Very interesting again! In the 2009 version of the end scene, Penny Downie seems to portray Gertrude as if she knows what she is about to do when Claudius tells her not to drink. Don't know if it's just me, but she gazes meaningfully into the distance before she says "I will, my lord, I pray you forgive me" and drinks from the cup. What do you make of this?
Yeah, that's an interesting decision by her and the director. They make it plausible by having Gertrude mentally degrade greatly scene by scene. After the closet scene, when Claudius enters, she recoils from him in confused horror. She's become totally unmoored. Her conscience has caught up with her. What she perhaps subconsciously suspected can no longer be repressed. First rate interpretation. So rare.
Thanks, Kiera. Glad you like the videos:) Sexism? Hmm. Gertrude does very well for herself, actually, playing the game she was born into -- women gained power through men, mostly. You could argue that the game itself is sexist and Gertrude is trapped in it -- see Heroic Juliet at 08:50. Ophelia is more obviously a victim of the sexist, limiting demands of society; her will is subordinate to her father's, Hamlet's, and the court's. Hamlet's puritanical expectations for female behaviour could be considered sexist, but this assessment is complicated by the fact that, actually, yeah, 2 months is pretty nasty! If she had waited a proper mourning period before marrying her husband's brother(!), would Hamlet have been so disgusted? Maybe. Hamlet's cruel, bigoted treatment of both Gertrude and Ophelia is better described as misogyny rather than sexism. Hamlet's psychological pathologies, together with his legitimate(?) disgust/anger/sense of betrayal with his mother's behaviour, have coloured his perception of women generally. Kinda like when a girl grows up with bad male role models and develops a misandrist view of men.
Have missed your videos. Good to see you resume uploading. ❤
Thanks, Ralph. Back on schedule!
Very interesting again! In the 2009 version of the end scene, Penny Downie seems to portray Gertrude as if she knows what she is about to do when Claudius tells her not to drink. Don't know if it's just me, but she gazes meaningfully into the distance before she says "I will, my lord, I pray you forgive me" and drinks from the cup. What do you make of this?
Yeah, that's an interesting decision by her and the director. They make it plausible by having Gertrude mentally degrade greatly scene by scene. After the closet scene, when Claudius enters, she recoils from him in confused horror. She's become totally unmoored. Her conscience has caught up with her. What she perhaps subconsciously suspected can no longer be repressed. First rate interpretation. So rare.
How is Gertrude presented as a victim of sexism? P.s. Love your videos - they are really helpful!
Thanks, Kiera. Glad you like the videos:)
Sexism? Hmm. Gertrude does very well for herself, actually, playing the game she was born into -- women gained power through men, mostly. You could argue that the game itself is sexist and Gertrude is trapped in it -- see Heroic Juliet at 08:50. Ophelia is more obviously a victim of the sexist, limiting demands of society; her will is subordinate to her father's, Hamlet's, and the court's.
Hamlet's puritanical expectations for female behaviour could be considered sexist, but this assessment is complicated by the fact that, actually, yeah, 2 months is pretty nasty! If she had waited a proper mourning period before marrying her husband's brother(!), would Hamlet have been so disgusted? Maybe.
Hamlet's cruel, bigoted treatment of both Gertrude and Ophelia is better described as misogyny rather than sexism. Hamlet's psychological pathologies, together with his legitimate(?) disgust/anger/sense of betrayal with his mother's behaviour, have coloured his perception of women generally. Kinda like when a girl grows up with bad male role models and develops a misandrist view of men.
waiting for Caesar's....
Thanks, R. Planning that next. Rewatching/reading now.