Question
Read the excerpt from Hamlet, Act III, scene iv.
Gertrude: Why, how now, Hamlet!
Hamlet: What’s the matter now?
Gertrude: Have you forgot me?
Hamlet: No, by the rood, not so:
You are the queen, your husband’s brother’s wife;
And,—would it were not so!—you are my mother.
Which is a feminist analysis of these lines?
Hamlet defines Gertrude only by her relationship to men.
Hamlet uses sharp language to express his emotions.
Hamlet is upset with his mother because his father is dead.
Hamlet has forgotten how it feels to have a male role model.
Gertrude: Why, how now, Hamlet!
Hamlet: What’s the matter now?
Gertrude: Have you forgot me?
Hamlet: No, by the rood, not so:
You are the queen, your husband’s brother’s wife;
And,—would it were not so!—you are my mother.
Which is a feminist analysis of these lines?
Hamlet defines Gertrude only by her relationship to men.
Hamlet uses sharp language to express his emotions.
Hamlet is upset with his mother because his father is dead.
Hamlet has forgotten how it feels to have a male role model.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
A feminist analysis of these lines would focus on how Hamlet defines Gertrude only by her relationship to men. In the excerpt, Hamlet refers to Gertrude primarily in terms of her connections to male figures: she is described as "the queen" and "your husband’s brother’s wife," showing how her identity is intertwined with male authority and relationships. This perspective highlights the societal limitations placed on women in the context of Shakespeare's time, where a woman's role and value were often defined by her relationships with men rather than her own agency or individuality.