Role of Gertrude in Hamlet by Shakespeare

Role of Gertrude in Hamlet by Shakespeare

Keywords: Marriage, Ignorance, State

Hamlet’s mother, queen of Denmark, Gertrude marries to Claudius soon after King Hamlet’s death.  It was need of time to convince Hamlet that his mother was with him in grief. It was critical time for Hamlet and he needs his mother’s attention more than any person in world. There are several aspects which Gertrude seems to ignore completely.

First, Hamlet is thirty years old, a mature person. It is not sufficient justification that marriage was very important to see the state matters and face enemies. If queen would marry after reasonable time still she should give clarifications to Hamlet on getting re-marriage.

Second, parents and children have strong relation between them. She doesn’t get it necessary to talk or share with him personally. She seems Claudius’s wife rather than late King’s wife or prince Hamlet’s mother.

Third, Gertrude could think about Hamlet’s marriage with Ophelia. It would be far better than her own marriage. The conversation between them doesn’t seem as they are mother and son. It seems formal talk like artificial feelings. She could talk him in his privacy where they could talk in better way.

Forth, females of royal family have been playing their specific roles which they know well. They are moral support behind their males. They are guard of their feelings and passions but are alert about their responsibilities; particularly mothers are responsible about males and their training and education. They are not ignorant about their obligations.

Fifth, masses are very fond of their king and about the royal family members. She feels her responsibility towards new relation with Claudius more than her relation with late king, prince Hamlet or her responsibility towards masses who have great attachment with late king, queen and prince Hamlet.

Usually queen has her responsibilities towards royal family and state as well. After her king’s death her first obligation was to care of her son who is also the successor. Her son should be her priority which she seems to ignore. Claudius was brother of late King he could see the state matters without making marriage. To make marriage seems not as necessary as it is argued in the play.

Gertrude loves Hamlet deeply, but she is a shallow, weak woman who seeks affection and status more urgently than moral rectitude or truth. It is criticized as, “Gertrude reveals no guilt in her marriage with Claudius after the recent murder of her husband.”

Role of Ophelia in Hamlet by Shakespeare

Role of Ophelia in Hamlet by Shakespeare

Keywords: Love, Gifts, Retreat

Ophelia decides to leave Hamlet and return love tokens back when he needed her more. She promises her father and brother that she will obey them and will have no connection with Hamlet. There are several aspects which seem awkward in this respect.

First, she has been getting gifts and tokens of love from Hamlet. They both seemed to have mutual understanding for their love feelings. Hamlet had a critical time on his father’s death and his mother’s marriage on this occasion.

Second, this news was a not a normal news and everyone should be shocked including Ophelia, Polonious, Laertes or from specific person to common man. Such things can’t be justified that there were  strategies behind  marriage so soon after Late king’s death.

Third, Claudius is brother of late king and uncle of the successor. He is not a stranger or outsider but can supervise the things without having marriage.

 Forth, Ophelia retreats as, “ my lord, I have remembrances of yours,
that I have longed long to re-deliver;
I pray you, now receive them” .

Question arises, whether Ophelia had no other proper time to be disconnected with Hamlet. It was not the time like this, he needed moral support or to share things .There was no body to hear him neither his mother, nor beloved and uncle also.

 Hamlet is mature person and mother should clear things before marriage, even in normal situation.

On the other hand Ophelia takes gifts of love happily in past. Definitely she didn’t ask father or brother that she should receive gifts or not. As far as concerned expected queen in future she should be sensible, brave and courageous.

Fifth, she is mature and had right to love. In such critical situation Ophelia’s father or brother could encourage her to console him. She could share with him the problems he had to face. To marry immediately and pronounce the marriage and announcement of Claudius as a king were as surprising for others as it was for Hamlet or Ophelia. A critic states, “Polonius trying to use his daughter's charms to suit his underhanded purposes.”

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Hamlet is not a Playwright by Shakespeare

 Hamlet is not a Playwright by Shakespeare

Direction, Compose, Spectators

            Hamlet, written by Shakespeare, is well composed play in the history of Elizabethan drama.  It is obvious that Hamlet prince of Denmark can’t write or give directions  professionally but Shakespeare can do it because he is successful playwright of that particular age. There are several aspects under consideration.

First, Hamlet states that dialogue delivery shouldn’t be too tamed, but let their own discretion be their tutor. They suit action to the words and words to the action. He advises that with this special overstep is not the modesty of nature.

Second, it acquires and begets a temperance that may give it smoothness while performing play on the stage for their particular audience.

Third, it offends him to the soul to hear a fellow tear a passion to tatters or to split the ears of the groundlings.

Forth, they are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb shows and noise.

Gillian Woods explores how the play unsettles distinctions between performance and reality and how it thus exposes the mechanisms of theatre.
            Hamlet is told a prince who is student in university, a learned and a scholar person. He is successor of the kingdom. It seems out of question to know in detail about how to perform dialogues and how to act a play very well. Besides a prince can have interest to see drama but he doesn’t know in detail about the audience what type of they are actually. All these can be known by Shakespeare but not Hamlet. It is concluded that there are autobiographical elements in the play.

Hamlet may see stage drama performance. It is possibility also that he knows well about the audience, their expectations from players and writers as well. But he can’t be a part of directors or players who perform on stage very well.

Feminism in Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe:

Feminism in Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe:

Keywords: Courageous, Love, Loyalty

Abigale is honor of faminhood. She manfully helps her father in getting out the money quietly. She can’t do it openly but she manages it hiddenly. Courageously she comes with flying flags. Throughout the play she is honest and devoted to father and to convent.

