Preview

How Does Gertrude Show Betrayal In Hamlet

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
525 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
How Does Gertrude Show Betrayal In Hamlet
An Act of Betrayal in Hamlet
Through King Claudius’s choice to murder former King Hamlet and marry Gertrude, he betrays his brother, Hamlet, and even his own morals. This act of disloyalty and deceit turns Claudius against the other characters, and leads to their eventual demise.
In Act I, the ghost of King Hamlet proclaimed his anger towards Claudius, and spoke to Prince Hamlet of his “foul and most unnatural” death (Hamlet 1.5.25). In this exchange, the former king explained that his murderer poured poison into his ear as he slept in the garden- the same murderer who betrayed him and now wears his crown. King Hamlet continues by calling Claudius a villain, and telling The Prince that he has taken Gertrude from the pure love of her first marriage and corrupted the entire country of Denmark. To atone for his death, he asks the prince to seek revenge. Appalled by this revelation, Hamlet agrees to follow the Ghost’s exhortations. …show more content…
His ability to overlook Claudius’s devious smile and snide comments allow Hamlet to understand his ulterior motives of ultimate control and tremendous wealth. Prince Hamlet felt forsaken by both his mother and Claudius when they chose to join in marriage just after the death of his father. Hamlet mourned over the death of his father for quite some time, and Claudius did not complete a single act to console him, but rather debase and disgrace him. Cruel treatment and cold actions from Claudius constituted Hamlet’s assertion regarding his true motivations. When Prince Hamlet discovered this had not been a mistake but rather Claudius’s plan the entire time, sadness turns to rage and his bitter emotions towards Claudius became immensely
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Rosencrantz And Gertrude's Suicide In Hamlet
    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Rosencrantz And Gertrude's Suicide In Hamlet

    In this book “Hamlet” Hamlet is obsessed with suicide even though he never does it. Hamlet falls in deep love in the book and Hamlet's mother marries Hamlet's uncle after his uncle kills the king with poison. Claudius killed Hamlet Sr with poison in his ear and then not long after marries his wife. Hamlet then is told about a ghost that is haunting the kingdom Hamlet declares to see this ghost and ask it questions because they think it is his father. Hamlet sees the ghost and ask it what its purpose is for being in the kingdom and Hamlet says “To be, or not to be”(3.1.63) speech and he felt he needed to find the truth in the ghost’s words of wisdom so he would know how to respond to the ghost and that's how Hamlet finds out that Claudius…

    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Isolation: a Comparative Essay. Hamlet and Gertrude
    • 1587 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Isolation: a Comparative Essay. Hamlet and Gertrude

    Hamlet's mother Gertrude and Uncle Claudius both betray his trust. The actions of his uncle, Claudius, are the cause of Hamlet's reactions throughout the play which isolates Hamlet from the only family that he…

    • 1587 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Ghost Of King Hamlet Analysis
    • 309 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Ghost Of King Hamlet Analysis

    In Act I scene V, the ghost of King Hamlet intends to ensnare Hamlet because it seeks revenge against Claudius for killing him. The ghost of King Hamlet announced to Hamlet that he did not die from a snake bite but instead was killed by Claudius during the time of sleep. With Hamlet being desperate to communicate with his father, he is attentively listening to every word that the ghost of King Hamlet gives to him. The ghost of King Hamlet knows that Hamlet loves his father very much therefore he takes advantage of him by announcing that he must “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (I.V. 31). The ghost of King Hamlet is trying to entrap Hamlet into murdering Claudius by reassuring him that the deed or killing Claudius must be done…

    • 309 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Role of Women in Hamlet, Gilgamesh and the Odyssesy
    • 1088 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Role of Women in Hamlet, Gilgamesh and the Odyssesy

    result of his mother's actions, Hamlet strives to seek revenge against Claudius for the death of his father. In order to marry Gertrude, Claudius kills his brother. Therefore, Gertrude is the driving factor for the whole setup of the play.…

    • 1088 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Theme Of Seeking Revenge In Hamlet
    • 503 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Theme Of Seeking Revenge In Hamlet

    Throughout the tragedy of Hamlet, Shakespeare writes about Hamlet’s journey of seeking revenge. The play begins with Marcellus and Barnardo taking watch over the Denmark castle one night and running into a ghost in the shape of King Hamlet who recently passed. Along with these two men enters Francisco and Horatio, Hamlet’s friends, who also witness the appearance of the ghost and decide to inform Hamlet of what they have seen. After explaining to Hamlet what they have seen they advise him to see for himself at midnight upon their next watch, and sure enough the ghost reappears. As Hamlet follows the ghost it describes the actions that led to his death, explaining that Claudius murdered him, then asks Hamlet to avenge him. In the midst of asking Hamlet to punish Claudius he also says, “Taint not thy mind, not let thy soul contrive/Against thy mother aught. Leave her to Heaven/And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge/…

    • 503 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Gertrude's Guilt In Hamlet
    • 646 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Gertrude's Guilt In Hamlet

