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Essay: The Fatal Flaw of Gertrude in Shakespeare’s Hamlet

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  • Published: 1 April 2019*
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  • Number of pages: 6 (approx)
  • Tags: Hamlet essays

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In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Gertrude is depicted as a kind woman who would never intentionally hurt another person, but her poor judgment indirectly causes the horrible events of the play. Gertrude and Ophelia are the only women to appear in the play, and neither of them is very assertive, clearly shown when Ophelia does whatever her father and brother tell her do without protest. But Gertrude’s choices eventually lead to unnecessary bloodshed that could have been prevented if only she were more attentive.

In Act I, scene II, it is revealed that Gertrude’s poor judgment is revealed as her fatal flaw. She is shown to be rather insensitive to her grieving son, Hamlet, and brushes him off. Instead of helping her son cope with his father’s death, she marries her brother-in-law, Claudius, not long after her husband’s passing. Gertrude gave no thought as to how this action would affect and embarrass her son because at the time her marrying Claudius would be seen as incestuous. There also seems to be jealousy on Hamlet’s part, who feels his mother should be more attentive to him. Gertrude seems to be oblivious as to why her son is so angry. Hamlet expresses his anger during his first soliloquy: “O, most wicked speed, to post/With such dexterity to incestuous sheets!” (1.2 360-361). Gertrude is presented as a loving mother, but one who cannot understand her son’s strange behavior. Her reply to Hamlet is that it is common for all men to die, effectively showing her lack of concern for her decision to marry Claudius.

Gertrude’s repeated attempts to calm Hamlet only serves to make her more suspicious in her son’s eyes. When she asks “If it be, why seems it so particular with thee?” (1.2 277-278), her intent is to calm Hamlet down, but the word “seems” only makes her seem guilty of something. She does not realize that such an insignificant word would be all her son needed to be convinced of her guilt. Gertrude has the opportunity to figure out what is bothering her son, but she does nothing as she wants things to be solved without using deep thought. When the play begins, it is automatically suspected that Gertrude was somehow involved in her husband’s death, but in Act II, scene two, there is evidence that she played no part in his murder. She is seen with Claudius and worriedly voices her thoughts on Hamlet’s behavior: “I doubt it is no other but the main. His father’s death and our o’erhasty marriage” (2.2 1145-1146). It is possible that Gertrude’s conscience may be bothering her at this moment, but only because of her quick marriage to Claudius, not because of the murder. If Hamlet had not chastised her, Gertrude might never have considered her marriage to Claudius as a hasty decision. Her comments seem to hint that she did not have a hand in her husband’s death. Even when she and Claudius continue their private conversation, Gertrude makes no references to being a part of a plot. When Guildenstern and Rosencrantz visit, her only hope is that they will be able to find out what is wrong with Hamlet so she can help. This is a sharp contrast to Claudius who wants to keep and eye Hamlet in case he has figured out how his father died. Simply put, Gertrude’s major flaw is how inconsiderate she can be to Hamlet, even if it was not her intention to be inconsiderate. She is oblivious to how her husband died and therefore is unaware of what Hamlet suspects happened to his father.

Gertrude’s inability to realize her marriage to Claudius can be see as adultery by others is another example of her lack of awareness. She thinks that if she had prolonged her marriage to Claudius to give Hamlet time to grieve he may have reacted better. It doesn’t cross her mind that she should never have accepted Claudius as her husband. Gertrude relies on love to solve all of her problems. In Act 3, scene 1 she shows this simple way of thinking when she tells Ophelia that she hopes her son’s sudden erratic behavior is because he loves her so much. Although it is not stated within the play, Gertrude’s belief that Ophelia is the cause of Hamlet's behavior could be her way of ignoring the problems brought on by the marriage and to rid herself of any guilt.

Since her son truly believes her to be guilty of adultery and homicide, he has a specially written play take place in order to get Gertrude as well as Claudius to break and confess to murdering Old Hamlet. But Gertrude reacts casually and watched the play with no signs of nervousness. She shows no remorse about being with her husband’s brother and instead makes comments about the play’s queen: “The lady doth protest too much, methinks” (3.2 2125). Gertrude believes that a widowed woman would be eager to remarry, and that the queen in the play is not a realistic portrayal of a widow. This is another example of how Gertrude’s obliviousness affect the people around her. Even when Hamlet questions her she does not make a connection between her life and the play. Gertrude did not show any signs of anxiousness or distress while watching the play, showing that she is unaware of what Claudius has done. Even though she is shown to be concerned when Claudius abruptly leaves, she is more worried about how he feels rather than anyone’s guilt. If she had questioned the play, she would have discovered Claudius’ crime, but again, she fails to see what is right in front of her.

In Act 3, Gertrude finally finds out that Hamlet has been accusing her of adultery and murder. He corners her in her bedroom where he reveals his suspicions to her. Gertrude is horrified at what her son is saying and tells him to “speak no more.” It is also implied that Hamlet has finally made her regret marrying Claudius so soon after her husband’s death when she says:

Thou turn'st mine eyes into my very soul,

And there I see such black and grained spots

As will not leave their tinct. (3.4. 2481-2484)

Although she does not admit to murder, Hamlet still wants his mother feel guilty for taking Claudius as her new husband. He tells her “go not to my uncle’s bed/Assume a virtue, if you have it not” (3.4. 2563-2564). Unfortunately, when Gertrude says “What shall I do?” (3.4. 2584) it seems as though her behavior will not change despite all the damage it's done already.

Despite not listening to Hamlet, Gertrude is not seen as an unsympathetic mother. In scene one of Act IV, she attempts to protect Hamlet from Claudius. When Claudius finds out about Polonius’ death, she lies about Hamlet’s uncaring behavior by saying telling him that Hamlet regretted what he had done. She is well aware than Hamlet showed no remorse for killing Polonius, but as his mother she wants things to be as easy as possible for him. Her defending Hamlet could mean that she has finally realized that Claudius is a dangerous man. If Gertrude were able to properly distinguish between deception and sincerity, she would have known that Hamlet was right all along. It is only at the end of the play, after she realizes the wine has been poisoned, that she sees the truth for the first time. There is a moment of irony in this scene when she tries to give the cup to Hamlet in an innocent attempt to help. In the end, she has to accept that Claudius murdered her husband and tried to murder Hamlet.

The conclusion to Hamlet shows Gertrude’s two conflicting sides. She is a well-meaning person who only wanted to help and protect her son, but her thoughtless decisions and failure to see people’s true intentions are major contributions to how the play ends. She wanted to believe that love would make everything better and she wouldn’t have to do anything that required effort. If Gertrude had been a more perceptive person and listened to Hamlet from the start, then the play may not have had such a tragic end.

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