Do Gertrude and Ophelia share any particular characteristics? Explain…

Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, has traditionally been seen as a stupid, passive, sensual woman. Is this judgment fair to her? Do Gertrude and Ophelia share any particular characteristics? Explain…

Sample Responses

A

Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, is often portrayed as a passive, foolish, and sensual woman. However, this judgment is not exactly fair to her. Gertrude is caught between the expectations of the men in her life, and her own desires. She is not a stupid woman, but a complex one who is struggling to find her place in a practical society, Gertrude and Ophelia share some similarities, but they are also very different. Both Women are caught in between the expectations of the men in their lives and their own desires. However, while Gertrude is a mature woman who has already made her choices, Ophilia is a young woman who is still trying to figure out who she is and what she wants. Gertrude is also more aware of the political situation in Denmark, while Ophelia is more focused on her personal relationships. Despite their differences, Gertrude and Ophelia are both victims of the patriarchy. They are both defined by their relationships with men and are expected to be obedient and submissive. Gertrude is criticized for her sexuality, while Ophelia is punished for denying her father. Both women are ultimately destroyed by the men in their lives. In conclusion, Gertrude is not a complex stupid woman, but a complex one who is struggling to find her place in a patriarchal society. She and Ophelia share some similarities, but they also are very different. Both women are victims of the patriarchy and are ultimately destroyed by the men in their lives.

B

Gertrude is Hamlet’s mother and also Hamlet’s aunt. This may seem very strange to think about. Gertrude is not one to think about others feelings. For instance, her decisions lead to her death, and negatives among others she associated with. Gertrude is commonly seen as stupid, passive, and a sensual woman. Some may wonder if this judgment is fair to her, but to me, her decisions of others feelings, including her son, deserve this type of judgment. Gertrude loved Hamlet and Claudius, but she was inconsiderate of how she made Hamlet feel. Gertrude married Claudius, her dead husband’s brother. This was a poor decision of hers; Hamlet was humiliated by his mother’s decisions. Hamlet also feels a sense of jealousy with his mother and Claudius. This is because he feels as if he should feel more love and attention from his mother after the death of his father. Hamlet is angry with his mother about this because he does not feel like his own mother is considering his feelings. Gertrude and Ophelia share the same characteristic of love, but they love in different ways. Gertrude is portrayed by disloyalty and evil; while on the other hand, Ophelia is portrayed by compliment and morally good. Both, Gertrude and Ophelia, share a common type of trust and love towards others. Gertrude loves Hamlet in a motherly way. On the contrary, Ophelia loved Hamlet in a loving married couple type of way. Both types of love are sincere, but as you go in depth, they differ from each other. Gertrude was judged because of her inconsiderate decisions.

C

Gertrude is Hamlet’s mother in the play Hamlet. She is seen as stupid, passive, and a sensual women. I do not believe that this judgement is fair to her because she is written by men. Men only will see her as lower than she is. She already puts her trust in men because of the time that she is written in. In this time women were not seen apart from a man, so her being seen as these things is unfair. When her husband is killed he is left with her husband’s brother. She marries him. Women at this time were seen as frail and weak minded. Gertrude is a narcissist and only cares about her own well being. At the end of the story she drinks the poisoned wine for her son showing her doing something for someone else. Gertrude’s characteristics are impulsive, strong willed, and act upon emotions. Ophelia’s characteristics are loyal, innocent, and well loved. A way that Gertrude and Ophelia are very similar is that they both love Hamlet. They both love him in different ways, but they care and love him deeply.  Ophelia was Hamlet’s love interest until her father told her to stop seeing him. Being the loyal daughter that she is, she obeys her father. Another way that they are similar is that they are both manipulated by their loved ones. Gertrude in the way of her husband’s death and marrying her husband’s brother. Ophelia is manipulated by her brother and father in the way that she trusts and does what they tell her to do, such as; stop seeing Hamlet.

D

I think that Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother,  did many things that gave reasons for judgment. The judgment that was put upon her was fair and she earned every title she was given. She’s married her brother in law, which back in those time was considered incest. This allowed people to view her as a stupid woman. In my opinion it only gets worse because not only did she marry her brother-in-law, but it was also the same man who murdered her late  husband. Many people were curious as to why she did not question the correlation with her husband’s sudden death before. Why would she be able to up and marry so soon after her husband’s death and with her brother-in-law no less. Hamlet thinks the same, and calls to his mothers chambers to talk about the situation.  The conversation turns into an argument, in which Hamlet accuses his mother of only marrying Claudius for her sexual pleasure. After the argument people believe this was true as well. People believed this because if Gertrude had been a noble queen, she would have let her son ascend into the throne instead of marrying so soon and giving the throne away. Also her marrying so quickly led people to really believe it was for her own personal gain. She earned all of her judgment she had, with the actions she made and the people she betrayed. The only thing that she actually had in common with Ophelia was that they both loved Hamlet.

