The Closet Scene - the murder

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet : One Thread

Why would you say Gertrude (or Hamlet, for that matter) does not bring up the subject of the murder again after:

"As kill a king?" "Ay, lady, t'was my word"

????????????? Any suggestions much appreciated.

-- Patrick Walker (www.criesandwhispers666@yahoo.com), November 16, 2002

Answers

'Oh, my prophetic soul'? Possibly, deep down in her subconscious, Gertrude, like Hamlet, knew. In that case, seeing as there's nothing in the script, her looks (reactive acting) must show that, deep down, she knew. And she was at the playlet. There's no need to spell it out: she gets it.

Yet also, immediately after, Hamlet finds he's killed Polonius not Claudius. Now my own reading is that Gertrude is not lying later to Claudius when she says that Hamlet 'weeps for' his accidental killing of Polonius. It would be a natural shocked reaction to finding he had killed his country's chief lord, Ophelia's father, and a silly but not vicious, innocent man, instead of his intended evil victim. The things Hamlet says about it are bravado, a way of coping, not what he really feels. So Gertrude probably becomes concerned for Hamlet and Hamlet's reaction, as well as being shocked and horriffied herself at what her crazed son has done. Then Hamlet proves he's not crazed, and she makes the decision to side and go along with him. But there's still no need to spell it all out, and that would probably be too painful for both of them at this point, so that both would back away from it.

Always remember that for these characters it's a case of living there lives in the moment at the time, not rationalizing after the event. We have to try to understand each moment from their perspectives at the time, in their lives.

Ah, ah, ah, WS the genius.

-- catherine england (catherine_england@hotmail.com), November 17, 2002.


dude, I think it was like, Hamlet was in the closet, but know one else knew so they were all, wheres Hamlet, ya know

-- The big Pun (horay4everyone@aol.com), December 13, 2002.

Nay, I know not. On this one, you've lost me, I'm afraid.

-- catherine england (catherine_england@hotmail.com), December 15, 2002.

Maybe because she doesn't want to know, where would that knowledge lead her? She just preferred to bury her head in sand, frail as she was ...

-- Joanne (LEMONPIE_30@hotmail.com), April 16, 2003.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