Gertrude

William Shakespeare developed multiple diverse and three-dimensional characters for his plays. However, after analyzing Hamlet it is clear that Ophelia is not one. Her character is one-dimensional and arguably expendable. The story of Hamlet’s revenge can be told without her, but Ophelia would have no story outside of Hamlet and her father. In today’s society, it is increasingly difficult to envision a world where women have no say and are completely submissive to either their father or…

harsh world draw thy breath in pain/ To tell my story” (V.ii.382-384). He uses this chance to make sure that Horatio will be able to tell Hamlet’s story and not taint his name, allowing Fortinbras to understand the true story. On the other hand, Gertrude delivers the news to Laertes announcing, “Your sister’s drowned, Laertes…/ …Fell in the weeping brook. / Her clothes spread wide…/ … But long it could not be/ Till that her garments, heavy with their drink,/ Pulled the poor wretch from her…

54). Although Claudius seems to want forgiveness for murdering his brother, he deploys Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to spy on Hamlet and devise the real meaning behind his insanity. Claudius’ true motives are revealed at the end, when Gertrude, the most faithful to him, is unintentionally killed by the poison set for Hamlet. This sparks Hamlet to take action, “O villany! Ho! Let the door be lock’d: Treachery! Seek it out!” (5.2.284). The illusion Claudius puts on ensures his secret…

“is the unorganized part of the psyche that contains a human’s instinctual drives” (Siegfried). When Hamlet interacts with the ghost of his dead father, and learns about his uncle’s doings, he wants immediate revenge on Claudius and his mother, Gertrude. Hamlet becomes conflicted on how to obtain his revenge for his father’s death, “This is most brave/ That I, the son of a dear father murder’d,/ Prompted to my revenge by heaven and hell, Must like a whore unpack my heart with words”…

women are treated in ways which belong to the traditional point of views that were familiar during the Elizabethan era; a reflection of the author’s view towards women and their role in the social construct of the seventeenth century. Ophelia and Gertrude, two female leads within Hamlet, are significant examples of victims of the common treatment of women during the time the play was written. The possession and expected purity of women is a distinguished feature of the Elizabethan era that is…

Most plays pose some kind of physiological questions, but both plays “Hamlet” and “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern” portray the question of what happens in the afterlife - or the possibility of there not even being an afterlife. The two plays are continuously debating the existential theories of life - sometimes with humor and sometimes completely serious. The main idea in Hamlet is the fact that revenge could just be a cousin of death. While in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, they mainly go back on…

Throughout the play, Hamlet, Ophelia’s descent into madness progressively increases due to the loss of free will, Hamlet’s rejection, and the guilt over her father’s death. However, Ophelia’s madness and eventual demise inspires Laertes’ revenge and at times projects the true nature of the King and Queen as well as herself. Ophelia is shown to have times of clarity and regret to the way things were handled by herself and others. Ophelia, even in her insanity, is the symbol of innocence. An…

The physical and psychological violence overlap throughout Hamlet and nearly all acts of violence revolve around the main character Hamlet. After Hamlet violently plunges his sword through the curtain in Gertrude’s chamber and kills Polonius the play undergoes a crucial turning point. Previous to Polonius’ murder, Hamlet, despite his many opportunities, only lashed out emotionally. However, as the scenes following the death of Polonius show, Hamlet turns away from inflicting emotional pain and…

Andrew Foley states in his article Heaven or Havoc that there are two perspectives to how the end of Hamlet can be viewed, one views the play as the play as working out of divine purpose, or justice finally being served as hamlet avenges his father. The other opinion that is typically brought up is a darker more pessimistic ending claiming that Hamlet is a true tragedy perspective in that everyone including innocent people die. Foleys essay is on that these two ideas of Hamlet are both wrong and…

In Hamlet, by Shakespeare, the theme of revenge vs. suicide is shown and ridden throughout the whole play. During the modern days, now, revenge is apart of almost everything without us even realizing. Most of society to this day, are obsessed to what we call social media. Social media, secretly bombs us, somewhat to brainwash, us into believing revenge is sweet. However, in Hamlet revenge is soon shown as a pyrrhic case gained for a high cost, which may lead to a certain madness/suicide.…