Question

Read the excerpt from Hamlet, Act I, Scene ii.

Gertrude: Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted colour off,
And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark.
Do not for ever with thy vailed lids
Seek for thy noble father in the dust:
Thou know’st ’tis common; all that live must die,
Passing through nature to eternity.

Hamlet: Ay, madam, it is common.

Gertrude: If it be,
Why seems it so particular with thee?

Which is the best description of how Gertrude is characterized in this passage?

Gertrude is oblivious to her son’s grief and focuses on her own happiness.
Gertrude is sympathetic of her son’s obvious distress and tries to comfort him.
Gertrude is critical of her son’s continued mourning and urges him to move on.
Gertrude is saddened by her son’s unhappiness and tries to distract him.

Answer 1

Gertrude is critical of her son’s continued mourning and urges him to move on.

She tells Hamlet to cast off his mourning clothes, stop looking for his father in the dust, and reminds him that death is common — all indicating she wants him to stop grieving and return to normal life.