In Shakespeare's 'Hamlet', is there any evidence of Gertrude's guilt, in connection with the death of her husband? Hamlet interrupts the play at this point to ask his question. Be they ever so amicable at the start, a quarrel must result. For his part, Hamlet interprets Gertrude’s lines as evidence that his “cold mother” does not feel any grief about her late husband’s passing. It was not right and hard for them to accept the fact. Learn. In fact, he might even be more disturbed by Gertrude's sexuality than the news of his father's murder. So is the Ghost a figure of Hamlet’s madness, or a sign of his innocence? Hence Gertrude suggests that her son emasculates himself by continuing to grieve his “noble father.”. The status of the Ghost’s supernatural appearance remains undecided. Claudius was bound to marry someone. one month. Gertrude may have married Claudius because she fell for his lust. Claudius may have wanted the throne, which is why he killed Hamlet's father. Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. If Hamlet imagined the Ghost from the beginning, then the Ghost’s story about Claudius murdering Hamlet’s father cannot be trusted. who is polonius. Her inner thoughts would be useful to know when trying to figure out her rational, but I think you did a good job highlighting as much of her reasoning which is available to the reader. Well, he did do a pretty spectacular job of assuming the throne. Three mutually hostile parties will form in the court and the nation. Find out more about how we use your information in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. Did she love Claudius, or did she marry him simply to keep her high station in Denmark? Claudius isn't stupid to just tell Gertrude to marry him because he killed Hamlet's father. Claudius chief advisor . We and our partners will store and/or access information on your device through the use of cookies and similar technologies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. ZacGladman. Could we say the same about Claudius? Gertrude directs these words to Hamlet in an attempt to comfort him and bring an end to his grief. Gertrude may be tacitly suggesting that the marriage vow isn’t sacred, in which case the audience could understand … After Hamlet murders Polonius, the Ghost appears in Gertrude’s chambers. If Gertrude were an adulteress, she would have been almost certainly been involved in Claudius' plot of murder, and therefore she would be the play's villainess and not its child-like victim. It doesn’t matter if you agree or not, as long as you can back it up! Gertrude Quotes. He says he does not trust them and he confides his fear. Whatever the reason is, her decision made Hamlet and the citizens mad. Information about your device and internet connection, including your IP address, Browsing and search activity while using Verizon Media websites and apps. It’s possible that she did not love Hamlet Sr. as much Even if that meant wrecking her relationship with her son Hamlet. Hamlet thinks that remarriage in such circumstances is unacceptable. Gertrude’s remarriage… or at least a dye-ling–“in (her) very soul” (III.iv.90, 89), but she confesses nothing even after Hamlet urges her to “confess … In order to keep her position as Queen she had to marry someone who could be her King. It used to be accepted that a widow/widower ought to … Claudius manipulates Gertrude, his wife, by not being completely (or even minimally) honest with her.For obvious reasons, he does not tell her … . Gertrude responds that the Player Queen “doth protest too much,” meaning that the character speaks too gravely. Spell. In his opinion, remarriage is a tremendous act of betrayal. Although the phrase mainly refers to Hamlet’s perpetually downcast eyes, the use of the word “vailèd” references the black veil that a woman would wear over her face while in mourning. She is the queen of Denmark and is married to Claudius. If, as Hamlet complains, the marriage followed so closely on the funeral of her first husband that the cold cuts from the funeral meal were served up for the marriage feast then it was certainly wrong to marry at such haste. TAKEN to wife. Does Gertrude know that Claudius killed Hamlet's father? Claudius wanted to be king. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Your Privacy Controls. Moreover, if it were true, it most surely would be foremost on Hamlet's mind, but when Hamlet confronts Gertrude in her closet and … Hamlet's mother is Gertrude. Created by. In Shakespeare’s time, protest meant “to declare solemnly.” Hence, Gertrude implies that the Player Queen doesn’t really mean what she says—her words are too solemn to be believed. Gertrude Gertrude betrays Hamlet and the late King Hamlet by marrying Claudius. His first problem with the marriage, before the ghost reveals to him that his uncle, Claudius is the murderer, is Gertrude’s obvious sexual interest in Claudius. Feb 26, 2015 - I think Gertrude could relate to this saying because she didn't have to marry Claudius but she did anyways. I think Gertrude just married Claudius in order to keep her and maybe Hamlet's position. Hamlet, being still depressed about his father’s death was further upset and felt betrayed by his mother when she quickly married Claudius. Her remarriage also causes Hamlet to sink into melancholy as Bradley states it provided a ‘violent shock to his moral being’. I think Gertrude is such an important piece in this whole puzzle, and with her decision to marry Claudius, in turn eventually leads to the downfall of Hamlet. Perhaps the time between Hamlet Sr.’s death and her marriage to Claudius, Gertrude felt she was unable to live on her own. But in his rush to reject his mother’s performance of grief, Hamlet seems not to notice the way her phrase “vailèd lids” implicitly feminizes him. Gertrude didn't kill King Hamlet...Claudius did. “Mother, you have my father much offended …You are the queen, your husband’s wife …” (3.4.10-15) By marrying her former husband’s… CLAUDIUS and GERTRUDE relationship in Hamlet essay: A marriage of mutual self-interest. . We’ve started to think here about some of the things that might have motivated Gertrude. Match. Claudius has tasked them, as Hamlet’s childhood friends, with finding out why he is acting so strangely. The best quotes from Hamlet by William Shakespeare - organized by theme, including book location and character - with an explanation to help you understand! Gravity. Gertrude didn't kill King Hamlet...Claudius did. Technically, Claudius