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Gertrude: The Most Mysterious Character In Shakespeare's Hamlet

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Gertrude may be the most mysterious character in the whole play of Hamlet. She never comes right out and says what she is thinking or what she actually means? When reading Hamlet, so many questions are spinning through your head. Did she help with or support the murder of the late king? Does she actually care about or love Claudius? Can we trust this tricky queen? While we don’t have any clear answers to these questions, we can make our own s and choose the answers for ourselves. I believe that Gertrude is a sneaky and self-centered Queen who will do whatever it takes to keep herself happy and powerful.When the play opens, Gertrude is already Married to her Brother-in-law, Claudius. We are not giving any details about the wedding our how their …show more content…

Gertrude says, “O Hamlet, Speak no more! Thou turn’st mine eyes into my very soul, and there I see such black and grained spots and will not leave their tinct” In the Have No Fear version this line is interpreted as, “Oh, Hamlet, stop! You’re making me look into my very soul, where the marks of sin are so thick and black they will never be washed away.” I loved this version because it comes right out and says that she feels like her sins will never be washed away. This guarantees that she has done something to make her feel guilty. This could support to idea of Gertrude knowing the truth about Old Hamlets death or being involved in it herself. Later in the conversation the Ghost of Old hamlet comes and Hamlet begins speaking to him. Gertrude does not see the ghost and her reaction shows her inside character. She doesn’t ask many questions to try to understand what is happening. She just starts saying how her son has gone crazy. The motherly thing to do is trying to understand what was happening so that she can help and protect her son. Instead she jumps to conclusions and calls Hamlet insane. She acts very self-centered and more concerned for herself and what that could mean for her and not expressing concern for her

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