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George Washington University

Hamlet's Mother
Author(s): Baldwin Maxwell
Source: Shakespeare Quarterly, Vol. 15, No. 2 (Spring, 1964), pp. 235-246
Published by: Folger Shakespeare Library in association with George Washington University
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2867894 .
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Hamlet'sMother
BALDWIN MAXWELL

N an articleentitled"The Character of Hamlet'sMother"


(ShakespeareQuarterly,
VIII (I957), 20i-206), MissCarolyn
Heilbrunexpressedstrongdisagreement withwhathadbeen
thegenerally
acceptedestimateof Queen Gertrude.Seemingly
unawareoftheessaybyProfessor Draper',theQueen'smost
ardentdefender,
MissHeilbrunwrotethat"critics, withno
exception
thatI havebeenable to find,haveacceptedHamlet'sword'frailty'
as applyingto [Gertrude's]whole personality,
and have seen in her . . . a
characterofwhichweakness andlackofdepthandrigorous intelligence arethe
entireexplanation" (p. 20i). She, as had Professor Draper,rejectedalmost
in tototheviewsofsuchcritics as A. C. Bradley,MissAgnesMackenzie, H.
Granville-Barker,2
andothers whohaddedaredtheQueen"weak","neutral", or
"little
morethana puppet".
Professor
Draper,whothought Gertrudeinnocent ofadultery priorto King
Hamlet'sdeath,notonlydeniedherweaknessbutexcusedherhastyand in-
cestuousmarriageas politically
necessary becauseofa national "a marriage
crisis,
moreofconvenience thanoflove"(p. i2i). To himtheQueenappeared "dig-
nified,
gracious,
andresourceful", onewho"asa wife,as a mother, as a queen. . .
seemsto approximate, if not theElizabethanideal,at leastthe Elizabethan
norm".She is,he insisted, "no slaveto lust"(pp. i23, i26). It is onlyon this
lastpointthatMiss Heilbrunand Professor Drapermarkedly disagreed. A1-
thoughpersuaded thatGertrude was innocent of adultery priorto theelder
Hamlet'sdeath,Miss Heilbrunarguedthather marriageto Claudiuswas
brought aboutnotbya needto settlea nationalcrisis, notbythewitchcraft of
Claudius'wit,butbylustalone,"theneedof sexualpassion"in herwidow-
hood.Apartfromthispassion, theQueenis,MissHeilbrunbelieved, a "strong-
1 JohnW. Draper,"Queen Gertrude", The Hamlet of Shakespeare'sAudience(Durham: Duke
University Press, I938), pp. 109-126. The essay firstappeared in Revue Anglo-Amicain for
1934.
2To Bradley"The Queen was not a bad-heartedwoman.... But she had a softanimal
nature,and was verydull and veryshallow.She lovedto be happy.... The beliefat the bottomof
her heartwas thatthe world is a place constructed simplythatpeople may be happyin it in a
good-humoured sensualfashion"(ShakespeareanTragedy,London: Macmillan,1929, p. i67).
Miss MackenziefollowsBradleybut is more severe.To her Gertrudeis "simply. . . stupid,
coarse,["cheap"] and shallow"."She has", continuedMiss Mackenzie,"the qualitiesof a pleasant
animal-docility,kindliness,affection for her offspring,a couragein defenceof her mate. She
would have made a verylovable cat or dog" (The Womenin Shakespeare'sPlays,New York:
Doubleday,Page & Co., 1924, pp. 202, 224).
Granville-Barker was morekind. He saw Gertrudeas "a woman who does not mature,who
clingsto heryouthand all thatbelongsto it.... She is drawnforus withunemphatic and
strokes,
she has but a passivepart in the play's action.She moves throughout in Claudius' shadow; he
holds her as he had won her,by the witchcraft of his wit" (Prefacesto Shakespeare,3rd Series,
London:Sidgwick& Jackson, 1937,p. 284).
236 BALDWIN MAXWELL

