Some of the most interesting female characters in Shakespeare's writing are Hermia in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Viola and Olivia in Twelfth Night, and Gertrude, the Queen of Denmark and Hamlet's mother, in Hamlet. ... Finally, the reader encounters an altogether different type of woman in Gertrude, the mother of Hamlet. ... In fact, her most strict critic is her own son, Hamlet, who finds it utterly despicable that his mother pursues his own uncle for a romantic relationship after her husband's death. Hamlet is offended and embarrassed; he cannot understand why his mother ...

• Word Count: 2208
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Graduate