    At the end of Act III of Hamlet, Claudius has been sent reeling with guilt after seeing his own act of murder carried out on stage. The King begins to pray as his own repentance for his sins all the while he is being spied on by Hamlet who decides that rather than use this opportunity to fulfill his revenge, he should postpone it so that Claudius would not be able to enter heaven.…

    • 646 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet's Emotions in the First Soliloquy
    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Hamlet's Emotions in the First Soliloquy

    In the play Hamlet, Shakespeare creates a rich emotional fabric in Hamlet's first soliloquy. From the first lines of the soliloquy, we can find such emotions as depression, disillusion, anger, and even the hatred and disgust for Hamlet's mother and uncle. The first line in the soliloquy shows us depression: "O! that this too too solid flesh would melt,/Thaw and resolve itself into a dew" (Shakespeare 42). Hamlet's depressive spirit is explained by that he is tired of life and wants to die. The reason for this is that all of the events, like King Hamlet's death or Claudius's marriage with Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, which happens with the Prince press on him. As for the being disillusion about the Queen, when she marries Claudius, Hamlet asks himself "why, she would hang on him,/As if increase of appetite had grown" (Shakespeare 42). Hamlet feels disillusioned about his mother because after two months when his father dead, she married Claudius. In Hamlet's opinion his mother betrayed his fathers love. Also Hamlet feels too angry with his uncle, so he compares Claudius with his father, who was "so excellent a king" and says about the new king "that was, to this,/Hyperion to a satyr" (Shakespeare 42). The young Prince can't understand how his uncle can be a better king than his father. Hamlet is angry with Claudius because that "satyr" married his mother and called Hamlet his son, without asking his opinion or wish. Hamlet is not only angry with his uncle, but also he hates Claudius: "My father's brother, …/within a month,/Ere yet the salt of most unrighteous tears/Had left the flushing in her galled eyes" (Shakespeare 44). Hamlet hates his uncle because Claudius seduced his mother. But the strongest emotion Hamlet has in my mind is disgust about his mother: "a beast, that wants discourse of reason" (Shakespeare 42). Young Hamlet thinks that his mother betrayed his father love while marrying Claudius. Also Prince thinks that his mother is like all other women, he…

    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Theme Of Betrayal In Hamlet
    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Theme Of Betrayal In Hamlet

    Tragically, the state of Denmark is lead falsely to believe that a poisonous snake was the cause of his death. In reality, the king’s death was a murder committed by his brother-and-current-king, Claudius. During the course of the play, Claudius claims in his soliloquy, “I am still possessed / Of those effects for which I did the murder: / My crown, mine own ambition, and my queen. May one be pardoned and retain th’ offense?” (III, iii, 57-60). He recognizes his fault through repentance, but his ambition undermines his ability to abandon the throne. Being the king’s brother, Claudius’s coronation is a natural duty. It opposes the grief and relieves the mourning of the people of Denmark. In actuality, his ambition for power causes him to betray his loyalty towards his brother. Even though he deceives his subjects by compelling them to place their trust in his kingship, his duplicity does not go unseen for long. The first person to see through his deceit is prince Hamlet, when an apparition of the king Hamlet, prince Hamlet’s father, tells him, “Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard, / A serpent stung me. So the whole ear of Denmark / Is by a forged process of my death / Rankly abused. But know, thou noble youth, / The serpent that did sting thy father’s life / Now wears his crown” (I, v, 42-47). The appearance of the ghost itself shows the unnatural nature of Claudius’s murder and symbolizes…

    • 809 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Essay On Free Will In Hamlet
    • 1409 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Essay On Free Will In Hamlet

    However, that is the fact that he has to face since his meeting with the Ghost. Since the beginning of the story, Hamlet has suspicious about Claudius being the killer; however, after meeting with the Ghost, all of the Hamlet’s actions are based on the “fact” that Claudius murder the king by pouring poison through his ears. This including The Mousetrap. Meeting with the Ghost makes Hamlet discard all of his previous postulations and putting his mind on the direction that the Ghost pointed to. The Ghost also forbids Hamlet from any murderous intentions toward Gertrude, he also order Hamlet to stop Gertrude’s relationship with Claudius.…

    • 1409 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Deception in Hamlet
    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Deception in Hamlet

    Deception is a recurring theme in Hamlet. In a tale of murder, love, and politics, deception could have no more fitting place. The lies and pretensions interweave each other, and there is no character left out of this web. All the central characters have their secrets to hide and mistruths to spread, and this is central to the plot and its progression.…

    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Gertrude Did Not Know About King Hamlet's Murder
    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Gertrude Did Not Know About King Hamlet's Murder