minded, intelligent, succinct,and ... sensible woman",whois,exceptforher


description of Ophelia'sdeath,"conciseand pithyin speech,witha talentfor
seeingtheessenceofeverysituation presented before hereyes"(pp. 202-203).
This viewoftheQueen'scharacter is at suchvariance withthatpreviously
current thatonemaywishto reexamine herappearances in theplay,sceneby
scene,forlightupontheimpression Shakespeare soughtto create.Littletime
is neededtodo so,forhowever important thepartoftheQueenin thestory of
Hamlet,herrolein theplayis definitely subordinate. She appearsin tenofthe
play'stwenty scenes,butin thosetenscenesshespeaksfewerlinesthandoes
Ophelia,whoappearsin onlyfive;and,unlikeOphelia,theQueenis neverthe
centralordominant figure onthestage.Shespeaksbutonebriefasideandnever
theconcluding lineofa scene.To be sure,a giftedactress may,bycleverstage
business anda gracious manner, provide fortherolean illusionofimportance;
butthisimportance is notsupported by thelinesshe speaksand presumably
wasnotpurposed byShakespeare.
Practically all recent haveagreedthatGertrude
critics wasnotonlyinnocent
of complicity in themurderof herfirsthusbandbut whollyunawareof it.
Thatshewas,however, guiltyofan "o'erhasty [second]marriage", sheherself
Noris itpermissible
testifres. toseethatmarriage as otherthanincestuous. The
one sinof whichtheQueenhas beenaccusedbutof whichherguiltmaybe
debatable is thatshehad beenClaudius'mistress whiletheelderHamletwas
alive.
Whenin I. ii, theQueenappearson stageforthefirsttime,theaudience
has heardnothing whatsoever abouther.It is prejudiced neither in herfavor
noragainsther.She doubtless enters on thearmofKingClaudius;whodirects
his ingratiating smiletowards herduringpartof theremarkable speechwith
whichthesceneopensandfromwhichwe learnthathe,havingshortly before
losta brother, hasrecently takentowifehisbrother's widow.Incest, tobe sure-
a horrible sinin theeyesofbothchurchand state.Butwithsuchconsummate
skill has the King'sspeechbeenphrasedthatall on thecrowdedstage-orat
leastall but one-showneither shocknordisapproval. As a resulttheaudience
maynaturally assumethatthegeneralsatisfaction should outweighthe dis-
pleasure ofoneindividual, and,intheabsence ofotherdetails, accepttheunusual
marriage-at leastforthetimebeing-asan actwhichmaywellbe showntobe
bothwiseand-underthecircumstances-permissible.
AftertheKinghas explained thepresent situation and expressed "For all,
ourthanks", theQueen,apartperhapsfroma smile,offers no wordofthanks
forherself. She remains silentas theKinginstructs thedeparting ambassadors
and questions LaertesandPoloniuson theformer's desireto return to France.
Gertrude is thelasttospeak.UponHamlet'sbitter punning replytotheKing,
Notso,mylord.I amtoomuchinthesun,
theQueenmakesherfirst speech-sixlines,oneofthethreelongest
shespeaks
in theentireplay.She urgesHamletto "looklikea friendon Denmark",to
ceasemourning forhisfather
since
Thouknow'st'tiscommon.Allthatlivesmustdie,
through
Passing nature
toeternity.
HAMLET'SMOTHER 237
Thatshemisunderstands
Hamlet'sreplyto hercliche, it is
"Ay madam,
common",
isshown
byherthen
asking
Ifitbe,
Whyseemsit so particular
withthee?-
indicative
notonlythatshehasherself ceasedto mournherlatehusband's
death
butaswellthatshecompletely
failstounderstand Hamlet's
herson.After
answer,
theKing,hiscomposure recovered,quicklyspeaksthirty-one
lines,
endingwiththewishthatHamletremain ThiswishtheQueen
at Elsinore.
inherthird
nowseconds andlastspeech
ofthescene:
Letnotthymother Hamlet.
loseherprayers,
I praytheestaywithus,go notto Wittenberg.
Ninelineslater
allexeunt saveHamlet.
Suchis theQueen'sparton herfirst appearance.Shespeaksslightly over
ninelinesin herthreespeeches!-nine linesto theKing'sninety-four. Her
speechesareshort buthardly seemmore"concise andpithy" thanspeechin
dramaticversenormally is.Nordo they, composed as theyareofa cliche, a
misunderstanding,andanecho,encourage theviewthatsheis a "resourceful",
"strong-minded"woman, "with a talent
forseeingtheessence ofevery situation
presentedbeforehereyes".Perhaps, too,herobedient risingat theKing's
"Madam, come",suggests herdomination byhim.Sucha suggestion is sup-
portedbyherleaving thestageinthree laterscenes
uponsimilar words from the
King ("Come,Gertrude", IV.i; "Let'sfollow, Gertrude", IV.vii; "Sweet
Gertrude,leaveus",III.i) andbyheronlyoncespeaking as shemakes herexit.
Suchis ourintroduction toQueenGertrude. So muchdo we knowabout
herwhenHamletlaterinthescene, inhisfirst
soliloquy,expresseshisdisgust
thathismother
A little
month, orerethoseshoeswereold
Withwhich shefollowed mypoorfather's
body
LikeNiobe,alltears,
whyshe,evenshe-
0 God,a beast
thatwants ofreason
discourse
Wouldhavemourned longer-marriedwithmineuncle,
Myfather's
brother....
O.,mostwicked topost
speed,
Withsuchdexteritytoincestuous
sheets!
Thatunusualmarriage, uponwhichwe hadearlier in thescenepassedno
wenowbegin
verdict, toquestion.
ButHamlet isonlyone;thecourt as a whole
hadseemedneither ofthemarriage
todisapprove nortocondemn itshaste.
Yet
view,as wearesoontolearn,
Hamlet's is notpeculiartohim,doesnotspring
fromthwartedambition or froman excessoffilialaffection
forhismother.
Before
weagainseeQueenGertrude wearetohearanother oneemi-
witness,
nently tojudgeher.Threescenes
qualified theGhost
later ofthedeadkingisto
inform
Hamlet thathisuncle,
. . . thatincestuous,
thatadulteratebeast,
Withwitchcraft ofhi'swit,withtraitorous
gifts-
0 wicked witandgifts,thathavethepower
238 BALDWIN MAXWELL

