Hamlet First Quarto Analysis

The famous tragedy, Hamlet, by William Shakespeare has three different versions that are often debated regarding which one is authentic or closest to the original, as no one possesses the original copy. The three main versions that editors typically pull from as well as blend together are: quarto 1 (bad quarto), quarto 2 (good quarto), and the first folio (F). Quarto one is often not incorporated as much due to it being having the consistencies of a “rough draft”, so to speak. The first quarto “is much shorter, some 2,200 lines, just over half of the second Quarto, the longest textual version” (Tronch-Perez 16). As for the origin, Albert B. Weiner famously argues in Hamlet: The First Quarto, 1603, that the first quarto was written to be …show more content…
Although the other versions feature her love for her child, these lines are one of a kind in the first quarto and slightly more personal as they concern his safety. They represent Gertrude’s concern for her child and his well-being while he is off in England, yet with Claudius she is still the loving wife. The first quarto has some remarkable, unique lines that represent Gertrude well. The most notable, unique scene in Q1 is the closet scene, which typically is up for interpretation as to whether Gertrude was truly astonished by the news that her current husband killed her previous husband or if she did not believe Hamlet when he stated his accusation. However, she seems to have taken Hamlet’s side, despite how mad he sounds. Gertrude, in the first quarto, still seems to be a little puzzled when the ghost enters the room as she does comment that Hamlet is talking to air. However, she does not directly state anything involving madness in this scene, although it is unclear if she thinks that or not. In the Q2 and F texts, “Hamlet seems to win over Gertrude but with the appearance of the ghost he seems to lose her” (Miller 4). There is no obvious comment from Gertrude involving Hamlet’s possible madness, which calls for a much better interpretation regarding her as a mother. She also states, after the ghosts leaves, “But Hamlet, this is only fanstasie And for my loue forget these …show more content…
Truthfully, Tamora is more of a villain than Gertrude is argued to be and assumed to be, and possesses almost the opposite of what Gertrude does. In comparison to Ophelia, Gertrude also is drastically different than her and has more “power” over Ophelia. Ophelia, the other woman in the play, is considered to be mad. Because she is crazy, she has longer speeches and speaking parts which is why it is justified for her to say so much compared to Gertrude. She also has a number of songs that she sings that can occasionally be sexually themed. Ophelia, according to A. Shailaja, is “the real victim in the play”. Shailaja also says that “Gertrude is a character who does not have a massive speaking part, but her character is substantial” (Shailaja 3) which also leads into Gertrude’s role developing into her personality. Gertrude has a very important role in Hamlet as wife, mother, queen, and widow that she consistently shows through her lines in