E

Gertrude is the beautiful queen of Denmark. Honestly, I do believe that being seen as stupid, passive, and a sensual woman is fair judgment to Gertrude. One thing is clear about Gertrude, she cares very deeply for materialistic items, and even more about men. You could say that this keeps her feeling young, or makes her feel better about herself. These things cause her to be very dependent upon the men in her life. I definitely understand why some people do not like her. She quite literally got with her dead husband’s brother. Many people think that her reliance on men is because it gets her what she wants. Think about it, she is married to a king, therefore she gets all of the riches that her heart desires. Ophelia is also involved with men, but for different reasons than Gertrude. Ophelia is the daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, and was also romantically involved with Hamlet. In my eyes, Ophelia is like the baby that gets bossed around by her brother and father. Just as when Polonius forces Ophelia to return the letter from Hamlet. I believe Ophelia and Gertrude do not have much in common. Gertrude is very dependent upon the men in her life while Ophelia really does not have to be, she is related to many of the men in her life. Ophelia’s relationship with these men ultimately restricts her while Gertrude is constantly seeking their approval. Gertrude longs for their attention while Ophelia is in a way, stuck with it which ultimately causes her death.

F

During the time period that Hamlet was written many women were seen as stupid, passive, and sensual. Many women were seen this way because of their husbands doing everything. Women were expected to do as the men said. For this reason, I do not believe that it is fair to have the judgment of being stupid, passive, and sensual. One reason I believe that the word sensual is not a fair judgment towards her because her husband had died, so it made sense for her to marry someone else. Especially during the time period Hamlet was written in, it was not unusual for a woman to remarry quickly after the death of their husband, and it was not unusual for a family to remarry to keep the last name. Gertrude should not be seen as passive because she still cares for Hamlet deeply. Even though Hamlet lashes out on his mother, she chose to cry out and talk back to him instead of letting him walk all over her. Gertrude did the best with what she knew to talk to Hamlet because women did not talk back to men when this story takes place. Yes, Gertrude and Ophelia share particular characteristics. The big similarity they have is their love for Hamlet. Another similarity  is that they both loved deeply. Their love results in them being put into situations that they can not control. For example, Gertrude was put in the middle of her former husband’s death, Hamlet and Claudis. On the contrary, Ophelia is used as a double agent.

G

Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, I believe, did a lot of things and provided a lot of justifications for

this opinion. The verdict, in my opinion, was just. When she married her brother-in-law, it was regarded as incest at the time. She was perceived as being unintelligent as a result. Not only was he her brother-in-law, but he was also the assassin of her late husband. Many people questioned why she did not consider the connection between the two or her husband’s unexpected death before Claudius. That being said, it begs the question of why she would swiftly get up and wed her brother-in-law after his passing. When his mother answers the phone, Hamlet starts arguing with her about the matter. This even reaches the point where Hamlet accuses his mother of just marrying Claudius for her own pleasure. Following that episode, people began to suspect that she merely wed him for that purpose. Gurtrude’s perception of this nation as a wise, thoughtful monarch may provide an explanation for this. Instead of marrying Claudius, she could have just allowed her son to take the throne. People started to wonder why she moved on with Claudius so quickly after they noticed her marriage. People actually thought she married him out of desire as time went on. People judged her and gave her the titles she deserved as a result of all of her acts. She and Ophilia shared a profound passion of Hamlet, which was one of the few things they had in common.

H

Before explaining whether Gertrude should or should not be labeled as stupid, passive, or a sensual woman, be aware that she is imperfect. Gertrude’s actions and choices in Hamlet cause her to be seen as passive. In other words, Gertrude is judged by the choices she makes during the play and is labeled as yellow-bellied. She is seen as lethargic, sensual, and unintelligent in large part because of her ability to remarry so soon after her husband’s passing. Hamlet is enraged at Claudius’s marriage to Gertrude and accuses her of being disloyal and complicit in the murder of King Hamlet, among other things. This brings me to my opinion on Gertrude. I don’t believe this judgment is fair to her. Gertrude is an intricate individual with a lot on her plate and is attempting to deal with a severe and challenging problem. Despite the fact that she may come off as such, she is not inherently unintelligent or passive. Hamlet needs to broaden his perspective and see that Gertrude is a byproduct of patriarchal culture. Gertrude has duties and must fulfill them, therefore should be given the benefit of the doubt. While Gertrude and Ophelia are very different individuals, they do share some characteristics. Both Ophelia and Gertrude appear to be dictated by sentiment or emotions, leery toward depending on men, driven in their own ways, and inevitably perish as an aftermath of their own conduct. Moreover, one example of this includes how Ophelia made the decision to end her life owing to her uncontrollable melancholy just as Gertrude seemed to be spurred on by her erratic emotions.