Hamlet....?

Question:Can we ever really correctly assume what Shakespeare intended with the characters of this play? I have an exam coming up and was just wondering if anyone could give me their interpretations of gertrude and ophelia in terms of their focus within the play. I just wanna see if there's a general consensus...

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Can we ever really correctly assume what Shakespeare intended with the characters of this play? I have an exam coming up and was just wondering if anyone could give me their interpretations of gertrude and ophelia in terms of their focus within the play. I just wanna see if there's a general consensus...

NO WAI!!!

I don't know what to tell you about Gertrude, because the only thing I remember about her is that she is the queen, but Ophelia is the image of the person who gets mad. Most critics agree that she is a symbol of madness, just as Hamlet is a symbol of doubt.

In my opinion, Ophelia is a tad bit on the odd side. And if you mean the queen by Gertrude, I think she's mean (after the king died, she married his brother!).

I think its wierd that in the end, Horatio is the only one who lived.

The Queen was a pawn. She was hit at her lowest point and she was vulnerable. Hamlet's Uncle took full advantage of this in order to gain the crown and the queen by offing his brother. He wanted what his brother had and he took all of it.

Ophelia was always fragile and treated as such. She was treated as a young girl and babied by everyone except Hamlet. She was also used as a pawn by the king in order to fuel the hatred for Hamlet and push Laertes to avenge the deaths of his father and sister.

Both women were pawns in a wicked game of lies and deceit.

Good Luck.

Sure if you do not try to interpret them from today's prospectives and use Shakespear's prospectives. The women in this play are representations of the idea of an Elizabethan woman. Both are what they are because of the dictates of their society.

I don't watch plays, and I have never seen or read Hamlet so I have no idea. :P