Gertrude 1

One can see by the article that Gertrude is one of the most complex characters
of Hamlet because throughout the play her motives are somewhat ambiguous. Many
of her actions are highly debated, such as her marriage to Claudius. Shakespeare
suggests that it was an affair, but he than suggests it wasnt. The entire business is
rather sketchy, and ones view of it really depends on their opinion of Gertrude. Its also
implied that Gertrude could have known that her husband was murdered by Claudius
and she helped. Again, the decision of what she knows depends on the readers
opinion. Another thing one wonders is if Gertrude knew the wine was poisoned when
she drank it. If so, she becomes the mother she hasnt been this whole time, and if not
she just wanted wine. In addition, Hamlet has an unhealthy obsession with his mothers
sex life, a fact that shows how problematic Hamlet is.

Gertrude 2
This article is basically saying that Gertrudes love of sex and herself is what
causes her downfall. She is shallow and doesnt care much for others, based on this
article, and is just a ditz who wanted to get laid. (Some of the details of the play
however contradict this theory.) The article also how Gertrude tells many white lies to
protect those she loves from pain, like Laertes and Hamlet. Underneath it all, Gertrude
is a woman made of love, and not hate, as seen by her protection of Hamlet even when
he is beastly to her. Lastly, this article suggests that Gertrude drinks the wine in blind
trust, and just because the cup was pretty. (This also seemed a bit off but whatever.)

Not So Innocent Ophelia

It is suggested here that Ophelia is pregnant and Hamlet is the father. This
article says that she got pregnant before Hamlet left, and is now in a tricky situation
when Hamlet comes back and rejects her. Ophelia is completely insane when she
commits suicide, but for legitimate reasons. She is pregnant out of wed lock and her
boyfriend is abusing her a bit. Hamlet played her and was only using her, and now
Ophelia is paying the price. Thats enough to make anyone go insane. Ophelia may
have not been as innocent as she is often portrayed, but she is still just a girl who ended
up in a bad situation and died from heart break.

Defending Claudius
This article basically brings up every problem Hamlet has with Claudius and
explains it/denounces it. First is that Claudius is ugly, but only Hamlet refers to him this
way. No other characters believe Claudius ugly, so this is just Hamlet being mad. Next
is that Claudius is a drunk, but no where in the play does the audience see him drunk,
most of the time he is the most intelligent in the room. Hamlet also accuses Claudius of
being coarse with his queen, but Hamlet has an unhealthy obsession with his mothers
sex life, so its understandable why he would think that. Third is how Claudius took
Hamlets crown, which though unethical, wasnt stealing. The king died and Hamlet was
absent, so Claudius became king, its not un lawful. Last is that he is a murderer, and
there isnt really a defense for that. Claudius did kill his brother and tried to do Hamlet
in.