So toseduce!-wontohisshameful lust
The willofmymostseeming-virtuous queen....
Butvirtue, as itneverwillbemoved,
Thoughlewdness courtitin theshapeofheaven,
So lust,thoughtoa radiant angellinked,
Willsateitself bed
in a celestial
Andpreyon garbage.
Surelywe arenotnow likelyto attribute Gertrude'squietnessduringherearlier
appearanceeitherto remorsefor her o'erhastymarriageor to an awareness
thatherformerhusbandwas to herpresentas "Hyperionto a satyr".
But, one may ask, is the Ghost a whollydisinterestedwitness?Are we to
accepteverything he relates?Does he reallyknow whereofhe speaks? To the
accuracyof his knowledgeof the presentand the future,I mustreturnlater,
but I thinkit can hardlybe contestedthatwe are to assumethathe has, from
his vantage point beyond the grave, learned specificallyall that concerned
his murder.He was asleep when the poison was pouredinto his ear, and the
dumb-showof the play-within-the-play-though that at best is only Hamlet's
interpretationof what the Ghosthad revealed-doesnot show him as awaken-
ing beforehe died. Yet, be it noted,the Ghostrevealsnot onlythe identityof
themurdererand the,instanteffectwhichthe poisonhad upon him but,even
moreremarkable, the verypoisonused-the "juice of cursedhebona".Further,
confirms
the King's reactionto the play-within-the-play the Ghost'saccountof
the murderin everydetail.Must we not assume,therefore, that everyother
revelationof thepastwhichtheGhostgives is equallyaccurate:thatClaudius,
Withwitchcraft of his wit,withtraitorous
gifts
. . . wontohisshameful lust
The willof[the]mostseeming-virtuous queen.
Miss Heilbrun,who thinksGertrudehad notbeen Claudius' mistress, denies
of his wit. The
thatClaudius had won her by the witchcraft real reasonGer-
trude had enteredupon her hastysecond marriage,Miss Heilbrun claimed,
was givenbytheGhostlaterin thesamespeech:
Butvirtue,as itneverwillbe moved,
Thoughlewdness courtit in theshapeofheaven,
So lust,though toa radiant angellinked,
Willsateitselfin a celestial
bed
Andpreyon garbage.
But if we acceptas trueone partof theGhost'sspeech,mustwe not acceptthe
otheralso? And do not the last threelinesquoted above suggesta violationof
the marriagevows? That theywere intendedto do so is evidencedby the
Ghost'shavingprotested in thesamespeech,in linesimmediately preceding,that
his
... lovewasofthatdignity
That it wenthandin hand evenwiththevow
I madetoherinmarriage;
and that Hamlet understoodthe Ghost's words as indicatingGertrude's
is shownbyhischargingherin theClosetScenewith
adultery
HAMErS MOTHER 239
Suchanact
Thatblurs
thegraceandblushofmodesty,
... makesmarriage
vows
Asfalse
asdicers'
oaths.
So much,then,do we learnof Gertrude in ActI. On theselinesmustbe
basedtheoriginalimpression Shakespearewishedto giveus. It is interesting
and,I suspect,significantthata verylargepartofwhatwe haveso farlearned
ofGertrude andClaudiusrepresents modification orelaborationbyShakespeare
ofwhatis foundin Belleforest's account.There,ofcourse, Gertrude is neither
weaknorneutral. Although sheis notsaidtohaveparticipated in planning the
murder ofherhusband, shewasan accomplice afterthemurder, forshedid not
denyherlover'sclaimthatitwasin defence ofherthathe hadslainhisbrother.
Where,askedBelleforest, wouldone find"a morewickedand boldwoman?"
Sucha questionwouldneverbe askedbyonewriting oftheGertrude of the
play.Her character Shakespeare has decidedly softened,eventhoughin the
playsheappearsguilty on everycountcitedbyBelleforest exceptthatofgiving
support to a falseaccountof herhusband's slaying.Shakespeare has softened
hercharacter notonlybymakingherignorant of themurderofherhusband
butbyelaborating, in a waymosteffective uponthestage,thatartful craftof
Claudiusas reported in Belleforest's
account.Therethemurderer "covered his
boldnesseandwickedpractise withso greatsubtiltie andpolicie,and underthe
vaileofmeeresimplicitie ... thathissinnefoundexcuseamongthecommon
people,and of the nobilitiewas esteemed forjustice".Claudius'persuasive
cunning is furthersuggested byBelleforest's
observing thatGertrude,"as soone
as she oncegaveeareto [herhusband'sbrother], forgot boththerankeshe
helde... andthedutieofan honestwife".8 To portray thissmoothpersuasive-
nessand subtlecraftthedramatist introduced a brilliantdramatic touchfor
whichthereis no suggestion in Belleforest-the ingratiatingsmilingwhich
leadsHamlettodeclareClaudiusa "smiling damnedvillain", andtocryout:
Mytables-meet itisI setitdown
Thatonemaysmile, andsmile, andbe a villain.
AtleastI amsureitmaybesoinDenmark.
So muchforAct I. The Queen nextappearsin II. ii. Rosencrantz and
Guildensternhavebeensummoned to spyuponHamlet,and Gertrude's first
twospeeches merely
echoinfewerwordsthewelcome giventhembytheKing.
Withoneexception herfiveremaining speechesin thissceneareofonelineor
less,mostof themdesignedto breakand give a semblance of dialogueto
Polonius'artful
narration.
The oneexceptionis a speechoftwolinesin replyto
theKing'sreporting
toherthatPoloniusclaimstohavefound
Theheadandsource
ofallyourson'sdistemper.
The Queenreplies:
I doubt
itisnootherbutthemain,
His father's
death,and ouro'erhasty
marriage.
8 QuotedfromFurness,
Hamlet(Variorumed.), II, 93-94.
240 BALDWIN MAXWELL

