We first meet Hamlet in Act 1 Scene 2, in the company of Claudius and Gertrude after their marriage. Hamlet's first words are an aside, and as a first impression of his character, he seems furtive and devious. Gertrude appears to be rather insensitive as she tells her son, 'all that lives must die', hardly words of consolation. Hamlets responds by saying that, 'But I have that within which passes show/These but the trappings and suits of woe', which is perfectly respectful, but with an air of resentment at her apparent lack of grief. In Hamlet's first soliloquy a few lines on, he delivers the 'frailty, thy name is woman', line, showing how natural a response it is for him to criticise women. It is fair to say that women had few rights in Elizabethan England, but the views held by Hamlet were not always as commonplace and are certainly not tolerated nowadays.
In light of this view, Gertrude's motives for remarrying so quickly must be questioned. Although speculative, single women were often unsure of their role in society, and often fell victim to suspicion of witchcraft by their neighbours, factors which, arguably, could contribute to her 'o'erhasty marriage'.
Act 3 Scene 2 sees exchanges between Hamlet and both women, and they are both treated with the same level of contempt. Gertrude is tender and motherly towards Hamlet through the entirety of the play, and her affections are often rebuked. Gertrude beckons her 'dear Hamlet' to sit beside her during 'The Mousetrap', to which he contorts 'here's metal more attractive'. This is a pun on metal meaning seat, and also 'mettle', meaning spirit. The average Elizabethan man would be expected to look upon his wife and mother with respect, and so Hamlet is in the minority, although in all fairness Gertrude seems to have transgressed sexual feelings.
A few lines on, we see Hamlet reducing Ophelia to the sole function of 'country matters', as he taunts her with obscene suggestions, such as 'shall I lie in your lap?'. The popular modern opinion about Ophelia and Gertrude would be, although they are certainly on the receiving end of Hamlet's cruelty as can be seen from Hamlet's remarks above, they would be expected to defend themselves against him, rather than accept the torrents of verbal abuse they endure.
Ophelia's reaction is merely 'No my lord' or 'Ay my lord', echoing 'I do not know my lord what I should think', in Act 1 Scene 3. It seems that she is presented as someone with no point of view. Also noticeable about Ophelia, is that she speaks only to the King and Queen when she is mad, underlining her low confidence and timidity before her madness, as she spends a good few scenes on stage with them. Ophelia's comment on the 'brief' nature of the prologue of 'The Mousetrap' instigates a cut-throat remark from Hamlet, 'As woman's love', which acts out its own meaning, and its sharpness illustrates Hamlet's view of women. In Act 4 Scene 5, when Ophelia is clearly mad, she gives out herbs to the people on stage. Each of the herbs have meanings, and it is interesting to consider which should would give to Hamlet. Possibly rosemary, for remembrance, or rue, for sorrow and repentance.
Gertrude's observation that 'The lady doth protest too much', has an undercurrent of sorrow because she fails to recognise the link between the actress on stage and her own wrong doings. Hamlet is scornful and retorts that at least the actress will 'keep her word'. Once again, Ophelia is on the receiving end of Hamlet's bitter sexual language; 'It would cost you a groaning to take off mine edge', and his low opinion of women surfaces again when he implies that wives 'mistake (betray) your husbands'. Ophelia has little initiative; she is presented as a victim of Hamlet's cruelty and as someone who does not consider what she may have done to deserve such rough treatment.
The fact that Ophelia and Gertrude are so accepting of Hamlet's behaviour underlines their weakness in comparison with Shakespeare's other women; Desdemona, Perdita, Lady Macbeth and Portia, to name but a few. These are all figurative women who defend their honour and make fools of the men. This scene shows the final exchange between Hamlet and Ophelia, as he is shortly sent to England following the mistaken murder of Polonius, the death of whom sends Ophelia mad.
The 'closet' scene is Hamlet's only opportunity to confront his long-suffering mother, Gertrude, who certainly feels the force of Hamlet's 'wicked tongue'. He is very domineering towards his mother as he tells her, 'you shall not budge' and threatens to make her see 'the inmost part' of herself. It seems that Gertrude is a genuine victim of the situation, as her reaction, 'As kill a king?' suggests she is completely unaware of her late husband's murder. Nevertheless, Shakespeare endorses Hamlet's condemnation of Gertrude by giving her only four lines to respond to her son's lengthy lecture from line 53. The incestuous marriage between Claudius and Gertrude would certainly be looked upon with contempt and disgust in Shakespeare's time, as the honour of a king and a husband should always be defended.
Despite Gertrude pleading with Hamlet to stop because 'these words like daggers enter in my ears', she still endearingly calls him 'sweet Hamlet'. Gertrude agonises over her son further when the Ghost reappears. She is certain it is part of Hamlet's 'ecstasy', but he convinces her that 'It is not madness/That I have uttered'. Perhaps Gertrude's inability to see the Ghost signifies her moral blindness, but by the end of the scene she asks 'What shall I do?', suggesting she has repented and has changed allegiance. T.S. Eliot sides completely with Hamlet in saying that, 'Hamlet's tone is that of one who has suffered tortures on the score of his mother's degradation', which is certainly a rather harsh view, as Gertrude does try to make up for her wantonness.
