Blog #9: Gertrude

Okay, so to be completely honest, I’m not sure what road I want to take with my analysis of Gertrude.  On one hand, I want to prove that she is a sneaky snake, but on the other hand I also want to argue that she is a good, self-sacrificial mother.

To my sick soul (as sin’s true nature is)

Each toy seems prologue to some great amiss.

So full of artless is guilt

It spills itself in fearing to be spilt. (IV.v.17-20)

This private “aside” moment occurs after Gertrude finally concedes to letting Ophelia in the room.  For some reason she is strongly opposed to speaking to the crazed Ophelia, but for reasons unknown to us.  She claims her soul is “sick” or corrupted, as this “sickness” is sin’s true nature.  This correlation implies that she has committed some grave sin, so severe that it foreshadows some “great amiss”.  Obviously she is not as innocent as she lets on.  The couplet at the end confirms the suspicion that Gertrude committed a great sin.  “Guilt” and “spilt” offer the only rhyme scheme in these lines, suggesting some sort of resolution that her guilt will overflow to the point that it will reveal her crime.  This couplet is also the only time the entirety of the play that Gertrude rhymes at all.  I am assuming that her fear of having this guilt reveal the truth has something to do with her refusal to see Ophelia.  Once Ophelia enters she sings several songs that are targeted at Gertrude’s response to King Hamlet’s death, much to Gertrude’s dislike.  And, oddly enough, after this tense encounter, Gertrude delivers a very detailed description of Ophelia’s death.  How could she have known the way Ophelia died if she didn’t see it herself?  Maybe I will try to prove that Gertrude had a hand in Ophelia’s death, as well as in King Hamlet’s.

Now, on the other hand, Gertrude can be seen as a good, sacrificial mother.  She never intentionally betrays her son’s trust, and actually seems to love Hamlet.    After he openly berates and belittles her after the show, he tells her Claudius is a murderer and that Hamlet himself is not actually mad, two very grave secrets.  And surprisingly Gertrude keeps his secrets to herself and doesn’t spill the beans to Claudius.  That’s a big deal, considering how submissive she usually is.  She does what she is told and is a compliant housewife/queen.  Which also leads me to believe that Gertrude knew the drink was poisoned before she drank it.  We never see her go against Claudius’ word, so it is odd that she would randomly retort by saying, “I will, my lord; I pray you pardon me” (V.ii. 274).  I also find it interesting that when she does drink it, she makes a toast to Hamlet and wishes him good fortune: “The queen carouses to thy fortune, Hamlet” (V.ii.272).  I see toast as a final goodbye to her son, killing herself so her son can continue living.  And to me, the fact that her final words are, “I am poisoned” (IV.ii.293) is her way of telling Hamlet that he was right when he attacked her decisions, and in the end she would rather kill her “poisoned” soul than watch her beloved son die.