindly, slow-witted,†¦show more content†¦At the outset of the drama, Hamlet’s mother is apparently disturbed by her son’s appearance in solemn black at the gathering of the court, and she requests of him: Do not for ever with thy vailed lids Seek for thy noble father in the dust: Thou knowst tis common; all that lives must die, Passing through nature to eternity. (1.2) The queen obviously considers her son’s dejection to result from his father’s demise. She joins the king in asking Hamlet to stay in Elsinore rather than returning to Wittenberg. Respectfully the prince replies, â€Å"I shall in all my best obey you, madam.† So at the outset the audience notes a decidedly good relationship between Gertrude and those about her in the drama, even though Hamlet’s â€Å"suit of mourning has been a visible and public protest against the royal marriage, a protest in which he is completely alone, and in which he has hurt his mother† (Burton â€Å"Hamlet†). Gertrude would be hurt even more if she were to overhear Hamlet’s first soliloquy, which expresses anger at the quickness of his mother’s marriage and its incestuousness: â€Å"Frailty, thy name is woman! . . . .† Mary Bradford-Whiting, in her article â€Å"Mothers in Shakespeare† compares the mother of Juliet to the motherShow MoreRel atedAn Honest Representation Of The Liar1650 Words   |  7 Pagesof the Liar: Gertrude Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, has long been the victim of dissection by English professors and their students. Its multi-faceted plot and sheer length make it a ripe specimen for analysis about nearly anything, given the right spin, but particularly present in this work, and differing from Shakespeare’s usual focal point, is the role of minor characters. While in his other plays the name Messenger is given to one whose sole role is to be a messenger, Hamlet gives full characterRead MoreHamlet Prequel To Hamlet Analysis885 Words   |  4 PagesI thoroughly enjoyed Shakespeare’s Hamlet when our class first read the book in Mr. Allegretti’s class.The interactions and the emotions of the characters were very interesting to me. That’s why when Mr. Simonds recommended Gertrude And Claudius to the class, I became interested in the book when he said it was an unofficial prequel to Hamlet made by a different author. Gertrude And Claudius serves as a prequel to Hamlet and is centered around Princess Gertrude’s point of view. This prequel worksRead MoreHamlet And Gertrude s Relationship1267 Words   |  6 PagesHamlet and Gertrude’s Relationship in Hamlet In many of William Shakespeare’s tragedies, Shakespeare writes about the relationships maintained between his characters. Of these relationships, Shakespeare examines the connection between family members, particularly the relationship between parents and child. In Shakespeare’s tragedy â€Å"Hamlet†, Shakespeare writes about the relationship between Hamlet and his mother, Queen Gertrude, to drive the plot forward.. Throughout much of the play, their relationshipRead MoreAn author can reveal characteristics of characters in literature through several different methods.900 Words   |  4 Pagesdifferent methods. Some common methods of characterization include one’s appearance, speech, thoughts, name, actions, and emotions. However, unconventional means can also be used, such as imagery, which is visually descriptive or figurative language. In Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, imagery is used to characterize central characters to the play. Firstly, Hamletâ₠¬â„¢s characteristics are revealed through the imagery of death in his speech. Secondly, Claudius’ characteristics are revealed through the imageryRead More Hamlets Love for His Mother Essay1213 Words   |  5 PagesHamlets Love for His Mother Hamlet is seen as one of the most complex literary character of all time. The relationship between Hamlet and Gertrude can be interpreted in many ways. Hamlet’s motivation for killing Claudius is not to avenge his father’s death, but because of his love for his mother Gertrude. This is where the Oedipus complex comes into play in Hamlet by William Shakespeare. The Oedipus complex refers to the thoughts some men have regarding their mother or maternal figuresRead MoreThe Tragedy Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare1146 Words   |  5 Pages How certain can one be that they will see tomorrow? How certain can one be that they will see the next second? In William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet, all of the characters face uncertainty at some point in the story. The character of Hamlet is, for lack of a better term, a laggard; he procrastinates like no other, making him an uncertain character in his entirety. His most famous line is â€Å"To be, or not to be? That is the question.† The entire scene is about Hamlet’s uncertainty about suicideRead MoreThe Complexity Of Vessity Insanity In William Shakespeares Hamlet1016 Words   |  5 Pagescomedy, tragedy, and histories. One of his famous tragedies play is Hamlet, which based on Prince Hamlet’s revengeful plan against his uncle, King Claudius. However, some cr itics question Hamlet’s insanity and they believe Hamlet is actually pretending to be insane. The purpose of this essay is to examine the extent to which the character, Hamlet, is insane. Despite different critics’ opinions regarding Hamlet’s insanity, it seems Hamlet is not insane at the beginning but becomes insane when he confrontsRead MoreGender Construction And Patriarchal Power Structure Of Hamlet By William Shakespeare1402 Words   |  6 PagesIn William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there are various issues regarding gender construction and how women are portrayed in the play. The women of the play have zero to no power and control over situations and are often viewed as weak and incapable. The idea of power and control over women is widely shown through Ophelia’s character, who does not get to choose how her future will play out and who she will spend it with. This thoroughly connects to the Oedipus complex in the play as Gertrude’s sexua lityRead MorePolonius Mistakes Essay1742 Words   |  7 Pagesbehavior in Shakespeares Hamlet. Polonius is a domestic tyrant wreaking on his son and his daughter revenge for his own spoiled life (Bloom 111) and is an elderly and longwinded courtier and chief counselor (Dominic 96) to the king. Polonius is in a high position in the Danish court, and he has a problem with talking too much. He is only concerned about his reputation, not Ophelia, the young and innocent daughter of Polonius . . . (Polonius Benet). The main character, Hamlet, is the sonRead MoreFilm Adaptation of William Shakespeares Hamlet1644 Words   |  7 PagesHamlet Film Adaptations Hamlet is perhaps William Shakespeares most famous of his many plays. Even people who have not read the play or seen it performed or watched one of the many film versions knows that basic elements of the plot. Young Hamlet is mourning the death of his father who, as it turns out has been murdered by his uncle so that the latter can take over the throne and marry the queen, his brothers widow. Hamlet decides to be crazy in order to determine his Uncle Claudiuss guilt in