Gertrude as an Innocent Victim or a Sexually and Morally Corrupt Woman

Gertrude as an Innocent Victim or a Sexually and Morally Corrupt Woman in Hamlet Shakespeare’s character Gertrude is one of much mystery; in relation to this there are many questions that need to be answered to establish Gertrude’s innocence through out the play. Some examples of these questions are, was Gertrude in some kind of relationship with Claudius before the murder of her late Husband and did she know about the murder before or after it was committed? Does she love Claudius or is it just her status that she is protecting? And did she ever love the late King Hamlet? At the beginning of the play when we learn about the late King Hamlet’s death and Gertrude’s hasty marriage to his brother Claudius, we are faced with a question on the audience’s awareness. It can be assumed that the marriage to her brother- in-law is purely because of Gertrude’s weak personality, resulting in a dependency on men and the means of protecting her status and her power. We also question the love between the Gertrude and Claudius; this is because there is no suggestion of a resemblance between the late King and his brother. The description that we are given about late King Hamlet maybe slightly distorted, as it is Hamlet who tells us this, and he is noticeably loyal to his father. It is also possible to argue that the love that the late King and Gertrude shared was not that strong as the only evidence to suggest this has been told to us by Hamlet and he maybe slightly bias. First we notice that Gertrude does not display her grief for her dead husband, and suspicions mount when she also tells Hamlet that he should stop his mourning as well.... ...unishment upon death. She does not show any untoward hatred towards Claudius showing that she may not be aware of his cruel deed. In the end Gertrude drinks the poison which can suggest many things; that she has no knowledge of the poison or that she feels guilty of her late husband’s death, and cannot carry on with the corrupt behaviour between her husband and her son, or that she is protecting her son and saving his life. When she attempts to consume the drink she is stopped suddenly by Claudius, but she replies â€Å"I will my lord, I pray you pardon me†, is this the request of someone who is guilty, someone who is tired of the fighting between her two dearest or of someone with no awareness of what was going to happen? This for many readers is the critical part of the play in determining her innocence or guilt.