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In William Shakespeare 's play '' Hamlet '', Gertrude is Hamlet 's mother and Queen of Denmark . She and her son have a complex and dysfunctional relationship; he resents her because she married her husband's brother Claudius after he murdered the King (his father, King Hamlet ), almost immediately after the former's death and there is some question as to whether or not she was involved in the murder. Her actions are often suspect, particularly because she scarcely mourned her husband's death before marrying his brother (at least according to her son). ROLE IN THE PLAY Gertrude is first seen in Act 1 Scene 2 as she tries to cheer Hamlet over the loss of his father, begging him to stay at home rather than going back to school in Wittenburg . Her worry over him continues into the second act, as she sides with King Claudius in sending Rosencrantz And Guildenstern to raise the spirits of her son. Also, rather than ascribing Hamlet's sudden madness to Ophelia's rejection (as thought by Polonius), she believes it to be the cause of his father, King Hamlet 's death and her quick, subsequent marriage to Claudius: "I doubt it is no other but the main; His father's death and our o'erhasty marriage."''Hamlet'' II:2 In Act three, she eagerly listens to the report of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern on their attempt to cheer him, and supports the King and Polonius' plan to watch Hamlet from a hidden vantage point as he speaks with Ophelia, with the hope that her presence will heal him. She asks Hamlet to sit beside her during the play in Act 3 Scene 2 ("The Murder of Gonzago" scene), in which a similar queen is romantically pursued by her recently-slain husband's murderer. When Hamlet asks her what she thinks of the performance, she responds, "the lady protests too much, me thinks."''Hamlet III:2 In the same scene, when her husband reacts strongly to the play, she asks what is wrong. ]] Later, Gertrude sends for Hamlet to come to her room as she wishes to talk with him. Polonius begs her to find out the true cause of Hamlet's strange behaviour, then hides behind an arras. On Hamlet's entrance, Gertrude starts with an accusation that he has offended his father (Claudius), whereupon Hamlet argues that she has offended his true father by "damned incest" with Claudius. Hamlet then restrains her, with the idea of forcing her to hear him, but she cries out in fear that he will murder her: "What wilt thou do? thou wilt not murder me? Help, help, ho!"''Hamlet'' III.4 Polonius yells from his hiding place and is quickly killed through the arras by Hamlet, who thinks it is the king. Gertrude is shocked at his bloody deed and Hamlet again orders her to sit and listen to his complaints, which he unloads portraying her latest acts in marrying Claudius as shameless, filthy, and sinful. Unable to bear it, Gertrude begs him to stop, calling his words "daggers" to her ears. During the tirade, the Ghost of Hamlet's father appears to "whet {Link without Title} almost blunted purpose" and to warn Hamlet that he should take no action to harm his mother. Gertrude is unable to see the ghost, however. Heartbroken, she listens to Hamlet as he converses with apparently thin air, and then orders her not to have sex with Claudius again. In the next act, Gertrude tells Claudius of Hamlet's murder, convinced that he is truly mad. She also shows genuine compassion and affection as she watches along with others as Ophelia sings and acts in absolute madness. At Ophelia's burial, she expresses her former hope that the young woman might have married her son: "I hoped thou shouldst have been my Hamlet's wife."''Hamlet'' V:1 When Hamlet appears and grapples with Laertes, she asks him to stop and for someone to hold him back—saying that he may be in a fit of madness now, but that will alleviate soon. In the final scene, Gertrude notices Hamlet is tired during the fight with Laertes, and offers to wipe his brow. She drink a cup of poison intended for Hamlet by the King, against the King's wishes, and dies, shouting in agony as she falls: "No, no, the drink, --O my dear Hamlet,-- The drink, the drink! I am poison'd."''Hamlet'' V:2 Other characters views of the Queen are largely negative. When the Ghost of her former husband appears to Hamlet, he describes her as a "seeming virtuous queen," but orders Hamlet not to confront her about it and leave her judgement to heaven. However, he also expresses that his love for her was benevolent as he states that he would have held back the elements if they "visited her face too roughly." Hamlet sees her as an example