NewperspectiveofGertrudeinHamlet

李玉萍

The context of Hamlet is feudal society in MiddleAges.At that time，the social status of women was quite low.They had no rights of speech or choice； all they could do was obey the will of men.Gertrude is no exceptions despite her seeming noble positions.

Gertrude is accused of two crimes by her son.The first is incest.Only within one month after the death of her husband，she remarries her late husbands brother，which results in her great pain in the abuse of her son.Hamlet reviles her mother，“… within a month，ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears had left the flushing in her galled eyes，she married.O！ most wicked speed，to post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets…” He thinks the reason for her remarriage is compulsive lust as he says，“… Proclaim no shame when the compulsiveardour gives the charge…”，“ In the rank sweat of an enseamed bed，stewd in corruption，honeying and making love over the nasty sty，---” And there is another deeper reason for his hatred to his mother.Hamlet is the heir to the throne，but his uncle usurps it and his mother should remarry his enemy，which makes he feel betrayed by his own mother.The betrayal from his mother is the most unacceptable and he feels ashamed of such a dissolute woman being his mother.Actually，Hamlet doesnt realize his mother is a person without any rights though she is the queen.Even if Gertrude wants to remain a widow，the reality will not allow her to do so.Claudius is so brutal and powerful that he dares to kill the king，usurps the throne and makes all courtiers subordinate him.Gertrude is definitely powerless to fight against him.

The second crime is murder.In Act Three Scene Four，Hamlet says，“A bloody deed！ Almost as bad，good mother，as kill a king，and marry with his brother.”Gertrude remarries the uncle of Hamlet who kills the old king and usurps the throne，so Hamlet believes his mother must join his uncles evil actions subconsciously despite no strong evidences in his hand.However，there are some evidences proving Gertrude to be innocent.When Hamlet arranges a play to observe the reactions of his uncle，his behavior strikes his mother into amazement.And when Hamlet says the word quoted above，she is so surprised that she accentuates，“As kill a king！” It proves that Gertrude does not know her late husband is killed by her current husband，let alone joins the murder.And even the ghost does not accuse his wife of such a crime.

For centuries，Gertrude is regarded as a dissolute woman and an accomplice in the murder of her husband because Hamlet thinks so and says so.In fact，whether she indeed does something shady or not is unknown，because in the society where men have absolutely dominant voice，she cannot get a chance for defending.Hamlet covers a real Gertrude，a sober woman and a great mother.

Two cases here can show that Gertrude is sober：

·When Hamlet asks his mothers feeling about the play，she says，“The lady doth protest too much，methinks.”She does know the meaning of his son and women actually have no right of protest.

·When Hamlet pretends to be mad，the king and Polonius have no idea about the reasons.They guess it is due to love.But Gertrude knows his son and says，“I doubt it is no other but the main； his fathers death，and our oerhasty marriage.”

She is sober and wise.

And another two cases can prove Gertrude is a great mother：

·When Hamlet abuses his mother in Act Three Scene Four，she begs her son，“Thou turnst mine eyes into my very soul； and there I see much black and grained spots as will not leave their tinct.”She is clear about her “guilt”，and her sense of guilt tortures her all the time.But as a woman，she has to turn her eyes for survival.Though her son tortures her again and again，she never blames him and even keeps the secret of faking madness for her son.She says，“Be thou assurd，if words be made of breath，and breath of life，I have no life to breathe what thou hast said to me.”

·In Act Five Scene Two，Gertrude drinks poisonous wine for her son.Some readers think she does it by mistake，but the author thinks she drinks it deliberately.Before she drinks the wine，the king shouts，“Gertrude，do not drink.”She is always obedient to the king，but this time，she says，“I will，my lord； I pray you，pardon me.”In Act Four Scene Seven，when the king and Laertes plan to kill Hamlet，Gertrude enters.Maybe she hears their plan，so she knows the wine is poisonous.She prepares to die for her son.Before she dies，the king tries to cover the truth，but she takes all her strength to remind Hamlet that the wine is poisonous.She uses her life to protect her son.

Gertrude bears humiliation for survival and chooses to die for her son without hesitation.Her fate is determined by men.Readers should not understand her from mens perspective and should sympathize withher.She is a great mother and she is a weak woman.

Reference：

[1]Shakespeare.Hamlet[M].Oxford：Oxford University Press，1997.

[2]莎士比亞.哈姆雷特[M].梁實秋譯.北京：中國廣播電視出版社，2001.

[3]劉麗.表象與真象——《哈姆雷特》中葛楚德的形象[J].安徽文學，2010（2），120-121.