Thursday, November 19, 2015
Hamlet and Gertrude
As we have pointed out, in the clip we watched from Hamlet the other day, Hamlet acts very aggressively towards Gertrude, and the clip even suggests some sexual undertones between the two. It's interesting to think about whether Hamlet is actually jealous about Gertrude and Claudius being together or whether he is genuinely upset. Personally, I think he's just upset. If my dad died just a few months ago and my mom was already remarried, I think I'd have the same feelings as Hamlet. Hamlet tries and tries to get Gertrude to acknowledge her sin because he actually cares about her (as in a mother/son relationship). He probably doesn't want her dying without repentance like his father did. He also tries to convince her at the end of the scene that he is not mad. We don't see Hamlet trying to convince anyone of else of this. Gertrude seems to be the only one Hamlet actually trusts with the truth (or at least part of it)... When the ghost appears he even tells her to look because his father is standing right in front of them. Remember that he asks his friends not to tell anyone about the ghost. So, overall, I think that while Hamlet is upset with his mother, he cares about her and doesn't want anything bad to happen to her.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
I still find the Odepius complex interpretation really interesting. I would say, I too believe that Hamlet is upset of the resent events, but there are definitely some really sexual phrases he says to his mom. . The Oedipus complex is when boys want to sleep with their mothers and murder their fathers, Hamlet could just be jelous that Claudius beat him to the punch. The whole situation reminds me of when teenage boys find their friends mom attractive, I always found that uncomfortating.
I think you could definitely argue both sides to this. I must admit that the Oedipus complex disturbs me, so I have tried to convince myself that Hamlet does not think that way. I think you can argue that Hamlet is not jealous, but just disturbed by Claudius and Gertrude's relationship and by being so specific and using such sexual phrases, he is trying to make her feel uncomfortable and expose her guilt. By admitting their relationship out front, it makes the situation transparent for both Gertrude and Hamlet to argue over and analyze. Once their relationship is out in the open, Hamlet has a pretty good argument on why he should be so mad at his mother. Claudius and Gertrude's relationship is a major betrayal to King Hamlet, and probably only adds to Hamlet's anger towards his mother which is why he wants to confront it. He could merely be searching for some reason Gertrude has to justify their relationship, and Hamlet may think he may receive that reason by being so forward and blunt.
Gertrude is bae
Post a Comment