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Analysis of Act 3 Scene 4 of Hamlet
telling her that is an act "that blurs the grace of modesty". He tells her that the skies are red with shame, and the huge earth itself, with a face as sad as if it were doomsday, is distressed in mind, by her act. Gertrude still doesn't seem to know what act Hamlet is talking about.
To illustrate his point to Gertrude Hamlet takes two miniatures, one of Claudius and one of Hamlet. He first starts to describe old Hamlet, he was a great king that was able to command power, every God seemed to have given him a talent. When people were depressed with mankind they would look to him and he would be able to make them feel better and more assured. He tells Gertrude that that wonderful man was her husband "this was your husband" and that she should see what the difference is between what he has said and what he is going to say. He starts to describe her new husband, Claudius "here is your husband" he describes Claudius as a disease that cannot be removed. He tells Gertrude that it cannot be love that she feels for Claudius as she is to old to have the passion and excitement for it, so it must be lust that she is feeling. He asks her what type of person would go from Hamlet to Claudius " what judgement would step from this to this?". He goes onto say that something worse than madness has happened to Gertrudes' sense as even if she was mad she could not prefer Claudius to her previous husband. Hamlet uses imagery to ask her what kind of evil has deceived her in this game of blindman's bluff, what kind of devil put a blindfold on her? Is it lust?
Hamlet believes that all her senses have gone, but that even if she did have part of her senses then she wouldn't be so confused. He believes that if the devil can encourage the worser nature of the older generation to rebel against their better judgement, then they have no right telling the younger generation what to do. Hamlet explains that in circumstances like these virtue becomes a soft wax melting in the fire of youthful ardour and, that reason acts as a pander to lust. Hamlet uses imagery to explain to Gertrude that things are no longer in the order that they should be “frost itself as actively doth burn” nature has lost its natural order.
When Hamlet has finished telling Gertrude this, she tells him that she doesn’t want him to speak anymore, this is because she feels guilty she tells him that as she looks in on her soul she sees black spots that now cannot be removed, here we see a change in Gertrude, she seems to have realised what she has done and why Hamlet is upset. Hamlet asks her how she could live in such a greasy and foul bed that is full of sin, [next page]