    Now wears his crown.” It basically indicates that Claudius was the person who killed him. Nevertheless, the ghost never mentioned that Gertrude was involved in this crime. It also did not want Hamlet to take a physical revenge upon her, but make her suffer from the guilty for the rest of the life. The reason the ghost criticize her was not because of the murder, but the incestuous thing she has done, betraying himself and married Claudius in such a brief time. Also, Gertrude seemed to still care about Hamlet a lot and treat him pretty as a normal mother would do. It would be particularly surprising if she then, apparently genuinely, worried and wondered over Hamlet’s behaviour, wanting him to stay with her at court and hoping that he would look positively on his uncle: ‘let thine eyes look like a friend on Denmark’; ‘let not thy mother lose her prayers.. I pray thee stay with us ...’…

    • 413 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Claudius in Hamlet
    • 1034 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Claudius in Hamlet

    Claudius starts off in Hamlet by taking the key role of mourner as he is mourning the death of his brother. This quickly shifts though as the ghost enters and says, “…that incestuous, that adulterate beast” (1.5.42). This is stating to the audience that Claudius has in fact done something that is frowned upon, and that it is just a matter of who knows about what happened and why. We soon learn exactly what he has done. King Claudius has killed his very own brother and taken his brother’s wife as his own. This becomes clear when we hear about what “is rotten in the state of Denmark” and how he has taken the Queen with “the witchcraft of his wit” (1.5.47). We soon learn that Claudius cannot be the one doing everything for himself. Hamlet knows that Claudius is the one who has killed his father and it soon becomes obvious that they both feel the need to kill each other before the truth comes out to everyone else.…

    • 1034 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Betrayal in Hamlet
    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Betrayal in Hamlet

    In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Shakespeare uses the consequences and deaths thrust upon his characters to convey that a betrayal of one’s trust can lead to negative consequences. By having his characters suffer through many tragedies, such as insanity or losing someone, Shakespeare reinforces his point with his main subjects. Claudius was most prominent example of this sad truth. Everything terrible that happened throughout the story was caused, whether directly or indirectly, by his cruel deed. When Claudius murdered his own brother in despicable act of deception he sealed the fate of everyone he came in contact with. The murder of Hamlet’s father causing him to go mental and swear revenge. Him acting crazy caused him to not only break Ophelia’s heart but also murder her father (when he mistook Polonius for Claudius). The murder of Polonius along with his insanity also caused Hamlet to be sent away to England. Since Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were going to betray Hamlet he had them killed instead, something that never would have happened had Hamlet not been sent off. Ophelia then kills herself because of her new mental issues which causes Laertes and Hamlet to fight over her love. Laertes ends up dead after conspiring with the king to have a poisoned/sharpened blade during the duel. Gertrude is then murdered because of a poison drink Claudius prepared. Finally Claudius circle of misdeeds returns to him and causes his own passing. Every death and consequence that happened could have been avoided had Claudius not killed his brother in the ultimate act of disloyalty.…

    • 577 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Unspoken Truth (Hamlet Analysis)
    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Unspoken Truth (Hamlet Analysis)

    Hamlet cannot be classified as both a sweet prince and an eager, ambitious young man. He has a sweet, considerate personality; however, it is shielded by stronger emotions. Instead of ever seeing Hamlet’s kind side, the reader is immediately introduced to the broken side of Hamlet, full of pain and confusion later to be expressed as revenge."She married. O, most wicked speed, to post. With such dexterity to incestuous sheets! It is not nor it cannot come to good: But break, my heart; for I must hold my tongue.”(Act I Scene II) It is here that the sensitive side of Hamlet is revealed. Here he is angered by his mother's immediate marriage to Claudius. It is difficult for Hamlet to show that he is depressed and angered, his mother and uncle don’t believe it is because of their marriage that he is upset, they believe he is still dwelling on the death of his father. It is not until Hamlet’s soliloquy that the reader comprehends his feelings and sense of emotion. From experience I know that my parents always tell me to tell them when I’m conflicted, unfortunately for Hamlet, he feels his mother will not care to know what her son is feeling. Later in Act III Scene IV, Hamlet again comes across as the sensitive, concerned type. When with his mother, Hamlet appeals to his mother, asking her to keep her distance from her husband, (King Claudius) he…

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Hamlet Response Paper
    • 1079 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Hamlet Response Paper

    The main grievance Hamlet has with his uncle is the murder of his father, the king. Already grieving over death of his father, Hamlet discovers, by confession of his father, that Claudius murder him in order to become king. Called to action by his friend Horatio and the guards who have witness appearances of a ghost during their night watch, Hamlet goes to confront the ghost that looks like the late King Hamlet. A ghost doomed to walk the earth for an unspecified number of years to atone for the sins that he was not able to confess, King Hamlet Sr., tells the prince that he was murdered by Claudius through foul means. He states, “Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder. Murder most foul, as in the best it is; But this most foul, strange and unnatural” (249), demanding that Hamlet, his son, avenge his ill-conceived death. Overcome with grief and anger at the injustice done to him (as Claudius has managed to steal the crown from him) and his father, Hamlet begins to plot his vengeance. However, being the only one who has talked to ghost, Hamlet, wanting to ensure that…

    • 1079 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More