How is Gertrude faithful to Hamlet?
An interpretation of the text reveals that there could be evidence of an incestuous relationship between Gertrude and Hamlet, a view popularised by Freud’s famous notion of the Oedipus complex. Gertrude’s last words show affection towards her son. She does not confess to any sins before she dies which suggests she was naive about the “corruption” in Denmark. Therefore, Gertrude is most likely an honest queen and a passionate mother (which is debatable depending upon interpretation) as she makes no attempts to ease her conscience regarding whether she would be sent to Heaven or Hell (the Christian ethos formed a backdrop to the play as a technique used by Shakespeare).
