In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Gertrude is a woman who is also a queen who does not harm anyone, but the terrible understanding of the current situation greatly affects the outcome of events. Among the two female characters in Hamlet, Gertrude and Ophelia do not have self-confidence. Gertrude's actions will lead indefinitely to her demise and that of some of the other characters in the play. Readers first see that in Act 1, Scene 2, his character's poor judgment is his biggest flaw. An ordinary mother of a grieving child should know that a child needs his mother to get through this terrible event and Gertrude does not notice how callous she is towards Hamlet. She should have known that remarrying the deceased's brother so quickly would embarrass Hamlet because it is considered incestuous to marry the deceased's immediate family. Then there is Hamlet's jealousy to consider because he will want his mother's attention more than ever. Gertrude cannot relate to how her son feels to see why he would be angry about the current situation. He expresses this thought in his first soliloquy: O wickedest speed to post with such dexterity on incestuous sheets! (I.ii 156-157) Gertrude is seen as a loving mother, but she cannot tell how her own son feels about the whole situation. She also tells Hamlet that "it is common for all men to die", but this deceased person is not a "common" man but he is Hamlet's own father. It is therefore entirely justified to mourn as Hamlet did. She also doesn't show how much her father's sudden death torments Hamlet inside, so she won't think deeply about King Hamlet's death or think about what Hamlet is thinking. Another ex... .middle of paper ...the love for everyone was still there. During Hamlet's sarcastic conversation with Ophelia, Gertrude wants to believe that love is still there. “The belief deep in his heart was that the world is a place built simply so that people could be happy in it in a sensual and good-natured way” (Bradley, p. 141). This being another example that reality escapes Gertrude's thought process. In conclusion, the last scene of the play shows both sides of Gertrude. As a mother, she means well and cares about her son, but her lack of judgment became a major cause of the tragedy. If Gertrude had been a more logical person, many of the deaths may not have occurred. Works Cited Bradley, AC Shakespearean Tragedy. New York, 1965. Cohen, Michael. “Hamlet” in My Mind’s Eye. Athens, Georgia, 1980http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/critical.html