Role of Gertrude in Hamlet

Raquel Tuohy Mrs. Pastor AP Lit/Comp 7 April 2013 hamlet Perhaps hotshot of the most ambiguous characters in Shakespe ares Hamlet is the onlyt, Gertrude. She is Hamlets beat and the wife of her dead husbands buddy, King Claudius. As the subscriber, we only see her briefly, solely she comfort worldages to be a substitution figure in Hamlet playing the social occasion of the elusive and some ms shallow queen. There are s incessantlyal questions surround the life of business leader Gertrude, starting with even before the play, having to do with the death of her husband, Hamlets gravel.When the play starts, she has already remarried to Hamlets Uncle Claudius within such a short amount of time. This is rather surprising and revolting to her son Hamlet, who is still grieving all over the loss of his father, but it appears that his mother has already travel on. That could only suggest that perhaps Gertrude was cheating on the king with her brother and her husbands death was al l but convenient for her. The speck of Hamlets father gives his son disturbing information approximately the queen, calling her that incestuous, that adulterate beast, (Act I, medical prognosis I).However, there is no definitive proof, nor Shakespeare ever addresses it in the play, leaving his audience with a sense of wonder somewhat the queens devotion to her husband. The thing that might intrigue the reader the most about the character of Gertrude is why she married Claudius so perfectly after her husbands death. Was it because she knew that she needed a man to facilitate her rule? Or was the meaning behind the courtship less malevolent than it appears? There lies the most important question was it true love or was it politics that brought Claudius and Gertrude together?Hamlet paints the picture of Gertrude as an obedient and employ woman to his father, but his opinion transforms during the queens second pairing. Hamlet doesnt under have why Gertrude, who is labeled as t he th gallant jointress (Act I, Scene I) to the throne of Denmark, would need to marry someone so rapidly when she already wields power in the royal family. Possibly the most stalk question about Gertrudes character is whether or not she drive ins Claudius killed her maiden husband. This also ties in with the question about Gertrudes fidelity.If she did cheat on the former king with Claudius than chances are she more than likely had a role in her first husbands death. Claudius would consider her as an abetter _or_ abettor and confide in her, but he never does end-to-end Hamlet. Furthermore, Gertrude expresses watertight emotions about Ophelia and Hamlet, but never for Claudius, which is strange because they are married. Claudius tells Gertrude that he loves her, but she doesnt return the sentiment, which again is bizarre because they are husband and wife.There are no definitive textual references about Gertrudes involvement in her first husbands poisoning. It just is another element of Gertrudes character that is shrouded in mystery. One redeeming quality about the queen is her unwavering loyalty to Hamlet. She loves her son despite his obvious hostility towards her for marrying Claudius. Plus, Gertrude continues to stand behind him even when he lashes out at her, saying the worsened possible things a son could say to his mother.When Hamlet kills Polonius in a moment of madness, Gertrude realizes that she has to tell the king that her son was the one who committed the murder, but she lies to her husband to protect her son. She tells Claudius that Hamlet is contrite and weeps for what he has done (Act IV, Scene I), in order to lessen the punishment that is sure to be inflicted on Hamlet by Claudius. In the final scene of the play, Gertrude expresses her deep impact for Hamlet when he wants to duel Laertes who is grieving over the loss of his father and sister and blames Hamlet for their deaths.At the end of the duel, Gertrude even drinks the wine for Ha mlet, not knowledgeable it is laden with poison. Or does she? It is still debated by scholars whether Gertrude knew the wine was toxic or not, but regardless, she didnt have to drink it. She drank it for Hamlet because her maternal instincts triumphed over Claudius warning to leave the poisonous glass of wine alone. Another secrete that comes up time in time again in Shakespeares play is Hamlets fascination, boarding on obsession, with Gertrudes put forward life. Its trange for a son to be interested in what his mother does behind closed doors, but this piqued curiosity seemed to have started around the time of Gertrudes second marriage to Claudius. Early on in the play, the reader learns that Hamlet is shaken by his mothers hasty marriage to Claudius, leading Hamlet to believe that the world is contaminated, like an unweeded garden thats gross and rank in nature (Act I, Scene 2). Hamlets opinion of his mother may color the readers think of Gertrude, seeing her as a vile woman w ho jumps from one man to the next.There are more questions than answers surrounding Gertrude, the queen of Denmark. We dont know if she was unfaithful or if she was complicit with Claudius in the murder of her first husband. However, the one allot in Gertrude that nobody can dispute is the depth of love that she posses for her son. Gertrude is Shakespeares most mysterious character because she in intricately woven throughout the play, but her motives remain unclear to the readers.