Part 52: In Ophelia's death, was Gertrude complicit, paralyzed by guilt and self-pity?
I am grateful to Kushi Shah for suggesting Gertrude’s possible complicity [1]. If Gertrude witnessed Hamlet acting in a misogynistic way toward Ophelia, then for Gertrude to do nothing might make her more complicit [2].
It is easy to blame the men as complicit in Ophelia’s death [3]. But Gertrude?
She begins scene 4.5 ashamed, not wanting to meet with a distraught Ophelia, saying,
“So full of artless jealousy is guilt, / It spills itself in fearing to be spilt.” (4.5.24-25).
She may feel guilty for how her marriage to Claudius caused Hamlet’s madness and led to his killing of Ophelia’s father.
Gertrude overcomes her reluctance to greet Ophelia, but may be too shocked by Ophelia’s commanding presence, with Ophelia acting like Prince Hamlet’s intended wife – and perhaps rightful queen. Whether in shock at the spectacle, or paralyzed by guilt and self-pity, Gertrude calls Ophelia “sweet lady” and asks the meaning of one of her songs (4.5.32), but makes little more effort to engage or comfort Ophelia.
If Gertrude had repented of her guilt and self-pity more quickly, she might have been of more help, more protective when Ophelia left the court, and may have prevented Ophelia’s death.
Gertrude and Ophelia are each on their own slow character arcs, both accelerated by specific events:
For both, witnessing Hamlet’s “Mousetrap”;
for Ophelia, the death of her father and the departure of Hamlet to England;
for Gertrude, discussion with Hamlet in her closet, witnessing the death of Polonius, and soon, having to report Ophelia’s death.
These events speed up the development of the two characters.
In the graveyard, when Gertrude says she would rather have strewn flowers on Ophelia and Hamlet’s wedding bed than on her grave (5.1.255-217), this may be more than mere nostalgia for opportunities lost with Ophelia’s death, but may also express Gertrude’s regret for not having done more to prevent it.
NOTES: All references to Hamlet (and other Shakespeare plays) are to the Folger Shakespeare Library online versions: https://shakespeare.folger.edu/shakespeares-works/hamlet/entire-play/
[1] Correspondence from Kushi Shah, 5:38 PM (CST), Wednesday, June 26, 2024.
[2] Gertrude does not witness what Polonius and Claudius witness when they spy on Ophelia and Hamlet, and when Hamlet is so harsh with Ophelia, telling her to get to a nunnery. But it’s possible that Gertrude overhears Hamlet’s disrespect and misogyny toward Ophelia at the court performance of “The Mousetrap,” depending on how the scene is staged. Kushi emphasized that this would especially make Gertrude complicit.
I agree, but some of this depends on staging: If a performance portrays Gertrude as sitting close enough to overhear her son’s remarks, and listening, then yes. But the text of the play doesn’t indicate whether Gertrude overhears: She asks Hamlet to sit by her, but he says he prefers to sit by Ophelia (“metal more attractive,” 3.2.15-17). Others may not overhear their banter.
[3] Claudius murders his brother, usurps his throne, and marries his brother’s wife, setting up all the disasters that follow (Ophelia would not have drowned if Claudius had not murdered his brother)..
- Polonius, an overbearing father, also sets Ophelia up for disaster.
- Hamlet: Although Ophelia rejects Hamlet first (in obedience to her father), Hamlet adds insult to injury by treating her so unkindly and disrespectfully in the nunnery scene (3.1) and mousetrap scene (3.2).
- Horatio may be complicit, depending on how one interprets the order Claudius gives to Horatio when Ophelia first exits in 4.5: “Follow her close; give her good watch, I pray you.” If this command is read as temporary, then Horatio may not be complicit, but if it is read as a more general and persisting order, and an ethically good one, then Horatio may well be complicit.
- Laertes certainly fails his sister by scheming in private with Claudius to murder Hamlet while Ophelia is off drowning, so both Laertes and Ophelia fail Ophelia and are complicit in her death.
IMAGES: Details (L, Gertrude; R, Ophelia) from
Ophelia, 1890, Henrietta Rae (1859–1928), Walker Art Gallery (Liverpool, UK). Public domain. Via
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Henrietta_Rae_-_Ophelia_-_Google_Art_Project.jpg
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INDEX OF OPHELIA POSTS:
My 2023 series on Ophelia, and earlier Ophelia posts:
https://pauladrianfried.blogspot.com/2023/10/index-of-ophelia-posts-2023-series-and.html
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Disclaimer: If and when I quote or paraphrase bible passages or mention religion in many of my blog posts, I do not intend to promote any religion over another, nor am I attempting to promote religious belief in general; only to explore how the Bible and religion influenced Shakespeare, his plays, and his age.
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