Thisspeech, whichsomecritics (mistakenly, I think)haveseenas evidence that


theQueen'sconscience is alreadytroubled, Miss Heilbrunpronounced "con-
cise,remarkably to thepoint,and nota littlecourageous" (p. 203). One could
themorereadilyagreewithherhad Gertrude omitted theword"o'erhasty".
WhentheKingfirst announced hismarriage tohisbrother's widow,he passed
quicklyon to important affairsof state,butsincethenwe haveheardthein-
cestuous natureof thatmarriage emphasized bybothHamletand theGhost.
Arewe to assumefromhermentioning onlythehastiness oftheirmarriage-a
censurable indiscretionperhaps butnomortal sin-thatGertrude failedtorealize
thathermarriage toClaudius, no matter whenperformed, mustbearthegraver
stainofincest?As sheis at thetimealonewiththeKing,I thinkwe mustso
assume. Shehardly reveals here"a talentforseeingtheessence ofeverysituation
presented before hereyes".Buthowcanshehavebeensoblindtothetruenature
of hermarriage? The onlyexplanation wouldseemto be thatshe-is blinded
bythetraitorous giftsof Claudius,by thewitchcraft of hiswit.She thinksas
hedirects, actsashewishes.
The nextscenein whichtheQueenappearsis III. ii-the playscene.Here
sheis on stagefori87 linesandspeaksa totaloftwoand onehalflines.When
to herfirst speech,"Comehither, mydearHamlet,sitbyme",Hamletreplies
thathe prefers tositbyOphelia,theQueenis silentuntilI27 lineslater,when,
toemphasize thepurport ofsuchlinesas "Nonewedthesecondbutwhokilled
thefirst",Hamletasks,"Madam,howlikeyouthisplay?"She answers simply,
"The ladydothprotest toomuch,methinks"-a speechwhichneednotsuggest
stupidity,forshe,unlikeus,hasnotheardtheghostandknowsnotwhatis in
Hamlet'smind;butunlesswe aretothinkofheras an artful villainess
indeed,
thesimplicity of herreplyis enoughto urgehercomplete innocence of any
participation in themurder. She nowfollowstheplayintently, sayingnothing
moreuntil,whenthefrightened Kingrises,sheanxiously enquires"How fares
mylord?"In thisscenethen,asidefromthefirst clearindication thatGertrude
hasbeenno accomplice in themurder, we seein herjustwhatwe seein herin
otherscenes-herloveforherson,herdevotedconcern forClaudius,and her
remarkable quietness,withlongperiods ofsilence.
It is whenshenextappears, in III. iv-the so-called ClosetScene-thatthe
Queen has herbiggestpart.The sceneopenswithPolonius'hidinghimself
behindthearrasthathe mayoverhear theinterview between mother and son-
an interview in whichtheQueenhaspromised to "be roundwith him" in the
hopeof discovering thecauseof Hamlet'sstrange behavior. The schemehad
beenconceived byPoloniusand suggested to Claudiusin II. ii,whenGertrude
wasnoton stage.We do notwitness theKing'spersuading theQueento assist
inthiseavesdropping uponherson,butthatshehadreceived specific
instructions
on howtheinterview shouldbe conducted is brought outin herconversation
withPolonius beforeHamletenters:
Polonius:'A willcomestraight. Lookyoulayhometohim.
Tellhimhispranks havebeentoobroadtobearwith,
Andthatyourgrace hathscreened andstood between
Muchheatandhim.I'llsilence meevenhere.
Prayyouberound withhim....
Qaeen:I'llwarrant you;fearmenot.
HAMLET'S MOTHER 24I

