Two Sides of Hamlet

Two Sides of Hamlet Hamlets confrontation with Gertrude leaves her questioning her son’s

sanity. This is because she attests to him talking to thin air, which

he claims was his father’s ghost (3,4). It seems like Gertrude has

every right to think Hamlet is mad. Her judgement is also fuelled by

Polonius’ murder. Hamlet did not know that Polonius was the spy behind

the curtains ‘how now, a rat?’ (3,4,24).

Hamlets response to his mother is not full of love either. He is

disgusted with his mother’s actions and is not ashamed of letting her

know. ‘…Live in the rank sweat of an enseamed bed…’ he does not hid

his hatred for Claudius and Gertrude’s marriage. But Gertrude does not

seem to understand why her son holds such strong feelings. She is

clueless throughout most of the play. ‘As kill a king?’ Gertrude does

not realise the real situation and how much hatred the two men bare.

She is one of the reasons that stopped Claudius getting hamlet killed

throughout the play. And when he finally decides to, she dies before

both of them.

Gertrude is not the only woman in Hamlets life. He also confronted his

lover Ophelia, where he came across as-yet again- misogynist. However,

we cannot condemn Hamlet to hating women because we only see him two

in the play. Ophelia rejected him and his mother married his uncle.

But this is not surprising because Hamlet distrusts everyone and tries

to push everyone away, especially Ophelia whom he says he loves

greatly (5,1).

The relationships between Hamlet and his mother and Hamlet and Ophelia