Thomas Hardy's The Withered Arm In Thomas Hardy's "The Withered Arm" Gertrude Lodge and Rhoda Brook, although two very different people, from different classes and upbringings, are linked by their love for one man, Farmer Lodge. With the help of fate their two separate destiny's become one. In the beginning we believe that Rhoda is the one who is responsible in the role of fate but as the story progresses we see that the burden is placed more and more upon Gertrude's shoulders. Throughout the story Gertrude's character changes significantly because of the effects and influences Rhoda is having on her life. Before Gertrude first met Rhoda she was young, innocent and had just married Farmer Lodge, she was kind and good-natured. When a horrible curse, placed by Rhoda, withers Gertrude's arm it has dramatic effects on her life. When Gertrude realises the seriousness of this mutilation it begins to have effects on her conscious, she realises that her husband no longer finds her attractive which causes her to become obsessive about getting rid of the curse that will plague her life. She becomes mixed up in potions and begins to deceive all those around her. Personally I believe that Gertrude's downfall was fate. Fate dealt Gertrude a massive blow when, many years after the initial disfigurement of her arm, she came to the realisation that Rhoda and Farmer Lodge where now together as a couple at their own son's hanging and that the Farmer no longer cared for or loved her anymore. In the beginning when we first meet Gertrude, one would never believe that such a kind and gentle girl could be anything like the character Rhoda saw in her dream, if anything we would believe Gertrude to be the complete opposite of that character. In Rhoda's vision we see a twisted and maimed character, this is a complete contrast to the person that Gertrude is at the beginning of the story, in the beginning when Hardy is first describing Gertrude I think he would like us to imagine her as perfect.
and killing the puppy, we know that it is only a matter of time before
The poem The Convergence of the Twain, by Thomas Hardy, is about the sinking of the Titanic. The title alone describes the ship and the iceberg meeting as one. By choosing this title, the author automatically conveys a seriousness of the poem. The author uses various literary techniques to convey his mockery and careless attitude towards the sinking of the ship.
Critics interpret Gertrude in a number of different ways; however, they tend to judge her by her silences or by wh...
Critics offer various views on Gertrude asserting her selfishness in marrying Claudius despite Hamlet’s feeling and her premature urging of hamlet to stop mourning his father (Connor). They claim that she demonstrates her dishonesty through her many lies to both herself and others (Mabillard). Additionally, Gertrude is considered lustful because of her incestuous
Although she may have been partially responsible for Claudius’ monstrous act of fratricide and although her marriage to Claudius may have been indirectly responsible for making a “monster” of Hamlet, Gertrude is never seen in the play inducing anyone to do anything at all monstrous. . . . When one closely examines Gertrude’s actual speech and actions in an attempt to understand the character, one finds little that hints at hypocrisy, suppression, or uncontrolled passion and their implied complexity. . . . She speaks plainly, directly and chastely when she does speak [. . .]. (81-82)
Have you ever got hooked on a book of murder? Have you ever got hooked on a book of when the person did it, why they did, and what happened next? That’s the book named “Tell-Tale Heart”.Tell-Tale heart is a short story that Edgar Allan Poe made. Tell-Tale heart is a story about why the author killed the old man. Because of his eye. The author said that the old man had the eye of a vulture. Yes,it is all coming back to me. I strongly believe that the story”Tell-Tale Heart” is appropriate for my age group(if they can handle it!!)
While Queen Gertrude may have seemed like a side character with no major involvement within the play, she is truly the center of conflict within the play. She married her brother-in-law after her husband mysteriously died, setting off the entire chain of events within the play. She is one of the driving forces, among other things, for Claudius to go out and murder his brother. Finally, she was the main motivator for many of Hamlet’s rash and dangerous actions. Gertrude, whether on purpose or unintentionally, creates and grows conflicts and challenges, making her the source of conflict in the play
Gertrude has an obsessive need to keep her crown, and remain Queen of Denmark despite potentially sacrificing her relations with the ones who love her- but more specifically, her son. This desire, although unaware, heavily contributes to the plotted madness of Hamlet, and supports the theory of being a self-centred, and a weak individual. Within two months of her husband’s organized death, Queen Gertrude remarries to King Hamlet’s brother, Claudius. With very likely chances of Gertrude being a lover to Claudius while married to King Hamlet, she would have been certainly convinced to be a part of the plot of his murder- and therefore playing the role of a cold villainess. The ghost of Hamlet informs his son of what has taken place, and assigns him to “Revenge [their] foul and most unnatural murder... that
Prior to the opening of the drama, Gertrude was having an incestuous affair with her husbands brother, Claudius. Claudius then killed his brother (King Hamlet), and shortly after married Gertrude. Prince Hamlet could not handle this and was disgusted by the entire situation. He then decided to put on an "Antic Disposition," meaning that he will pretend to be crazy in order to find out the details of what is going on. Gertrude observes that Hamlet is not his usual self, and she feels responsible because her remarriage is so soon after her old husbands death. This makes Gertrude feel absolutely terrible and could be a possible justification for suicide.
Gertrudes portrayal in Shakespeare's Hamlet evokes feelings of both disdain and empathy from the audience. The complexity that surrounds this somewhat minor character causes her to be hated by those who do not care to delve deeper. Through her remarriage to Claudius, and the mystery surrounding her former husband's death, the audience initially may take her for a cold hearted woman who is insensitive to her son. However, when analyzing her character throughout the course of the play, one will find her true affection for Hamlet. Although Hamlet portrays Gertrude as a cold hearted and lustful woman, her unwavering love for him reveals the true compassion she holds for her son.
middle of paper ... ... Gertrude betrays Hamlet as a mother, she does not believe in him or trust him, she goes behind his back and blocks out Hamlet and his feelings and marries Claudius which really hurts Hamlet. Gertrude as a wife and mother, hurts the people she most loved, her family. The Shakespearean play of Hamlet captures the audience with many suspenseful and devastating themes, including betrayal. Some of the most loved characters get betrayed by those who they thought loved them most.
“The Tell-Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe is a short story where the narrator tries to convince the readers of his sanity. Throughout the story the narrator says he is not insane while giving reasons to why he is not. The narrator wanted to prove his sanity because he murdered the old man for being afraid of his eye. While telling the readers about the event and trying to prove his sanity, the narrator begins to show psychological aspects from Sigmund Freud’s structural model of the psyche which include the id, ego, and superego.
...drinking a poisoned goblet of wine, unaware and oblivious to the fact that it was poisoned. Yet another example of Gertrude’s weakness can be seen in Act 4 scene 3. After Hamlet murders Polonius, he tells his mother to, “Not this, by no means, that I bid you do—Let the bloat king tempt you again to bed” meaning to not allow Claudius to have his way with her in bed again. Shortly after Hamlet leaves, Gertrude quickly reveals to Claudius that Hamlet has murdered Polonius. She was more willing to reveal secret information to her husband of only two months, than to keep the information hidden upon request of her son of thirty years Hamlet.
“The Withered Arm” is a tragedy of fate and is a story of two women
To begin, Gertrude is presented in differing manners throughout Hamlet the play versus Hamlet (2000) the film. In Shakespeare’s play, she originally is cast as a woman who has power due to her husband, but sits as a trophy wife. Craving power, safety, and comfort, she depends on men for her position and control. Seeming to have poor judgment, she never expresses self-reflection throughout the play and just seems to be a bit oblivious to everything, ultimately resulting in her death as an unaware victim of a game she ensnared herself