GERTRUDE

queen of Denmark, widow of the former king, and now wife of Claudius in Shakespeare's tragedy Hamlet. To her son Hamlet she represents the worst qualities of women; she is fickle, passive, and, worst of all, disloyal to his father's memory. Before the play opens, her hasty seduction by and marriage to her brother-in-law (and her husband's murderer), Claudius, has been accomplished. This is the incident that first alerts Hamlet that foul play has occurred.