Hamlet: Gertrude and Ophelia

Nature and Goals

• Both Ophelia and Gertrude live male-centric lives, but Ophelia in particular is a character that exists only to highlight the characteristics of men, this is reflected in the fact that she only appears in 5 out of the 20 scenes of the play, she has no scenes by herself, nor does she have any soliloquies (if her short lament in A3 S1 is not counted as a soliloquy) or asides to enable the audience to know her better. Therefore, it is hard for audience to understand her character deeper than the surface level character that Shakespeare presents.
• The audience is left unsure of which side Gertrude is on, she could be a cunning accomplice which would fit the trope of the devious woman, or she could be a naïve woman who is completely ignorant of situations around her.

Relationships

Ophelia

• She doesn’t seem to have any significant relationship with any of the characters, maybe with the exception of Laertes, but even then, their relationship is still very distant. Generally, she is closer to Laertes than she is to her father, which can be inferred from the quote ‘let me hear from you’ (A1 S3 Line 3). Following this she replies with a question ‘No more but so?’ (A1 S3 line 9), to which Laertes replies. This makes Laertes response seem more like advice and not a command. In Trevor Nunn’s 1970 production, the audience watches Ophelia and Laertes sing a duet, showing their close bond. Nunn emphasises that there is harmony within the family and Helen Mirren presents Ophelia as a sweet and innocent girl.
• By contrast, Polonius mocks her affections and opinions with the line ‘Affection? Puh! You speak like a green girl.’ (A1 S3 line 101) The fact that Polonius’ tone is condescending therefore makes his attitude seems scornful rather than loving, it somewhat invalidates her world view and experiences.  A green girl is one who characteristically naïve and romantic in her view of the world. In contemporary 17^th century productions to emphasise her perceived innocence, Ophelia was dressed in virginial white to contrast Hamlet’s melancholy black. 
• With men, Ophelia’s character seems to be constrained and supressed into what the men want her to be at that present moment, meaning that she ultimately has no autonomy. In A1 S3 Polonius seems to want Ophelia to be the obedient daughter in order for her to protect his reputation. Shown by the quotes ‘Marry I’ll teach you.’ (line 105) and ‘You’ll tender me a fool’ (line 109).
• Hamlet initially wants Ophelia to be the faithful recipient of his love which is embodied in the quote ‘Doubt thou stars are fire // Doubt that the sun doth move // Doubt truth to be a liar // But never doubt I love.’ (A2 S2 lines 116-119). But then in A3S1, he wants her to be nothing to him ‘o thy way to a nunnery’ (A3S1) In Kenneth Brannagh’s 1996 film, Kate Winslet plays Ophelia as a consenting partner in a full sexual relationship with Hamlet, and there are flashbacks to her having intercourse with him. In the play the extent of Hamlet and Ophelia’s relationship is never confirmed, if they did have a sexual relationship, this would have been viewed as a transgression against divine law and the principles of morality that were set out by Biblical ideas that were fundamental in society.

Gertrude

• She at first seems to be an equal in her and Claudius’ relationship, as up until A3S1 she is present in his private meetings, however, in A3S1 line 29, the scene preceding the nunnery scene, he asks her to leave. But even so, he still reveals to her the full extent of his plans in lines 29-37 of the same act and scene, perhaps suggesting his closeness with her. 
• Even Polonius gives her commands using the imperatives ‘Look’ and ‘Tell’ in the beginning speech of A3S4, lines 1 and 2. This could be perceived as being demonstrative of  women’s places in the social hierarchy; even though Gertrude is queen, her sex as a female still renders her subordinate to men, even those in lower positions than herself.
• This is supported by Hamlet’s treatment of her in A3S4, where he taunts and outrightly disrespects his mother with sarcasm ‘Mother, you have my father much offended’ (line 9) ‘wicked tongue’ (line 12). Neither her age, her parental authority, or position as Queen intimidate him. However, whilst interpreting Hamlet’s actions in this scene as only a sign of disrespect is valid, it is also possible that he was only putting on a, affectation of madness, to make his “insane disposition” all the more believable. 
• Like Ophelia, the audience only understands Gertrude through the male characters in the play. She is torn between Hamlet, her son, Claudius, her current husband, and Old Hamlet, her dead previous husband. It is unclear whether Gertrude was a willing abetter in OH’s murder, and whether she truly loves Claudius or not. Her most striking moment as a character is therefore in A5S2 when she defies Claudius’ command not to drink the wine, saying in line 269 ‘I will my lord, I pray you pardon me’. Whilst this could be interpreted as a Gertrude finally striking out on her own and not allowing her decisions to be influenced by the males in her life, it could also be read as her picking a side between the males; Hamlet and Old Hamlet over Claudius. With this interpretation, the play purports that the only way a woman can survive 
• All the women, knowingly or unknowingly, die by their own hands. Their connection to the men who were fated to die seems to guarantee them death by association.

Symbolic value

• Much of Ophelia’s story is similar to Hamlet’s as in the same way that Hamlet deals with the theme of death throughout much of the play, Ophelia deals with the theme of death in Act 4 Scene 5. She is not only driven to mental breakdown by her father’s death but the songs she sings talk about death and loss (‘He is dead and gone’ – A4 S5 line 30), in parallel to the many soliloquies that Hamlet has throughout the play which talk about death. In essence, Ophelia’s situation somewhat mirrors Hamlet’s as the death of their fathers, arguably drove them both to real madness, or in Hamlet’s case, heightened melancholia.
• It could be argued that both Gertrude and Ophelia only have their dimension in death as Ophelia’s defiance could be shown through her apparent suicide moreover, Gertrude’s death could also be seen as her only defiance against Claudius. The audience ultimately only gets to see a small part of their personalities, for a brief moment before their death. However, even then these acts of defiance are widely debated as they can be interpreted very differently, as it could be argued that Ophelia’s death was accidental, and that Gertrude’s death was solely due to her ignorance to the situations happening around her. 

Key Moments

• A4 S5: Ophelia’s madness is first shown, and she sings about death and loss. An alternative explanation for her talking about death in her songs could refer to her sexuality, as death in Elizabethan literature also referred to sexual climax meaning her song could be an extended metaphor.
• A4S7: Gertrude announces Ophelia’s death – her high point, her only speech free from male intervention. Still, it is short – her lines altogether summing up to 21. 
• A5 S2: Gertrude’s death, one of defiance or ignorance? 

Critics and Performances

• ‘Ophelia literally has no story without Hamlet.’ (Lee Edwards) – This links back to our initial ideas about Ophelia being a character that exists merely for the purpose of the male characters of the play and to exemplify their qualities and characteristics.
• ‘Ophelia is stifled by the authority of the male world.’ (Dunsinbere)  
• ‘Ophelia is deprived of thought, sexuality and language.’ (Elaine Showalter) 
• ‘Pleasing men is Gertrude’s main interest.’ (Smith)
• Polonius has ‘trained his daughter to be obedient and chaste and is thus able to use her as a piece of bait for spying.’ (Smith)
• ‘Her [Ophelia] love for her father is deep, though mingled with fear.’ (Bradley)
• ‘His [Hamlet’s] concern for reclaiming his mother’s purity distracts him from pursuing his father’s revenge.’ (Philip Edwards)
• In 1979 Melissa Murray’s production in agitprop theatre (political (usually communist) propaganda), Ophelia runs away to join a feminist guerrilla commune.  
• In Adrian Noble’s 1992 production, in one of the earlier scenes, Joanne Pearce’s Ophelia was led off like a little girl, wrapped in her father’s coat. This could highlight the fact that she was overprotected, however it could also show that she is smothered by the patriarchal society around her.