Wednesday, October 27, 2010
sup with Gertrude?
I find it interesting that Hamlet delays conversation with his mother. Gertrude speaks very little in Shakespeare's play until Act III. As I read I wondered how the plot would have shifted if Hamlet had communicated sooner with Gertrude about his feigning madness or about the murder of his father. When they meet in the closet, however, their conversation is intimate and intense...which reminded me, as we discussed in class, of the Oedipal Complex. In scene 4, Hamlet finally unleashes his rage upon his mother. What do you guys think of her role in the play? How was Gertrude significant?
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Hamlet concludes that women are fickle, unreliable, and treacherous from the actions of his mother Gertrude, as well as of Ophelia. Gertrude does not mourn the death of her former husband, but rather marries his brother and does not try to console Hamlet or investigate into his father's death. She betrays Hamlet on numerous occasions, including when she lets Polonius spy on their conversation in her closet. She does not care about Hamlet's feelings or his filial obligation.
Although Gertrude does represent a source of sin within Hamlet, her role is quite ambivalent, like much of the rest of the play. The audience is left to wonder whether Gertrude is implicated in the murder of her husband, King Hamlet. Even though Shakespeare does not provide proof of this, it seems as if Gertrude does not care about his death or mourn his loss. Her hasty remarriage to the King’s brother, who happens to be the murderer, plants the idea in the reader’s mind that Gertrude was, in fact, involved in the murder somehow. On the other hand, it may just be that Gertrude is incapable of expressing emotion and, therefore, appears guilty because of her composed, yet callous, nature.
Once she marries Claudius, Gertrude becomes corrupt. She is concerned more about her reputation than others. For example, she doesn't want to see Ophelia after Polonius' death in fear that her presence might arouse suspicion. As a queen, perhaps she has always been this way- worried about appearances. She was definitely embarrassed by Hamlet's role in the play.
I think Gertrude is there as a partner in crime to Claudius. I believe she was part of the murder of King Hamlet. Hamlet wants to defend his mother but his hesitance in talking to her might reflect a little suspicion he has.
Gertude has certainly been a morally questionable figure since the beginning of the play. She exudes very little if any grief over her husband's death, which makes her look very suspicious. She also aligns herself against Hamlet by allowing Polonius to eavesdrop on their secret meeting. Her motives are selfish throughout the play, and her role seems to be that of a perfect example of humanity.
Certainly, Gertrude's actions spur on Hamlet's plot; she proves to be untrustworthy, causing Hamlet to further separate himself from the rest of humanity. Furthermore, her marriage of Claudius so soon after the death of her former husband raises questions about filial piety. We really must wonder if Gertrude was aware of how Hamlet would respond to her actions.
Gertrude paradigmns the perception of woman during the Elizabethan era. She is portrayed as weak and corruptable in countless scenes throughout the play. Most prominently, she gives in to the power of Claudius and serves him loyaly dispite his evils. I do not believe that Gertrude was involved with the murdering of her husband however I feel that, after time, she knew very well that Claudius was the murderer yet was too weak to stand up against him.
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