Gertrude's Reaction To The Death Of Death In Hamlet

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Recommended: Analysis on the theme of mortality in hamlet

Throughout the book Hamlet, by Shakespeare there are various deaths that occur first is the death of King Hamlet, the death of Ophelia and the death of Queen Gertrude. King Hamlet was assassinated by his own brother Claudius, who is now married to the Queen Gertrude. Ophelia was Hamlet love who died by drowning in a river. Queen Gertrude has different views towards her husband 's death King Hamlet, towards Ophelia, Polonius and her own death. Shakespeare portrays Gertrude as a strong and emotionally distant character. Her reaction to the deaths of others and herself is distant. Gertrude’s lack of reaction to death allows characters to focus on themselves rather than on how she’s feeling. When Gertrude’s husband, King Hamlet died, Gertrude …show more content…

Even when Ophelia died, a girl who had always looked up to Gertrude, she didn 't have much of a sentimental aspect. “There on the pendent boughs her coronet weeds clamb’ring to hang, an envious sliver broke, when down her weedy trophies and herself fell in the weeping brook. Her clothes spread wide, and mermaid-like awhile they bore her up, which time she chanted snatches of old tunes, as one incapable of her own distress, or like a creature native and indued unto that element” (4,7,187-195) This is the description Queen Gertrude gives to Laertes, Ophelia 's brother when she finds out about Ophelia 's death. It almost seems like she was describing the death of a character in a novel who she had no connection with. This makes me wonder if Gertrude witnessed Ophelia 's drowning causing her to be in shocked and show no emotion towards Ophelia 's death when she went to share out the news with Laertes. If she did witness Ophelia 's death, she probably kept it a secret since she wasn’t able to do anything to safe Ophelia’s life. A similar reaction to Ophelia 's death is seen through Polonius …show more content…

When both Claudius her new husband and her son were fighting she decided to take a venom that will kill her. “Here, Hamlet, take my napkin rub thy brows. The Queen carouses to thy fortune, Hamlet...I will, my lord, I pray you pardon me...No, no, the drink, the drink! O my dear Hamlet! The drink, the drink! I am poisoned (5,2, 292-320). Many people would be scared for their life and wouldn’t want to take their life away but unlike the Queen she is determined to consume the poison without any hesitation. She doesn’t reveal any emotion towards her own death yet she knows that by drinking the poison she will die. The Queen must have done this to try to get either Hamlet or Claudius reaction so that they would stop fighting one another. But it didn’t quite workout her way instead she ended up killing

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