Gertrude and Ophelia

Ophelia Ophelia mostly silent and submissive to male characters in Acts I – III Role mainly passive until madness in Act IV and Act V Scene 1 which creates pathos. Pathos = emotional appeal to audience, manipulate audience’s feelings.

Ophelia Hamlet most passionately expresses his love for her when she is in the grave.

Ophelia Scene with Laertes and Polonius - 40 lines of lecturing to 7 lines reply. ‘I do not know my lord what I should think’ (I.3.104)

Ophelia Duplicitous Ophelia? Innocent victim of society at Elsinore?

Gertrude Gertrude’s adultery and incest focus of Hamlet’s anger. Not presented as equal to the powerful feelings she arouses. Shakespeare’s ‘horror of sexual promiscuity’ – sense of comeuppance for characters who divert from lives of chastity and faithfulness within marriage.

Gertrude Difference before/after closet scene – loyalty shifts from Claudius to Hamlet. Defiance in final scene as she drinks from the poisoned cup. Ghost: ‘step between her and her fighting soul’ (III. 4. 113)

Gertrude ‘O my dear Hamlet-/The drink, the drink – I am poisoned’ (V.2.289-90) Killing Claudius now - avenging his mother’s death?

‘Silencing’ of female characters? Similarity between the nunnery episode and the closet scene. Closet scene = 80% lines are Hamlet’s. Nunnery scene = 2/3 of lines are Hamlet’s

Question of length? Not enough time to explore Ophelia and Gertrude? Is Claudius an underdeveloped character too?

Task: Character Focus Ophelia – Act III Scene 1 Gertrude – Act III Scene 4 Pick out key quotations and explain how they give us an insight in to character and relationship to Hamlet.