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sns18
sns18
Student
College - Freshman

In "Hamlet" what might Queen Gertrude's life been like if she had refused Claudius's offer?

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Posted by sns18 on Wednesday April 22, 2009 at 4:27 PM and tagged with gertrude.

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  1. mrs-campbell Teacher
    High School - 11th Grade

    eNotes Editor

    What an interesting question!  She would have probably have been lonely; Hamlet's descriptions of her seem to paint her as a woman who like to be in company, liked to have someone around.  So, she would have been lonely.  She also would probably have been a lot more stressed; many more responsibilities of the kingdom would have fallen on her shoulders, and it would have been quite a strain.  She also would have had a better relationship with Hamlet, and possibly had the opportunity to oversee his wedding to Ophelia.  It is because of Hamlet's fury at his mother for marrying Claudius that he alienates himself from her, lectures her about fidelity, and is caustic and rude to her.  Because of her seeming infidelity, Hamlet also rejects Ophelia, who, by all counts, he had been very honorably courting, with serious and good intentions.  But, because he was so angry with women, so betrayed by them, and found them so lacking in trust, loyalty and prudence, he rejected Ophelia outright.  Who knows what might have happened between them if that anger hadn't been there; so, Gertrude might have become a happy mother-in-law to Ophelia.  So, there would have been loneliness and stress, but balanced by a good relationship with her son, and happy times connected to that.

     

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/hamlet
    http://www.enotes.com/hamlet/gertrude-character-analysis

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    Posted by mrs-campbell on Wednesday April 22, 2009 at 4:27 PM

  2. sader2011
    sader2011 Student
    College - Junior

    Her life would have probably been shorter than it actually was.  If Claudius killed King Hamlet, he could have just as easily had Gertrude killed.  I could be wrong, but it's entirely possible.  Think about it: Claudius, because he was the brother of the king, would have become king either way.  Gertrude would have possibly been kicked out the day after the funeral.

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    Posted by sader2011 on Thursday April 23, 2009 at 12:33 PM

  3. ray-eston-smith-jr
    ray-eston-smith-jr

    I think Claudius seized power immediately after killing his brother, but the legitimacy of his reign was buttressed by his union with the "imperial jointress to this warlike state."

    Note how in the play Claudius is always telling Gertrude to follow him.   As the "jointress to this warlike state," she was following him to hell.   She was a spoke (or perhaps a hubcap) to his nave as he "rolled down the hill of heaven" to damnation.  If she hadn't married Claudius, I don't know what her life would have been like, but her afterlife would have been much more secure.

    Hamlet's life might have turned out better if his mother hadn't reinforced Claudius' injunction to "be as ourself in Denmark."  Perhaps Hamlet and Ophelia would have eloped to Wittenberg and lived happily ever after.

    But Hamlet would still have been tempted to damnation by his father's ghost.  He still might have forgotten his true self ("Horatio, or I do forget myself"), erased his true self (formed by thought and study at Wittenberg) from his brain, and written his father's commandment to live all alone in his brain.  If Gertrude hadn't resumed her role as "jointress to this warlike state" (which she had also been when married to Hamlet's father), then perhaps the hold-up-a-mirror-to-show-you-your-sins speech might have been delivered by Gertrude to Hamlet instead of vice-versa.

     

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    Posted by ray-eston-smith-jr on Friday April 24, 2009 at 8:46 AM


  4. amberangel Student
    High School - 12th Grade

    I disagree. Hamlet is next in line to the throne. By some means, Claudius has taken hold, but this only adds to the corruption which permeats the story because, as crown prince, HE should have succeeded the throne the minute his father died. Gertrude would not be lonely, and indeed, if Claudius loved Gertrude that much would he kill her? (Who knows, I suppose, if he killed his brother?) Gertrude enjoys the company of her son, correct? If Hamlet had been obliged to return from Wittenburg to take up his position as King, she would not be lonely.

    You could say Hamlet is too young to take the throne, but this isn't true (and certainly we never really know the true age of Hamlet anyway) as we see how his depth of thought and knowledge shows he is deeply intelligent.

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    Posted by amberangel on Monday May 11, 2009 at 12:31 AM