Question

What is Gertrude saying to Hamlet here? Queen: "Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted colour off, and let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark. Do not for ever with thy vailed lids seek for thy noble father in the dust: Thou know’st ’tis common; all that lives must die, passing through nature to eternity."

Answer 1

Which is the best description of how Gertrude is characterized in this passage?

1. Gertrude is oblivious to her son’s grief and focuses on her own happiness.
2. Gertrude is sympathetic of her son’s obvious distress and tries to comfort him.
3. Gertrude is critical of her son’s continued mourning and urges him to move on. <<<<CORRECT
4. Gertrude is saddened by her son’s unhappiness and tries to distract him.

Step-by-step explanation:

Edge 2021

Answer 2

Queen Gertrude is telling her son Hamlet to let go of mourning his dead father and be more approachable to hie new father and king Claudius. It is an unsympathetic approach by the speaker in asking the listener to stop feeling for the dead and try to appease the living.

Step-by-step explanation:

In this given passage from William Shakespeare's "Hamlet", the Queen Gertrude is seen telling his son Hamlet to stop mourning his dead father and act more cordial to his new father and king, his uncle Claudius. The given passage is from Act I scene ii of the play.

Gertrude is telling Hamlet to stop wearing mourning clothes "nighted color" and be more "like a friend to Denmark", signifying Claudius whom she has married after her husband's death. She also told him to stop "seek(ing) for they noble father in the dust" for it is a common thing for all humans to die one day, "passing through nature to eternity".