Ode to Gertrude

Ode to Gertrude

At times in my life when I lived alone I would work the holidays. Little engagement with the cheer. Visited Hamlet for my gifts. Immeasurable tools to tweak the Behind. I see now, unconscious to me at the times, I would frequent Elsinore, at years end, a pattern.

I am empathizing Gertrude this year. She is the elder of the two female characters in the schema. The Queen Mother to Hamlet, wife to King Uncle.

Gertrude was blindsided by Hamlet’s dagger language, that night, after he slayed Polonius, in her bedroom, mistaking him for the King Uncle, revealing the Coup that killed Hamlet’s father, and usurped the crown, which she quickly married in her grief, in the soft subtle manipulative gas light of the King Uncle. Oh what bloody trauma she absorbed, in her inner chambers, that night after the Mouse Trap.

Ophelia gets most the trauma informed attention. Gertrude is equally victimized , with little recognition.

Reviews

[John the Baptist]

Yes, and had poor Hamlet lived, he might have gotten off by pleading insanity.

[albee]

If Hamlet had lived he would have been King. As we see in contemporary court politics, the elites have a different cause and effect universe then us commoners within common law.

[Betty Hermelee]

Kudos to you for remembering Hamlet et al.... love your descriptions, but fail to remember any of it...and couldn't understand Shakespeare if I tried..nice job Albee. I'll try at the next one!
Best, B

[emmajoy]

A grand recognition of characters in Shakespeare's Hamlet! Your final line is more than significant -
congratulations, sir.
May I ask - please, how hard or easy did you find it to understand the great Barf's language in his play?

[albee]

Thirty years I’ve been visiting and re-visiting the mystical language of Shakespeare. Hamlet is my Jesus, the best and worst of the Sapien archetype.

[emmajoy]

Smiling, nodding, plus - sending congratulatory best wishes and admiration.

[albee]

Thank you and best wishes for your years end project.

[Patricia]

Nicely done! First, bravo for taking on Hamlet! Geeze no one reads those plays anymore and it’s been forever since I read it and can’t remember it but I can’t remember the Doctor’s name I saw yesterday LOL nonetheless I love it!

[albee]

Hamlet took me on. Thank you Patricia, for reasons my piece.