How does Hamlet contemplate his mother’s remarriage to his uncle Claudius?
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Answer
How does Hamlet contemplate his mother’s remarriage to his uncle Claudius? [2021]
In William Shakespeare’s (1564-1616) “Hamlet,” Hamlet is deeply troubled by his mother Gertrude’s quick remarriage to his uncle Claudius. His father, King Hamlet, has just died. Within a short time, Gertrude marries her husband’s brother. This act fills Hamlet’s heart with sadness, anger, and disgust.
Shock and Sorrow: At the beginning of the play, Hamlet cannot accept how soon his mother has forgotten his father. Only “two months dead,” but Gertrude has married Claudius already. Hamlet says bitterly,
“Frailty, thy name is woman!”
Here, he means that women are weak and they easily change their emotions. His grief turns into anger because his mother did not even wait for proper mourning before marrying again. He feels that her love for his father was false.
Disgust and Anger: Hamlet also feels that Gertrude’s marriage is sinful and shameful. According to him, it is “incestuous” because she has married her husband’s brother. He compares his father to “Hyperion,” a god-like man, and Claudius to a “satyr,” a lustful creature. The contrast shows how low she has fallen in Hamlet’s eyes. Her marriage not only breaks his heart but also destroys his respect for women in general. In one of his famous soliloquies, Hamlet says:
“One may smile, and smile, and be a villain.”
Here, he is blaming his uncle, Claudius, for killing his father and his mother for her quick remarriage to Claudius.
In short, Hamlet’s thoughts about his mother’s remarriage show his deep moral sense and emotional pain. He sees it as betrayal, weakness, and corruption.