However, Abigail is in many ways a romantic heroine whose relative goodness contrasts with the depravity of those around her like Jew and Christian. Love feelings are very personal feelings. Nobody likes to interfere in such feelings but she prefers her father and ignores her love passions.

Abigail is the only character who displays genuine love, loyalty, and selflessness in the play. Above all, she remains unmotivated by money and appears to have some kind of moral code. Abigail's dedication to Barabas is proved by her vow to remain loyal to him. She is brave and bold.

 Abigail remains doubtful about the virtues and vices exposed by the priests. She has complaints against the people around in world, in her house, in her family, political people and church people. She begins to believe that "there is no love on earth” , “Pity in Jews, nor piety in Turks,". James R. Siemon notes that Abigail undergoes a final recognition of her own predicament that is a feature of tragic drama. She sees no truth and faith in the people of church. She refers to is a religious or racial difference. Her father breaks her trust upon men. Again her father breaks her faith in love and family bounds.

However, Abigail is in many ways a romantic heroine whose relative goodness contrasts with the depravity of those around her—Jew and Christian alike. As with his other characters, Marlowe obscures Abigail's morals and motivations in order to complicate our responses to this character.

Comparison between Father and Daughter in Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe:

Comparison between Father and Daughter in Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe:

Keywords: Contrast, Devoted, Deceive

There is a great difference between Barabas and Abigale, father and daughter. As far as concerned characteristics and qualities they both stand contrast each other. Both are opposite poles in this respect. Father is extreme selfish while daughter is extreme selfless. She can’t think for the benefits of herself throughout the play. He can do anything for others. There are several aspects which show her honesty and sincerity.

First, in starting she takes bold step in collecting his wealth. She adopts new get up, poses as to enter in convent. She seems like a man in getting back her father’s wealth successfully. While on the other hand Barabas worships his wealth and can cross all limitations for the sake of wealth. She doesn’t give any false accuses to avoid this difficult work to perform. At night she is successful in getting all Barabas wealth hidden in the ground of the building.

Second, on the other hand Barabas is ready, all the time, to deceive others. While on the other hand father doesn’t care of the difficulties she had to face while pretending, posing, and acting. He cares only for his wealth but not for his daughter while she cares of her father but not care of herself throughout the play.

Third,  Abigale is young and has love passions for her lover. She ignores those love feelings for the sake of her father. She obeys and follows whatever he asks her to do. He doesn’t care that Abigale in the convent and if he is sending poisoned food to the nuns she could be poisoned. He seems more worried about the truth she could reveal to the priests.

Abigail finds Barabas's role in the young men's deaths. Grief-stricken, Abigail enters the convent to take shelter. When Barabas finds out what Abigail has done, he is enraged, and decides to poison food to the nuns. Both are of different nature. Father is selfish daughter is selfless. Father thinks about himself daughter never gives importance to herself. She is devoted while Barabas deceives others all the time.

Abigail’s Character in Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe:

Abigail’s Character in Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe:

Keywords: Responsible, Co-operative,  Brave

Character of Abigail presents innocent female who acts for the sake of her father. She can act, pretend and get out the money like a forceful man. She is bold and brave when she thinks that she has to do something for the sake of her father. She also can pretend and poses like a non who has entered the convent. She smuggles out her father's gold at night. She is efficient and responsible. She comes with flying flags. She is not less than a son of her father in taking this bold step as well.

Second time she is cooperative too .She makes impressions for the sake of her father that she wants to marry them. She is too disappointed and enters the convent to Christianity. This time she is hurt and disappointed on what her father has done against her. He uses her in killing two persons who loved Abigail and wanted to marry her. She takes risk for the sake of her father but  doesn’t care of herself and remains in darkness.

She is cooperative to her father. When he needs her help she is ready to help him. She doesn’t pretend or make any accuses. She at once becomes active and gets his money back as well. On the other time when her father asks her to play tricks against her lover she again ignores her love passions and she follows her father. In this respect she seems devoted to father and ignore her love feelings.

There seems contrast in two cases. First she is brave and helps her father. She shows great efforts for the sake of her father .Later on she doesn’t care of herself and again she helps her father to knit a conspiracy against her lovers.

Barabas’s Character in Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe:

Barabas’s Character in Jew of Malta by Christopher 

Marlowe:

Keywords: Love of wealth, Greedy, Cheat

            Barabas seems to worship wealth on any cost throughout the play. From starting to end of the play he deceives, plays tricks and exposes greediness for the sake of wealth.  Barabas vows revenge against governor but first attempts to recover some of the treasures he has hidden in his mansion. His daughter, Abigail pretends to convert to Christianity in order to enter the convent. She smuggles out her father's gold at night, a bold step for the sake of her father.

            There are several aspects which show that he can cross all limitations and can go on extreme level. In starting he uses his daughter who is devoted to her father. She helped him in getting out the hidden treasure of wealth. Later on his daughter is poisoned by him.

            Barabas is too greedy about wealth even he sues conspiracy against his daughter. He makes her the part of his game .He doesn’t care of his love passions she has for her lover. He doesn’t care of his daughter who is devoted to her father and realizes that he can use Lodowick to exact revenge on Ferneze, and so he dupes the young man into thinking Abigail will marry him.

            Politically he deceives the governor and Turkish leader .He has no rule, no regulation to follow.  But his religion is to worship wealth. He can remove any person from his path and can use anyone for the sake his own objectives as well. He is too cunning.

            He doesn’t care of relations, management, slaves, nuns or anyone else. He can call political people on feast and can make a plan to kill them. He can be bought and can be sold for the sake of wealth. He can pretend to be dead he can poison his daughter and nuns too. He worships himself and to his wealth but nothing else.