The Queen had consented to these"lawfulespials",as she had consented


earlierwhenOpheliahad beenusedas a decoy,probably bothbecausesheis
hopeful thatsucha schememayindeedunearth thesecretof Hamlet'sstrange
behavior andbecausethestronger Claudiusis ablealwaysto dominate herwill
andpersuade hertoservehispurpose. Thatthissecondexplanation is soundis,
I believe,
shownbya departure whichShakespeare heremakesfromtheaccount
of theClosetSceneas relatedby Belleforest. In BelleforesttheKing and his
councillor,withouttakingthe Queen intotheirconfidence, arrangeforthe
councillortosecrete himselfwherehe mayoverhear mother andson;theQueen
notonlyhasnopartin planning theinterview, butdoesnotsuspect thepresence
oftheeavesdropper untilhe is discovered bythecrafty andsuspicious Hamlet's
beating hisarmsuponthehangings. BythischangeintheQueen'spartfromthat
ofan unwitting participantto thatof an activeaccomplice Shakespeare seems
to emphasize theextentto whichClaudiusdominates herand usesheras his
tool.
The Queenbeginstheclosetinterview withblusterand someconfidence.
Shehasapparently beenwellbriefed as towhatsheshallsay.ButwhenHamlet
provesrecalcitrant, whenin an uglymoodhe assumestheoffensive and byso
doingthrows heroutofthepartshehasbeencoachedtoplay,sheis fora brief
moment boldandstubborn. "WhathaveI done?"shecries:
WhathaveI done, thatthoudar'st wagthytongue
Innoisesorudeagainst me?
But as Hamletbecomesmorespecific in his charges,Gertrude has neitherthe
strength northeinclination to bluster it further.She appears,indeed,stricken
inconscience:
o Hamlet, speaknomore,
Thouturn'st mineeyesintomyvery soul,
Andthere I seesuchblackandgrained spots
Aswillnotleavetheir tinct.
Andagain,
o Hamlet, thouhastcleft myheart intwain.
Although in thisscenetheQueenhas morespeeches and morelinesthanshe
hasin anyotherscene,sheis throughout overshadowed byHamlet.In thesame
numberof speecheshe speaksfourtimesas manylinesas does she.Of her
twenty-four speeches,thirteen-more thanhalf-areone lineor less,and four
others arelessthantwolines.
Some of her speechesinvitecomment. Miss Mackenziehas notedthat
Gertrude seesherpenitence notas theconsequence ofherownactions butrather
a
as result of Hamlet's to
harshwords her:
o Hamlet, thouhastcleft myheart intwain.
Second,it is important
to notethatthequestionwhichshe,contrite,puzzled,
and helpless, to leave,"WhatshallI do?",
to Hamletas he prepares
addresses
thelackofinitiative
illustrates and independencewhichmarkherthroughout.
Too weaktodetermine anyprocedure shemustrelyuponothers
forherself, for
guidanceinevery action.
Morepuzzlingis theQueen'slastspeechin thescene-a replytoHamlet's
242 BALDWIN MAXWELL

