Ophelia and Gertrude

Essay by Anonymous UserHigh School, 12th grade March 1997

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Ophelia and Gertrude. Two different women who seem to be trapped in the same

circumstances in relation to Hamlet.

Gertrude, Hamlet's mother and the Queen of Denmark. She is married to the present

King, Claudius, who is suspected by Hamlet to have killed his father, King Hamlet, who also

happens to be Claudius's brother. Gerturde has somehow ended up in the plot of King Hamlet's

death and in the eyes of her son, seems to be a monster and an aide to an adulterating deed.

Ophelia, the daughter of Polonius who is the King's trusted councilor and is later killed

in the play and he forbids his daughter to see Hamlet because of the possibility that he beseech

her name and her virginity. She truly loves Hamlet and is devastated when he shuns her and

pretends to be mad.

Hamlet's treatment towards these two women shapes and brings life to their characters

and eventually bring s an end to their characters as well.

Gertrude is a kind and loving mother. The kind that guards after her son through thick

and through thin and loves unconditionally. Hamlet had suspected her of aiding in the killing of

King Hamlet. That will be discussed later.

Her character is the one character in the play that I believe does not develop but rather

stays identical to the scene in which she is introduced(Act I, scene II). She is shown to be a

quiet, 'stand by your man' type individual who is easily influenced.

This is my belief because in the second scene of the play, Hamlet is shown to be

crushed by his mother's hasty remarriage. If marriage within the family was common in the days

of Shakespeare, then this is understandable, but, in any other case, this would be considered...