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 situation greatly influences the outcome of events. Of the two female characters in Hamlet, Gertrude and Ophelia, they are not sure of themselves. Gertrude's actions will indefinitely lead to her demise and some other characters in the play. Readers first see that in Act 1, Scene 2, his character's poor judgment is his greatest flaw. A normal mother of a grieving child should know that a child needs their mother to get through this terrible event and Gertrude does not notice how insensitive she is towards Hamlet. He should have known that remarrying the dead man's brother so soon would embarrass Hamlet because it is considered incestuous to marry a close relative of the dead man. Then there is Hamlet's jealousy to consider as he will want his mother's attention more than ever. Gertrude is unable to understand what her son is feeling to understand why he should be angry about the current situation. He expresses this thought with his first soliloquy: O, wicked speed, to post with such dexterity on incestuous sheets! (I.ii 156-157)Gertrude is seen as a loving mother, but she cannot say how her son feels about the whole situation. He also tells Hamlet that "it is common for all men to die", however this person who died is not a "common" man but is Hamlet's father. So it is entirely justified to suffer as Hamlet did. He also shows no awareness of how his father's sudden death is tormenting Hamlet inside, so he will not think deeply about King Hamlet's death or in any way begin to think about what Hamlet is thinking. Another ex..... .middle of paper...the love for each 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 constructed simply so that people can be happy in it in a sensual and good-humoured way” (Bradley, p. 141). This is another example of reality escaping Gertrude's thought process. In conclusion, the last scene of the play shows the two sides of Gertrude. As a mother, she means well and cares for her son, but her poor judgment has become a major cause of the tragedy. If Gertrude had been a more logical person, many of the deaths would not have happened. 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