I musttoEngland,
youknowthat?
Ger.Alack,
I hadforgot.
'Tissoconcluded
on.
No onehaseverquestioned Gertrude's
devotion to herson,although in urging
himearlierto "staywithus,go notto Wittenberg", shemayhavespokenthe
instructionsof Claudiusas well as her motherly affection.
It is impossible
thatby"I hadforgot" shecouldhavemeantotherthanthatthemanyunhappy
eventsoftheevening hadcrowded outofhermindtherealization thatHamlet
wastobe senttoEngland.ButtheKing'sdecision thathebe sentawayshehad
apparently acceptedwithoutprotestas one accustomed to accepting without
questionwhatothers decideforher.
In Belleforest's
accountthe Queen,althoughshe neverappearsafterthe
ClosetScene,is definitely
andactivelyan allyofherson,working in hisabsence
to facilitate
his revenge.In Shakespeare,althoughshe proteststo Hamlet:
Bethouassured,
ifwords bemadeofbreath,
Andbreathoflife,I havenolifetobreathe
Whatthouhastsaidtome,
and although she keepsherpromise, theQueenuttersnotone wordin con-
demnation ofthecrimes ofClaudiuswhichHamlethasrevealed toher,and in-
deedin theverynextscenegreetshimas "mineownlord".Neveris therean
in thelaterscenesthatherattitude
indication towardClaudiusor herrelations
withhimhavebeenalteredbywhatHamlethas toldher.True it is thatim-
mediately
following theClosetScenesheapparently
liestotheKingin an effort
toprotect
herson.Although Hamlethasconfessed toherthathe is "notin mad-
ness,Butmadincraft", sheassurestheKingthatHamletis
Madastheseaandwindwhenbothcontend
Whichisthemightier.
Inhislawless fit,
Behind
thearrashearing
something stir,
Whipsouthisrapier,cries'A rat,a rat!'
Andinthisbrainish
apprehensionkills
Theunseengoodoldman.
Andshereports
thatHamlethasgone
To drawapartthebodyhehathkilled;
O'erwhom hisvery likesomeore
madness,
Among a mineral
ofmetalsbase,
pure.'A weepsforwhatisdone.
Showsitself
One needhavelittlehesitation in concluding
thatGertrudeis herelyingin an
effort to renderHamlet'sact lessresponsible
and thereforemorepardonable.
The QueenhasnotseenHamletsincetheaudiencewitnessed theirparting,
and
Hamletwas surelynotweepingthen.But thoughtheQueenliesto helpher
son,itis important
toaddin anyassayofhercharacter thatit wasnotuponher
owninitiative thatshedoesso. Hereno morethanearlieris she actinginde-
pendently. Incapableofherself anycourseof action,sheis merely
determining
following thecoursewhichHamlethadsuggested toher.To herhelpless"What
shallI do?"Hamlethadreplied:
HAMLET'SMOTBIER 243

Notthis,bynomeans, thatI bidyoudo:


LetthebloatKing...
Makeyoutoravelallthismatter out,
amnotinmadness,
ThatI essentially
Butmadin craft. 'Tweregoodyoulethimknow,
Forwhothat'sbuta queen,fair, sober,wise,
Wouldfrom a paddock,from a bat,a gib,
Suchdearconcerningshide?Whowoulddoso?
No,indespiteofsenseandsecrecy,
Unpegthebasket onthehouse's top,
fly,
Letthebirds andlikethefamous ape,
To try inthebasket
conclusions, creep
Andbreak yourownneckdown.

Suchis Hamlet'ssarcastic directionin answerto theQueen'suncertain "What


shallI do?" She mustdecideuponsomecourseimmediately, fortheKing is
impatientlyawaiting a reportoftheinterview. Accordingly shefollowsHamlet's
direction;she lies to keephis secret, perhapsbecausematernal love demands
thatsheprotect him,butalso because,accustomed to havingothersmakeall
important decisionsfor her,she is incapableof substituting for Hamlet's
directionanyprocedure ofherown.
In Belleforest,as has beensaid,theQueenneverappearsaftertheaccount
of theinterview in hercloset.Although we learnlaterthatshehad kepther
promise to assisthersonin his revenge uponhersecondhusbandbyfashion-
ing,duringherson'sabsencein England,themeansofhisrevenge, we aretold
nothing ofherlaterlife-howsheconducted herself in herrelations withthe
King or how she died. In Shakespeare's play, however, she figures in five
laterscenes-exactly half of the totalnumber in which she appears.Her part
in thesescenes,having no basisin the olderaccounts, must have been added
eitherbyShakespeare orbytheauthorofan earlierlostplay.The first ofthese
scenesis thatjustmentioned-that in whichshereports to theKing.In only
one of them,IV. v, hernextappearance, doesshe revealanyremorse or any
senseofguilt;and beforetheend of thatscenehersenseof guiltseemscom-
pletelyerasedbya determination to followtheeasierway,to acceptthestatus
quo,tocontinue a wayoflifeshehadfoundpleasant.
IV. v openswithherrefusalto admitthemad Opheliato herpresence-
a refusaldue perhapsto a characteristic desireto escapeanydistressing situa-
tion,or perhapsto heralreadybeingburdened withgriefand remorse. When
Opheliaenters,Gertrudeis sympathetic but quite inarticulate. Her three
speechestoOpheliaare-infull:
r. How now,Ophelia?
2. thissong?
Alas,sweetlady,whatimports
3. Nay,butOphelia-

