Sunday, April 15, 2012

Gertrude in Hamlet

     The interesting part is, Gertrude drinks from the goblet and killed because of the poison. Is it a mistake or a suicide? I think it can be suicide, Claudius might told her the plan. Maybe, she helped to Claudius for killing the old Hamlet. Claudius might told all his plans to her and at the end, she couldn't stand it and drinks it. These are the questions which can't explained. 

     What do you think about it? 

    Burcu

4 comments:

  1. I personally do not think this kind of a plan can be behind the storyline. Because, I think, the real thing is, Claudius is under the effect of Gertrude's power. My statement, of course, is a bit backed up with the psychoanalytical critism, but even when I put that argument away, there is no way that Gertrude is less powered than Claudius, either conscious or unconscious.

    Bengisu

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  2. I think it was an accident.If you were writing the play, that would be a good scenario! But you are right at some point. There is always some events that we can't explain or give meaning to them. That is what shakespeare really is.

    Batuhan

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  3. I think Gertrude does realise that Claudius is trying to cause harm to Hamlet one way or other, but whether she was aware that the drink in the cup was poisoned is something that I can never decide on. On the one hand, it wouldn't be unexpected for Claudius to prepare a drink for Hamlet and temper with it in one way or other, but on the other hand, Gertrude exclaims "the drink, the drink" before she dies, to make clear to Hamlet that it was the King who poisoned her (or would have poisoned Hamlet if she hadn't drunk it first)-- if it was suicide, why would she be so desperate to lay the blame on the King?

    -- Idil

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  4. Well, she insists on drinking it after Claudius tells her not to, doesn't she? What does this mean? Incipient rebellion? She's never been anything but pliant to his wishes before this, has she? And then of course she DISCOVERS that it's poisoned when she drinks it,-- if she didn't know before-- and this is knowledge of an important kind, about her own demise and about Claudius too, and she certainly wants to pass on this knowledge to her son ("The drink, the drink!"). So, could this be an example of eating of the tree of knowledge in defiance of the will of the Lord? "O taste and see!" (Denise Levertov) There's a lot of poison in the play, isn't there? Poison, venom, rank weeds, etc. So, a question: Is it KNOWLEDGE that is poison? How might this resonate with your psychoanalytic theory, Bengisu?

    CE

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