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- Gertrude seconds the King's request that Rosencrantz and Guildenstern find out what's wrong with Hamlet. Later in the scene, when the King asks Gertrude's opinion about the cause of Hamlet's condition, she sensibly says, "I doubt it is no other but the main; / His father's death, and our o'erhasty marriage" (2.2.56-57).
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Hamlet’s most famous comment about Gertrude is his furious condemnation of women in general: “Frailty, thy name is woman!” (I.ii.146). This comment is as much indicative of Hamlet’s agonized state of mind as of anything else, but to a great extent Gertrude does seem morally frail.
- Claudius
Claudius’s questions echo Hamlet’s earlier doubts about the...
- Ophelia
Ophelia - Gertrude Character Analysis in Hamlet | SparkNotes
- Polonius
This difference between Polonius and Hamlet results in a...
- Character List
Character List - Gertrude Character Analysis in Hamlet |...
- Hamlet
Hamlet - Gertrude Character Analysis in Hamlet | SparkNotes
- Themes
Themes - Gertrude Character Analysis in Hamlet | SparkNotes
- Claudius
Even though Hamlet lashes out at her with all the rage he can muster, Gertrude remains faithful to him, protecting him fron the King. And, although her love for Claudius is wrong by moral standards, she is now his queen, and remains loyal to him.
Hamlet. What, the fair Ophelia? Gertrude. Sweets to the sweet! Farewell. [Scatters flowers.] I hop'd thou shouldst have been my Hamlet's wife; I thought thy bride-bed to have deck'd, sweet maid, And not have strew'd thy grave.
One of only two female characters in the play (along with Ophelia), Gertrude’s arc throughout the drama is perhaps most representative of the theme of women. Gertrude marries her brother-in-law, Claudius, very shortly after the death of her husband—an action perceived as cruel, obscene, lustful, and opportunistic by her son, Hamlet.
By one reading, Gertrude’s love for Hamlet overcomes her love for Claudius, and she drinks from the cup in an attempt to prevent Hamlet from doing so.
GERTRUDE. To remove the body of the man he killed. His madness does not stop a sliver of his former self from shining through, like a bit of gold in an otherwise worthless rock. He weeps for what he has done.
Gertrude’s marriage to Claudius is a crucial plot point, as it sets up the central conflict between Hamlet and Claudius. It also contributes to Hamlet’s deteriorating mental state, as he struggles to come to terms with his mother’s actions.