TLen,upontheKing'swelcomeentry, with"Alas,lookhere,mylord",the
Queenturnstheunpleasant overto himand retires
situation intosilenceuntil
Her unwillingness
afterOpheliahas departed. to see Opheliaand herinability
toexpressanywordsofcomfort orsympathymay,as I havesaid,be duein part
to herbeing,at themoment, tooheavilyoppressedbyherowngriefsand her
244 BALDWIN MAXWELL

Gertrude
own senseof guilt.As Opheliaenters, in an asidetheonly
offers
theClosetScene:
ofguiltshemakesafter
admission
is)
To mysicksoul(as sin'struenature
Eachtoyseemsprologue tosomegreatamiss.
isguilt,
jealousy
Sofullofartless
infearing
itself
Itspills tobespilt.
theQueenis tocryoutuponLaertes'mob
Beforetheendofthescene,however,
theKing:
threatening
Howcheerfully onthefalsetrailtheycry!
0, thisiscounter,
youfalseDanishdogsI
and,in orderto saveClaudius,is first to seizeLaertes'armand thento assure
himthatit wasnotClaudiuswhohad causedthedeathofhisfather. Having,
perhapsunconsciously, directedLaertes'hatredtowardsHamlet,sheoffers no
fullerexplanation and is silentfortheremaining ninetylinesof the scene.
Her extended silencehereis certainly notindicativeof remorse forherearlier
acts;it has been characteristic of herthroughout the play. In thissceneshe
revealsperhaps, as shereveals nowhere elsein theplay, thesensual sideof her
love forClaudius.Beforethesceneis halfoverhersenseof guilthas been
crowded outofhermind.She showsno repentance. UnliketheQueenin Belle-
forestor the Queen in the piratedfirstquarto,she has not alignedherself
on theside of herson.Now that.he has gone,she findsit easiersimplyto
continue thelifeshehad led beforehe had madehis dreadful Had
revelation.
Hamletremained in Denmark, hadhebeenathandtoremind herofherweak-
nessand to answerwhenever necessaryherquestion"WhatshallI do?" it is
possiblethathersenseofguiltmighthavepersisted, thatshemightevenhave
repented andchangedherwayoflife.Butwithout initiativeandindependence,
shecaninHamlet'sabsence withthecurrent.
onlydrift
Only twice,then,does Gertruderevealthe least remorse-inthe latter
partof theClosetSceneand in thesingleasideas sheawaitstheentrance of
themad Ophelia.Fromthattimeon, as earlierin theplay,heractionsand
speechesevinceno prickof conscience although theGhost,in his instructions
to Hamletin I. v, had impliedthatshewas to suffer theconsequence of her
sins.". .. Howsomeverthoupursuesthisact",the Ghosthad told his son,
norletthysoulcontrive
Taintnotthymind,
Againstthymotheraught.Leavehertoheaven
Andtothose thatinherbosom
thorns lodge
andsting
To prick her....
informed
The Ghostis, as I have noted,mostaccurately of the past.That
ghostswereoftenwell informed of thefutureis indicatedby Horatio'sbe-
theGhosttospeak
seeching
tothycountry's
Ifthouartprivy fate,
Whichhappily mayavoid.
foreknowing
ofthefuture
Butthatghostsmightbe ignorant of
and evenuncomprehending
is shownin The SpanishTragedyby therepeated
thepresent by
questioning
The GhostofKingHamlet
theplayunfold.
theGhostofAndreaas he watches
HAMET'S MOTHER 245
clearly hissontosweepto a swiftrevenge;
expects he doesnotunderstand the
delay;norsurelydid he expectsuchcomplete to engulftheentire
catastrophe
In spiteofhisexactknowledge
royalfamily. it wouldap-
ofthepast,therefore,
pearthattheGhost'sknowledge of theimmediatepresentand of thefuture
was fartoolimitedto warrant our acceptance
as testimonyof Gertrude's
re-
morsehismention of
. . . those thatinherbosom
thorns lodge
To prick andsting
her....
Indeed,ifonemay,without lifeand art,delveintothepastofchar-
confusing
actersin a drama,it maybe said thatKing Hamlethad everbut slenderly
knownhis wife.Createdin an heroicmould,he understood not themortal
frailties
whichmight leadhis"mostseeming-virtuous
queen"
todecline
Upona wretchwhosenatural werepoor
gifts
To those
of[his].
Justas he had,before learning beendeceived
ofhertransgressions, byhiswife's
seeming-virtue,so,afterlearning ofthem,he her
expected to be torturedbythe
stingsofconscience.He wasapparently twicedeceived.
Butto continue tracingtheQueen'spartin theplay.She appears, ofcourse,
in all of thelastthreescenes.She enterslatein IV. vii,aftertheKing and
Laerteshavecompleted theirplansforbringingaboutHamlet'sdeath,and in
herlongestspeechin the playannouncesOphelia'sdrowning. Her purpose
here, however, is that of a messenger;her speechthrows littlelighton her
character-and certainlyrevealsno awarenessofherownresponsibility forthe
younggirl'sdeath.
In V. i, the scenein thegraveyard, the Queen firstmentions in a single
her
speech thwarted hope that OpheliamighthavebeenHamlet'sbride,and
then,as Hamletand Laertesstruggle in the grave,she,in her remaining
speeches,follows-theleadofClaudius:
King:Pluckthemasunder.
Queen:Hamlet,Hamlet!
King:0, heismad,Laertes.
Queen:ForloveofGod,forbear
him.
Then:
Thisismere
madness;
Andthusa whilethefitwillworkon him.
Anonaspatientasthefemaledove...
Hissilence
willsitdrooping.
The Queen,ofcourse, doesnotknowofthetreachery byClaudiusand
plotted
Laertes.She mustby thesespeecheshave soughtto end thestruggle in the
graveandtolessenLaertes'resentment at Hamlet'sbehavior,
butit is noticeable
-and I thinkcharacteristic-that
in eachofherspeeches sheechoesorenlarges
uponideasjustexpressedbyClaudius.
sceneoftheplay,theQueenforthefirst
In V. ii,theconcluding time,I be-
lieve,actswithinitiative
and speaksforherself.
Justbeforethecourtentersto
246 BALDWIN NVAXWEJL