and Gertrude are only related by marriage in Hamlet.Old Hamlet--Hamlet's biological father--marries Gertrude, and the couple has Hamlet. See if you can complete the grid to finish four points that could answer this question. TAKEN to wife. Gertrude is vital in fuelling Hamlet’s hatred of women as well as his drive for revenge. Gertrude marries the brother of Hamlet’s father and this why Hamlet is upset with his mother. She married so quickly because women is portrayed as the weaker sex in the play. As he says himself, he had to convince the nobles of the court to accept his bizarrely timed and probably sinful marriage to Gertrude, all "discretion fought with nature" and talking about his "wisest sorrow" (1.2.5; 6). If Claudius does not marry Gertrude, there are obviously three aspirants to the Danish crown: Claudius, who has seized the power; Gertrude, the widow of the last king; and Hamlet, who considers that he is a candidate for the election. She married so quickly because women is portrayed as the weaker sex in the play. Did she love her husband? Terms in this set (23) "Do not forever with thy vailèd lids Seek for thy noble father in the dust. Claudius TOOK Gertrude, just as he took his brother's life, to gain the power to kill more people to acquire more dirt. He hopes Claudius’s and Gertrude’s reactions to the play will reveal whether they conspired to assassinate the former king. The queen in the play earnestly commits herself to her husband, who will soon be murdered. Tharu Full Member She was originally married to Old Hamlet before he was murdered by Claudius. Through Hamlet’s disappointment with his mother, his anger is increased towards Claudius. when does the play begin. In my opinion Gertrude married Claudius because she needed the stability of another man like King Hamlet in her life, and the closest man she could find was Claudius. For Gertrude, marriage to Claudius allows her to remain queen of Denmark. . In the closet scene, when Gertrude describes Hamlet’s killing of Polonius as a “bloody deed” (III.iv.27), Hamlet responds, “A bloody deed — almost as bad, good mother, // As kill a king, and marry with his brother” (III.iv.28-9). A Marriage Built upon Lust. While Claudius spins it that “our sometimes sister, now our wife” has married him to prevent chaos and Fortinbras from overwhelming Denmark, we are certainly left to wonder at Gertrude’s comments to her son. Gertrude wanted to remain as queen. In Shakespeare’s time, protest meant “to declare solemnly.” Hence, Gertrude implies that the Player Queen doesn’t really mean what she says—her words are too solemn to be believed. And why marry Claudius?' CLAUDIUS (Act 1, Scene 2, lines 8-14) Therefore our sometime sister, now our queen, The imperial JOINTRESS to this WARLIKE STATE, Have we . She actually asks him why he is sad! We therefore have confirmation that the Ghost’s story is accurate, possibly suggesting that the Ghost intentionally appears only to Hamlet. Gertrude tries to calm and console him, but he keeps his negative views. She married so quickly because women is portrayed as the weaker sex in the play. He would probably make a union with the daughter of some foreign ruler for political purposes. Claudius TOOK Gertrude, just as he took his brother's life, to gain the power to kill more people to acquire more dirt. . Even when Claudius warns, Gertrude sips from the poisoned wine and before dying gives a final boost to Hamlet’s revenge against Claudius. Claudius says, "I am still possessed of those effects for which I did the murder: my crown, my own ambition, and my queen." I would want to believe that Gertrude married Claudius in order to stabilize the nation but according to the story and Shakespeare's desire, I think that Gertrude married Claudius for her own desire. Gertrude, despite the interpretations of the men surrounding her, is an independent character who is capable of making her own decisions. Early on in the play, we learn that Gertrude's "o'erhasty" and incestuous marriage to Claudius has shaken up Hamlet's world, leaving him with a sense that the world is contaminated, like an "unweeded garden" that's "rank and gross in nature" (1.2.139; 140). Why does Gertrude marry Claudius? . Test. Gertrude admits to having “black and grained spots”–an inkling! Get an answer for 'What could be a possible motivation for Gertrude's actions after the death of her husband? Does she know about her husband's murder? what was young fortinbras trying to do. Nor does she plead for herself or try to make Hamlet see why she chose to marry Claudius. . Shakespeare presents Hamlet’s and Gertrude’s relationship as a crucial factor for the plot of the play. On the one hand, Gertrude’s lines raise the possibility that the Ghost’s first appearance to Hamlet back in Act I may have marked the original onset of Hamlet’s madness. To enable Verizon Media and our partners to process your personal data select 'I agree', or select 'Manage settings' for more information and to manage your choices. In short, Gertrude’s lines throw further doubt on Hamlet’s point of view. Or did she know of Claudius's guilt? Flashcards. Technically Gertrude and Claudius's marriage is not incestuous, as they are not related by blood. Hamlet feels betrayed and irritated by his mother. There is evidence, in Gertrude’s behaviour, and her words, that she did not know that Old Hamlet had been murdered by her new husband, Claudius. Hamlet couldn’t kill Claudius earlier because, on some level, his will for revenge wasn’t greater than his wish to see his mother showing some guilt and moral upliftment. Not “kill a king, and marry with his wife” which is what Claudius did. If Gertrude were an adulteress, she would have been almost certainly been involved in Claudius' plot of murder, and therefore she would be the play's villainess and not its child-like victim. In the whole book, Hamlet dedicates most of his time and energy trying to take revenge for the death of the king, his father, whom he believes was cruelly treated by those for whom he cared. Not “kill a king, and marry with his wife” which is what Claudius did. The old King Hamlet was apparently a stern warrior, but Claudius is a corrupt politician whose main weapon is his ability to manipulate others through his skillful use of language. It’s apparent that Gertrude has no sense of self without a husband. I also think she married Claudius because she felt the pressure to marry him or she'll might fall in danger. 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