Gertrude in "Hamlet"

Analytical Essay # 50827

Drama and Theater > English
English > Analysis
Literature > English

Describes the role of the mother in the life of the character, Hamlet, in William Shakespeare's play.

1,159 words () | 1 source | MLA | 2004 United States

Paper Summary:

In William Shakespeare?s "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark", Hamlet?s mother, Gertrude, is subject to interpretations of womanhood and responsibility for the death of her husband and her marriage to his brother. The paper shows that inconsistencies in her roles of wife and mother make Gertrude?s position in Hamlet?s life a point of confusion. Her faults are an outlet for Hamlet?s rage and shame towards his father?s situation as cuckold and corpse.

From the Paper:

"The subjectivity given to Gertrude's roles is a dividing point between the king and Hamlet in their plans for revenge. Gertrude is inconsistent in her affection, her drive and her degree of involvement in the death and cuckolding of the king uncertain. Nonetheless it is what others believe that shape their actions toward her. She is object to Hamlet's rage and his desires, the confusion of blame and identity. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark examines the role of the female in a masculine world overturned by its own establishments of marriage and inheritance as well as the function of the subversive feminine."