ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -Gertrude is Hamlet’s mother and Queen of Denmark. She was married to the murdered King Hamlet (represented by the Ghost in the play) and has subsequently wed Claudius, his brother. Her close relationships to the central male characters mean that she is a key figure within the narrative.

Detailed explanation-2: -Gertrude describes her love for Hamlet when she asks him not to return to Wittenberg. When she shares with Ophelia her hope that the young woman would have married her Hamlet, she divulges her wish for his happiness.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Gertrude who does emerge clearly in Hamlet is a woman defined by her desire for station and affection, as well as by her tendency to use men to fulfill her instinct for self-preservation-which, of course, makes her extremely dependent upon the men in her life.

Detailed explanation-4: -The Queen of Denmark, Hamlet’s mother, recently married to Claudius.

Detailed explanation-5: -Gertrude is portrayed as a loving mother, but not necessarily the most outwardly thinking. Any normal mother or even human being would have realized the issues that Hamlet was facing and would have tried to help. As Hamlet said, “O, most wicked speed, to post with such dexterity to incestuous sheets!