Gertrude's Suffering In Hamlet

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In William Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, the reader is introduced to Hamlet, as he is enduring the early kingship of his uncle, Claudius. As this happens, Gertrude, and Claudius both request that Hamlet stays with them in Denmark, rather than returning to Wittenberg to further his education. As Gertrude and Claudius leave, and Hamlet is left to himself, he reveals thoughts that he is unable to express in front of them. In act two scene one, Hamlet’s soliloquy reveals that he is struggling with his emotions, as his life seems to be crumbling around him. This can be seen through his depression and thoughts of suicide, his frustration towards his mother due to her hasty remarriage and lack of grieving, and his spitefulness towards his uncle.
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This shows that Hamlet’s life is in dismay and he feels depressed, pointless, and that nothing good will come out of life. Hamlet then goes on to describe the causes of his pain, being his mother’s and uncle’s actions, which root from the death of his father, which can be seen as the main source of his sadness.

Furthermore, Hamlet then continues to speak of his mother’s hasty marriage and his utter disgust towards the fact that she went from loving her husband dearly and grieving copiously, to quickly moving on after a month.
). In this quote Hamlet shows a misogynist characteristic, as he calls women frail, specifically Gertrude, for being so weak to fall for another man before she could properly mourn her previous husband. Through this quote Hamlet also uses an allusion to Greek mythology by comparing Gertrude to Niobe (a woman who mourned eternally, even after to death), as Gertrude should have mourned for a longer period of time than she did.
Lastly, Hamlet speaks of his discontent towards his uncle, and self-proclaimed father, Claudius. Hamlet doesn’t think of Claudius as a true father, and notes him to be completely inferior to his real

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