It is this scene that has sparked much controversy over Hamlet's Oedipus complex, the Freudian view. He seems overly concerned at his mother living in the 'rank sweat of an unseamèd bed', and there are countless more references to Gertrude's 'honeying and making love/Over the nasty sty'. Ernest Jones claimed in his 1957 book, 'Hamlet and Oedipus', that a likely explanation for Hamlet's vacillation stems from his jealousy and obsession with his mother. For example, that 'as a child, Hamlet bitterly resented having had to share his mother's affection even with his own father'. Jones is suggesting that much of Hamlet's anguish at his father's death and Gertrude's 'o'er hasty marriage', is the fact that Claudius is replacing his late father in his mother's affections which Hamlet cannot bear to share with another man. Nowadays people see things in more of a multi dimensional way, so a modern audience is likely to question Hamlet's neurosis or insanity and the psychology of the play. Freud's Oedipus complex is often linked with Hamlet and Gertrude's seemingly multi faceted relationship.
Gertrude's death is Act 5 Scene 2 serves as an example of her loyalty to her son. She defies Claudius' plea, 'Gertrude, do not drink!' and celebrates her son's success. In the end, this costs her dearly, but it illustrates the transition from Claudius' side and back to Hamlet. Whether or not Gertrude realises she is drinking from the poisoned cup is debatable, but what is indisputable is that she drinks out of motherly affection. Even after she drinks, she beckons Hamlet to 'Come, let me wipe thy face' and calls him 'dear Hamlet' as she dies.
The 1991 Zeffirelli version of 'Hamlet' shows Gertrude and Hamlet's (Mel Gibson) relationship as being perhaps too close. Although it was set around the same time the play was written, it has undertones of more modern notions such as Freud's Oedipus complex. Glenn Close, who plays Gertrude, makes the audience believe she genuinely loves and cares for her son, but there is always an undertone of incestuous relations, as Hamlet makes a point of demanding that Gertrude must 'Go not to my uncle's bed' and to 'Assume a virtue if you have it not'. These surface especially during the closet scene, when Hamlet is seen to be literally on top of his mother. Despite this, Gertrude's character is injected with more assertion than would be expected as she sharply scolds Polonius to speak 'More matter with less art'. She always seems to be on Hamlet's side, an example of which is when she blames Hamlet's 'brainish apprehension' for Polonius' murder. She is always mothering and caring for him intensely. Interestingly, in spite of Hamlet's treatment of his mother, this production stages Hamlet's death next to Gertrude, holding her hand, as a last sign of his love for his mother.
Ophelia (Helena Bonham Carter), in the Zeffirelli version, is acknowledged by the other characters only when they are telling her what to do and to think, for instance when Laertes tells her to 'Think it no more', about her impending relationship with Hamlet, and by Hamlet when he is taunting her with crude remarks. She is portrayed as weak and matches the stereotype of an Elizabethan woman; unquestionably obeying the men. She is only allowed to express her views and is only listened to when she is 'pretty' with madness. Ophelia always looks puzzled, as if she is never quite sure what to do. Although in this production Ophelia and Gertrude provide contrasting depictions of both characters, they are both victims of Hamlet's cruelty on some level. Mel Gibson portrays Hamlet as a robust character who refuses to become an 'apologetic mope' as critic Roger Ebert agrees, and thinks little or nothing of the way he treats the women in his life - it seems to come naturally.
In Kenneth Branagh's 1996 production of 'Hamlet' in which he also plays the title role, Ophelia (Kate Winslet) and Gertrude (Julie Christie) are very much depicted as victims of Hamlet's cruelty. Hamlet is shown to deliver his 'To be or not to be' soliloquy into a mirror, so his indecision and inadequacy is reflected back at him. Ophelia's vulnerability is revealed when she lies to him by saying Polonius is at home, and Hamlet violently squashes her cheek against the surface of the mirror in his fury and her cold, terrified breath clouds the glass. This would be considered as an act of violent intimidation nowadays, which would not be tolerated.
Michael Almereyda's most recent (2000) version of 'Hamlet', portrayed by Ethan Hawke, provides a completely different setting for the play - modern New York City. Ophelia (Julia Stiles) deals with her grief differently in this version and she also seems more hurt. When she exclaims, 'I was the more deceived', she is in tears, as if Hamlet were physically hurting her, only with words and the tone of his voice. She later burns a photo of him as an expression of her sorrow, which seems more of an extreme reaction in comparison to Zeffirelli's Ophelia. Hamlet suddenly becomes tender, and delivers the line, 'We are arrant knaves all, believe none of us' as he kisses Ophelia passionately, suggesting he truly seeks to love and protect her.
Gertrude (Diane Venora) also seems a much stronger character, as evident when Hamlet tells her, 'Were it not so, you are my mother', and she slaps him! This is an example of how a woman might respond nowadays when faced with a son like Hamlet. This is quite surprising in contrast to Zeffirelli's Gertrude, who seems quite incapable of laying a finger on her son no matter what he says or does to her. However, this Hamlet gives as good as he gets and reduces his mother to tears as he delivers his 'Look here upon this picture…' speech, and messes up her bed while condemning it. It seems that this is one of the few versions of 'Hamlet' which portrays the women as stronger. The description of Ophelia's flowery death is omitted, and Gertrude snatches the poisoned cup and drinks, as if she seeks to commit suicide. Claudius does not deliver the line, 'Gertrude, do not drink!', indicating further that it was no accident.
It is fair to say that the majority of productions of 'Hamlet' present Ophelia and Gertrude as sympathetic victims of Hamlet's cruelty - it is hard to think of them as anything different. They are given so few lines in comparison to Hamlet, or Polonius, even, that it is difficult to mould their characters into people who are not victimised. It could be said that they might think differently if they thought Hamlet was sane, because then there would be no excuse for his behaviour. They are certainly sympathetic to Hamlet, but in a sense, he is the true victim.
Bibliography
Cambridge School Shakespeare - 'Hamlet'
York Notes Advanced - 'Hamlet'
New Swan Shakespeare Advanced Series