Gertrude is the beautiful Queen of Denmark and has recently recieved the title of widow, being that her husband has just passed away. Her husband, the King of Denmark was a powerful, all knowing man that possessed a strong hold amongst his kingdom. Hamlet, their son, raves about how much they loved each other and what a good marriage they had. Well then why has Gertrude moved on so fast!?
As a queen, Gertrude is coming off as weak with no back bone. It has been a mere two months since her husbands death and she has let King Claudius take over Denmark in his place. He announces for her "Have we.../...With mirth in funeral and with dirge in marriage/In equal scale weighing delight and dole/ Taken to wife" (1.2. 10-14) Here the King announce the marriage for the both of them. For all we know, the queen could be off in the corner regretting her decision to ever agree in marriage to her brother in law. She appears to have no say in what is going on and just following the footsteps of her new husband to be, King Claudius. If I were a citizen in Denmark, I would have felt awful for the queen being that her husband had just passed but still would have wanted to see the queen regain her confidence and authority and take control of her kingdom.
So now Gertrude is a widow. What an awful title to have! Being married to someone so amazing and powerful and then suddenly having that all taken away. In my opinion, she is acting kind of selfless. The only sign that appears to be the queen caring about her son is when she says "Let not thy mother lose her prayers, Hamlet./I pray thee, stay with us. Go not to Wittenberg" (1.2 122-123) Instead of taking the time to mourn and then rise back to power again, representing her husband, she falls to an ultimate low and lets her brother in law take control.
I know this is kind of harsh, but I think Gertrude isn't being a very good mom. Does she not realize that the father of her son has just died? That is extremely hard for a boy, being that their father is who they look up to, a strong male figure. Hamlet says "And yet, within a month/ (Let me not think on't; frailty, thy name is woman!)/ A little month, or ere those shoes were old/ With which she followed my poor father's body" (1.2 149-152) From the text, you can see that Gertrude is being very inconsiderate. She is not being a good, loving mother by comforting her son in this hard time and telling him that everything is going to be okay. Instead, she goes off and marries her brother in law! I mean thats pretty messed up. It makes me think that they might have had an affair before her husband had died... Thats something to think about. I guess we will find out soon!
Hey Maddy!
ReplyDeleteI love your interpretation of the first two sections of Shakespeare's, Hamlet, and I agree with you. I completely agree that Gertrude has no backbone and doesn't seem to protest any of the changes in her life, good or bad. But maybe, instead of questioning her parenting skills we should look at her own motives.
If I had to hypothesize all of her alternative motives, I would say they were completely selfish. I think that the only reason she remarried is to secure her title as Queen. It didn't matter who the King would be, whether it was King Hamlet, his brother (and her step-brother), or any random guy off the street. If she didn't care so much about being queen, then why wouldn't she step aside and let her son rule the kingdom? She has her own personal agenda that she has put before the future of her son and the morality of her second marriage. She would only skip the mourning of her husband, and not pass the kingdom on to her son if she didn't gain something from it.
Hi Maddy!
ReplyDeleteI was so impressed by your post about Hamlet and your view on Gertrude. I love how you give your opinion and aren't afraid to speak your mind, it really gives me a different perspective on the character. I think it was so creative to say what if you were a citizen and how you would feel with Gertrude marrying so quickly after the sudden death of the king. I also find it interesting how you think she is acting selfless to a degree, I would never have though that, but now that you mention it I am staring to pity Gertrude. But, in your next point when you say you think that she isn't being a good mom I agree with you all the way. She is neglecting her duties as a mom for Hamlet, who possibly could be the next king. What if he turned out to be a terrible person? Would people blame her for not doing a good enough job as a mother? Gertrude is messed up, and any sort of pity I had for her before is definitely gone. Imagine your mother marrying your uncle, what in the world? How is that civilized? How is that behavior of a high-end lady? Overall I really enjoyed your post and can't wait to read more.
- Claire