Therefore, Gertrude and Hamlet’s relationship is presented as crucial to the plot as it fuels his passion for revenge. Here Hamlet does not only focus on his father’s murder but also Gertrude’s remarriage revealing how it is crucial to his revenge and it pushed him in this specific scene to act ‘rash’. He is presented as a morally responsible prince who has been contemplating whether he should commit murder or not but ends up killing the innocent with ease thus showing how his anger at his mother’s marriage encouraged him to take action against the person behind the arras.Īccordingly, Hamlet responds to his mother’s remark at the murder of “what a rash and bloody deed is this!” with “almost as bad… as kill a king and marry with his brother”. He shows no sympathy or remorse as he calls him ‘fool’ and ‘rash’ which is ironic and hypocritical, as Hamlet is rash here for killing Polonius without knowing who was behind the arras. After the murder Hamlet remarks “thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell!” The start of the closet scene reveals his anger at his mother which fuels his passion for revenge hence leading to Hamlet’s remorseless murder of Polonius. Therefore, his anger at the remarriage fuels his passion for revenge thus making him plan his revenge. The use of Greek mythology here shows us that he sees his father as God-like and idolizes him meanwhile Claudius is a low-life ‘satyr’ often associated with lust and intoxication. Hamlet’s obsession with her remarriage is shown in one of his soliloquies when saying “but two months dead” also comparing his father and Claudius as “Hyperion to Satyr”. This contrast in mourning emphasizes Hamlet’s concern for his mother’s lack of grief also emphasizing his agitation towards her not showing her true feelings. The anaphora of ‘nor’ here reiterates his grief of his father and reveals his deep inner suffering which comes about with his mother’s ‘incestuous’ and haste remarriage. After she accuses Hamlet of faking his grief at the start of the play, Hamlet replies “‘seems’ madam – nay it is”. Throughout the play, Hamlet obsesses over Gertrude’s haste remarriage and lack of grief for his father’s death. One of Hamlet’s main reasons for seeking revenge is his mother’s remarriage and he tells Horatio that Claudius has “Killed my king and whored my mother” thus revealing his greater emphasis on his mother’s remarriage, hence their relationship as mother and son is crucial for the plot as a revenge tragedy. And like Adelman argues that “as an avenger, Hamlet seems motivated more by his mother than by his father”. Arguably, without Gertrude, Hamlet’s passion for revenge and hatred for women won’t be the same.
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