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
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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
[h]ad left the flushing in her gallèd eyes, / [s]he [Gertrude] married. O, most wicked speed, to post / [w]ith such dexterity to incestuous sheets!” (I.ii.158-162). When Hamlet confronts Gertrude concerning her scandalous marriage to Claudius by informing her that she has his “father much offended”, she dismisses his opinions (III.iv.13).
Emma Galgano Mahony AP English 9 February 2023 A Son’s Guilt When faced with complex and overwhelming tasks, most people's natural instinct is to find the easy way out. One of the most common forms of escaping responsibility is to place one's obligations onto others. The first three soliloquies in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare reflect that same idea as they demonstrate how Prince Hamlet tries to escape his obligation of providing justice for his father's death by resting the burden onto those around him. Prince Hamlet's admiration and obsession for his father causes him to feel immense pressure to adequately avenge his death. This stress causes him to blame the perceived forgotten legacy of King Hamlet on his mother, Gertrude,
Queen Gertrude is the Queen of Denmark, Hamlet’s mother, the widow of Old Hamlet and the wife of Claudius, brother of her dead husband. Gertrude is ignorant and a woman who means no harm but because of her actions it contributes greatly to the terrible events that occur throughout the play. In this play there’s many conflicts, one of the first conflicts was when Gertrude married King Claudius two months after Old Hamlet’s death. Gertrude is ignorant because she’s not aware of anything happening. For example she’s not aware that King Hamlet’s murder was by his own brother Claudius, even though they were some hints out there to show that it was King Claudius who killed Old Hamlet.
Despite the fact that his mother is not guilty of his father's murder, he carelessly releases his anger upon her- portraying his sense of superiority over his mother. Ultimately, the act of confronting Gertrude displays Hamlet’s arrogant nature which leads to his eventual demise.
Also, Hamlet displays his anguish at the Queen for dishonouring his dead father since “Almost as bad, good mother, as killing a king and marrying his brother” (Shakespeare, pg. 121). In this statement, Hamlet expresses how, through the marriage to her husband’s murderer, Gertrude is a symbol of dishonor and damaging her relationship with the prince. Hamlet is disgusted by Gertrude’s actions and recognizes her not as his mother but the queen and wife of Claudius, the murderer. The respect revered by children to their mother is not evident between Hamlet and Gertrude. In Gertrude’s death scene, Hamlet screams to his mother “Wretched Queen, adieu!”
Analytical Essay, Hamlet Lance Hoffman There were various lenses of reference available throughout the play, Hamlet by William Shakespeare. The feminist lens is one lens I will focus on. It was easy to detect that the text had some anti-feminist sentiment. Yet, there were other points in the play that were surprisingly feminist for the period. Ophelia played the anti-feminist stereotype of the time when Hamlet was written, while Gertrude performed the feminist part.
Although it is quite clear that Gertrude is weak and reliant on Claudius to make her happy, she does not realize how much it has affected Hamlet. He does not only lose respect for his mother and his uncle, but begins to doubt his mother's prior love for his father. Overall, Gertrude demonstrates similar weakness traits to Ophelia by letting the men who surround her have a huge impact on the way the she
Hamlet eventually kills Claudius like his father told him to, but only did it after his mother, Gertrude, drank the poison that Claudius meant to give Hamlet. This is a result of external action from all the sorrows that was building up in Hamlet’s life. This brings us to our next character, Gertrude, Claudius’s wife and Hamlets
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
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.
In conclusion, the character of Gertrude in the play Hamlet is complicated and can be viewed in several different ways. Throughout the play, readers attempt to interpret her motives and the actions that she takes. Whether or not she knows Claudius is a criminal and whether or not she loves Hamlet are two questions that are asked about Gertrude’s character. Shakespeare leaves room for the reader
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.
In act one Gertrude marries her dead husband 's brother Claudius, Hamlet is not very happy that his mother did this. Hamlet feels very betrayed by his own mother because she remarried so quickly. He feels as if this is an unforgivable
This guarantees that she has done something to make her feel guilty. This could support to idea of Gertrude knowing the truth about Old Hamlets death or being involved in it herself. Later in the conversation the Ghost of Old hamlet comes and Hamlet begins speaking to him. Gertrude does not see the ghost and her reaction shows her inside character. She doesn’t ask many questions to try to understand what is happening.
The main point of Ernest Jones’ article “ Tragedy and the Mind of the Infant” is that Hamlet is in love with his mother. He roots Hamlet 's misogyny in Gertrude and Ophelia rejecting him sexually. “When sexual repression is highly pronounced,