Gertrude is a complicated character who is often viewed in a negative light. She hurts Hamlet in many ways, including (but not limited to) marrying Claudius, potentially being complicitous in the murder of Hamlet's father, and her quick forgetting of Hamlet's father after his death. These actions cause many audience members and readers of Hamletto dislike Gertrude. It doesn't help that Gertrude does not speak much during the play, and so she has little...
Gertrude is a complicated character who is often viewed in a negative light. She hurts Hamlet in many ways, including (but not limited to) marrying Claudius, potentially being complicitous in the murder of Hamlet's father, and her quick forgetting of Hamlet's father after his death. These actions cause many audience members and readers of Hamlet to dislike Gertrude. It doesn't help that Gertrude does not speak much during the play, and so she has little text that defends her actions.
Many of these traditional viewings of Gertrude are through the context of Hamlet's perception of his mother. Yet, there are two frameworks that reveal Gertrude as a sympathetic and, arguably, exemplary woman.
If viewing Gertrude under a patriarchal framework, she is an exemplary woman. Gertrude is faithful to her initial husband, Hamlet's father, but then she quickly moves on to her next husband after Hamlet's father's death. In this way, Gertrude is a faithful wife, and potentially an exemplary woman.
One could also argue, oddly enough, that Gertrude is an exemplary woman if they view her actions through a feminist framework. Gertrude does what she needs in order to survive. During this time period, where women were essentially property to men, Gertrude was surviving (and thriving) in a political climate that could have become increasingly dangerous for her survival. While some of her actions may seem ruthless, this is only coming from Hamlet's perspective.
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