watchthefencing match, an unnamedlordbringsa messageto Hamlet:"The


Queen desiresyou to use somegentleentertainment to Laertesbeforeyou
fallto play".As theeffect ofthismessagewouldbe to lessenanysuspicions of
foulplay,to encourage Hamlet'sacceptance ofthematchas a "brother's wager
frankly play[ed]",one is tempted to suggestthatthe Queen'smessagemay
haveoriginated withtheKing,thathereas earliertheQueenis beingusedto
further theplanofanother. (It willbe remembered thatimmediately afterthe
play-within-the-playPoloniusbroughtHamletwordthat"theQueen would
speakwithyou,and presently" (III. ii. 359),but,as previously noted,theidea
of the interview was not theQueen's.It had originated withPolonius,and
theKing,to whomhe suggested it (III. i. i82ff.),had off-stage persuaded the
Queento cooperate.)However,in theabsenceof anystatement to the con-
trary, I presumewe mustacceptthe messageas thelord deliversit, as the
Queen'sownsuggestion. And in somerespects it is a thoroughly characteristic
suggestion, revealing as it doesherrecurring hopethatin spiteof all thathad
gonebefore, sheandothers, without beingrequired topaythepriceofpenitence,
maygo on enjoying thepresent bysimply refusing to remember thepast.
Duringtheclosingscenethe Queen is silentforthe firstsixtyonelines
sheis on stage.She thenwithina spaceoftwenty-four lineshas fourspeeches,
totaling six pentameter lines.She refersto Hamlet'sscantness of breathand
offershernapkintomophisbrow.Then,forthefirst timein theplayescaping
thedominance ofClaudius,sheactsindependently andcounter to hisexpressed
wish-andhercrossing himmeansherdeath.
Queen:. . . Thequeencarouses
tothyfortune,
Hamlet.
King:Gertrude, donotdrink.
Queen:I will,mylord;I prayyoupardon
me.
And so shedrinksfromthepoisonedcup.I can seeno justification whatsoever
fortheviewof a criticwho soughtto defendtheQueen'scharacter by sug-
gestingthatshe,suspecting thewinetobe poisoned, drankittoprotectHamlet
andto atoneforthewrongsandsinsofherpast.Others, liketheauthorofthe
New ExegesisofShakespeare (i859), haveremarked thatherdeathwas"as
negativeas possible-that
exquisitely is, by poison,fromher own hand, in a
VINOUS BEVERIDGE [sic], and THROUGH MISTAKE."4 Buthowever negativeher
death,it was,ironically, theresultof herone act of independence. And her
finalspeech,in answerto the Kings-hastyexplanation, "She soundsto see
thembleed":
No,no,thedrink,
thedrink!0 mydearHamlet!
thedrinkI
Tle drink, I ampoisoned-
Hereforthefirst timetheQueenseemsto understand theessenceof thesitu-
ation.Onlyin thislastspeechdoessherecognize
oradmittoherselfthevillainy
of hersecondhusband.Onlyhere-longafterhercounterpart in Belleforest
haddoneso-does shetakeherposition besidehersonandagainsttheKing.
ofIowa
University
4New Exegesis of Shakespeare;interpretation of his principalcharactersand plays on the
principle
ofraces(Edinburgh:A. & C. Black,i859, p. 66).

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