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Allison Hinson

Mrs. Tedrow

AP English 12

31 May 2011

Hamlet·s Mother and Claudius·s Wife

Acting in one·s own interests often affects others in negative ways. Sometimes it may emotionally

scar a family member or a friend. In Shakespeare·s play, ?
, a similar situation occurs. Hamlet·s mother,

Gertrude, marries her husband·s brother immediately after his death, and Hamlet is driven to revenge because

of this hasty action. Although Gertrude is shallow and mainly concerned with romance, she has good

intentions in ensuring that the men in her life are always content.

It is apparent that Gertrude is harmless when she attempts to solve problems quickly and is clearly

oblivious when Hamlet insincerely replies. To quickly appease Hamlet and show that she cares for him, she

begs, ´Let not thy mother lose her prayers, Hamlet. I pray thee stay with us, go not to Wittenberg.µ

(?
.1.2.321-322). Hamlet then replies, ´I shall in all my best obey you, madam.µ (?
.1.2.323). It is obvious

by the short statement that Hamlet is merely agreeing to temporarily pacify her uneasiness; however, she

immediately accepts this reply and continues being merry with her new husband, Claudius.

Gertrude does not think she is hurting her son, and believes that remarrying after a spouse·s death is

completely acceptable because she does not sense Hamlet·s bitterness towards her remarriage. During the

play that Hamlet sets up in Act Three, Gertrude says, ´The lady doth protest too much, methinks.µ

(?
.3.2.2125). She states this after she hears the queen in the play grieve and say that she will never remarry.

This line implies that Gertrude believes the woman should remarry and not be so sad, which reveals that she

is not aware of how her marriage is affecting those around her.

It is clear that Gertrude means no harm throughout the play because it becomes obvious to the

reader that she is not aware of the consequences of her poor decisions. It seems as if she is not able to

recognize the reasons behind Hamlet·s emotions. She does not even consider that her second marriage is

incestuous, and that it affects Hamlet negatively before she speaks to him, shown when she says, ´O Hamlet,
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speak no more! Thou turn·st my very eyes into my soul, and there I see such black and grained spots,µ

(?
.3.4.2481-2483). She begins to feel guilty after realizing the emotional burden she has placed on her son

which shows she does not intend for him to be upset.

Throughout the play, it is obvious that Gertrude is a sympathetic mother and attempts to better her

relationship with her son. Her care is displayed as she looks over Hamlet and encourages him even though he

yells at her many times. She orders Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet because she is concerned

that he is going mad, and ´unlike Claudius, Gertrude·s questionable actions weren·t malevolent; she seemed

to always be looking out for her son,µ (Aguilar 2). She truly wishes to benefit Hamlet. During the play in Act

Three, the readers notice her ´desire to rebuild the soiled relationship with her sonµ (Gordon 2) when ´she

invites Hamlet to take the seat beside her at the showing of his play,µ (Gordon 2). After Hamlet kills

Polonius, she protects him from Claudius by lying, ´To draw apart the body he hath kill'd; O'er whom his

very madness, like some ore among a mineral of metals base, shows itself pure. He weeps for what is done.µ

(?
.4.2.2651-2654). Hamlet did not really cry and was not a bit remorseful, but Gertrude lied to make sure

he would not be killed for his murderous action. During the sword fight between Hamlet and Laertes at the

end of the play, Gertrude encourages, ´Here, Hamlet, take my napkin, rub thy brows. The Queen carouses to

thy fortune, Hamlet.µ (Ham.5.2.3939-3940). She wishes the best for her son because she is concerned for his

well-being.

While supporting her son, Gertrude also wishes to satisfy her husband. After Hamlet shows the

queen how immoral her love for her husband·s brother is, she still is loving and loyal to Claudius because she

made a commitment to him. It is unfortunate that she has bad judgment and cannot see Claudius·s guilt while

watching the play Hamlet set up. She is concerned for the King·s well-being rather than questioning his

reasons for being upset when she asks, ´How fares my lord?µ (?
.3.2.2154). Following the play, she ´does

not read into the clues, [but] instead meets with Hamlet and states that he has upset his father, Claudiusµ

(Turner 3). It is apparent that she above all else wants to make sure that he is happy. When Hamlet says,

´And live the purer with the other half, Good night- but go not to my uncle's bed. Assume a virtue, if you

have it notµ (?
3.4.2561-2563), she acts as if she will follow his plan and obey his wishes; however, when
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she speaks to Claudius again, she acts like she will obey his orders as well. This situation shows that she

yearns to please them both even if it requires her to lie to both of them.

To prove that Gertrude truly means no harm to those around her, it must be proven that she had no

part in the murder of her first husband. When Claudius, Polonius, and she are discussing Hamlet·s madness,

she claims, ´I doubt it is not other but the main, his father's death and our o'erhasty marriageµ

(?
.2.2.1145-1146). She states this without any mention that Hamlet may believe they are responsible for

the death of his father. The idea that he might think they are murderers seems to not even cross her mind

which ultimately shows that she does not feel guilty. Hamlet puts Claudius and Gertrude to the test to see if

they killed his father when he puts on the play that resembles his accusations. While Claudius was clearly

uncomfortable from his overwhelming guilt, Gertrude acted completely casually.

To play the part of Gertrude in ?
, one must pretend to be oblivious to her surroundings, self-

centered, and impulsive. The actress would progress through the play, becoming more aware of the negative

emotions present before her. Gertrude should be portrayed as a character who cares for others, but is

distracted by her own wishes. Her deep care for her son is often sacrificed for her passion for romance;

however, she never intends to upset those around her. Her selfish actions are merely impulsive because she

fails to consider the consequences. She attempts to make everyone around her happy and lacks the ability to

see past deceit. People-pleasing is clearly her way of life while bad judgment is her significant flaw.

Sometimes it takes a tragic experience to make an individual realize the truth that lies before them. For

Gertrude, that tragic experience is death. She dies from the poison that her husband hoped would kill

Hamlet. Her bad judgment of Claudius leads to her downfall and with her last breath, she warns her son of

the poison that she has consumed. If all else fails, the act of dying will certainly allow one to realize his or her

mistakes.

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Works Cited

Aguilar, Samuel. ´Gertrude.µ 

 

. John Handley High School. 16 May 2011.

Gordon, Telayna. ´Revelations of Gertrude³The Queen of Fools.µ 

 

. John Handley High

School. 16 May 2011.

Shakespeare, William. 
 

?




 OpenSourceShakespeare. 2003-2011. George

Mason University. 12 May 2011. Web.

Turner, Marieka. ´Gertrude: Not So Motherly After All.µ 

 

. John Handley High School. 16

May 2011.