of the weakness of women (which affects his relationship with Ophelia) and constantly hurt in his reflections of how quickly (around two months) she remarried. INTERPRETATIONS Gertrude's last words show affection towards her son. She does not confess to any sins before she dies which suggests she was naive about the "corruption" in Denmark. Therefore, Gertrude is most likely a honest queen and a passionate mother (which is debatable depending upon interpretation) as she makes no attempts to ease her conscience regarding whether she would be sent to Heaven or Hell (the Christian ethos formed a backdrop to the play as a technique used by Shakespeare). THE OEDIPUS COMPLEX Some scholars and directors (e.g. Kenneth Branagh ) believe that there is evidence of an Incest uous relationship between Gertrude and Hamlet, a view popularised by Freud 's famous notion of the Oedipus Complex . This is highly disputed, but found in some film and theatre versions of the play, such as Branaugh's 1996 film version of '' Hamlet ''. What is an Oedipus Complex? In brief, based on "Oedipus Tyrannus" by Sophocles, Oedipus married Jocasta, not aware that she was his mother. They later realised the truth and Jocasta committed suicide and Oedipus blinded himself. Freud suggested that all sons go through a phase in their childhood where they desire to kill their fathers and marry their mothers. This desire is unconscious but still real in its effects. The father is seen as a rival for the mother's affections and the threat of castration forces the son to abandon his incestious desires. However, Freud argued many boys only repressed these desires and if not overcome, the son will preserve an unhealthy love for their mother and during a crisis in adulthood, these feeling will resurface. In Hamlet's case, the death of his father. Reasons to suggest why Hamlet has an Oedipus Complex 1. Hamlet is juxtaposed with Laertes as both men had lost their fathers. Unlike Laertes, Hamlet is governed by reason rather than revenge; although he 'hero-worships' his father as he refers to him as a "Hyperion" (one of the Titans), the fact that Hamlet calls himself a "rougue and peasant slave" (- Hamlet's second soliloquy) to represent his inability to murder Claudius could be evidence to suggest he has repressed feelings for his mother, as Laertes does not act in the same way. However, it can also be argued that Hamlet simply hates Claudius and is considering whether the spirit he saw really was "airs from heaven, or blasts from hell". 2. It is also a possibility that Hamlet identifies with Claudius for the murder of his father and this could a reason for his delay as Claudius had done the act that he had supposedly wanted to do since childhood. 3. Hamlet appears to have an obsession with Gertrude and Claudius' sexual relationship: "Not this, by no means, that I bid you: Let the bloat king tempt you again to bed" - Act III.4 There are suggestions to support this throughout the play as his language appears to be obsessed with sex e.g. "The King is a thing" - Act IV.2 ''thing'' a euphemism for a penis. However, the counter-argument to this would simply be that Hamlet feels betrayed on his father's behalf and uses harsh imagery to shock his mother into realising her incestious marriage e.g. "In the rank sweat on an enseamed bed" - Act III.4 (''enseamed'' deriving from ''seam'' which means animal fat). 4. Hamlet's relationship with Ophelia appears to suggest that Gertrude's marriage with Claudius has disillusioned his role of women. Some critics claim that Ophelia is a device used by Shakespeare whose only importance is to inform the audience of the background of other characters. If this is the case, it is hinted that Hamlet and Ophelia had a loving relationship before the death of his father, Old Hamlet; however, as the play progresses, Hamlet's behaviour towards Ophelia becomes increasingly hostile which reflects his negative image of women because of Gertrude's marriage and possibly sexual jealousy. PERFORMANCES Many actresses have portrayed Gertrude in the numerous film adaptations of the play. They include Eileen Herlie , Julie Christie , Glenn Close , and Diane Venora . INFLUENCES '' Gertrude And Claudius '', a John Updike novel, serves as a prequel to the events of the play. It follows Gertrude from her wedding to King Hamlet, through an affair with Claudius, and its murderous results, up until the very beginning of the play. Gertrude also appears as a character in Howard Barker 's '' Gertrude—The Cry '', which uses some of the characters from ''Hamlet''. REFERENCES |
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