Question

the tragedy of hamlet, prince of denmark, act i, scene ii by william shakespeare as you read, highlight dialogue that provides insight into the speaker’s character. king claudius, hamlet’s uncle, has married hamlet’s mother act i. scene ii. in this part of the play, king hamlet’s brother, claudius, is now king of denmark. he has married queen gertrude, the former king’s wife and prince hamlet’s mother. in a speech to the royal court, king claudius defends his decision to marry his --hamlet, william shakespeare how does shakespeare characterize gertrude in these lines? unsympathetic to hamlet’s grief concerned about the future of denmark worried about hamlet’s mindset sorrowful over her husband’s death

Explanation:

In Act I, Scene ii of "Hamlet", Gertrude's dialogue (e.g., urging Hamlet to stop mourning his father's death so quickly, saying "Cast thy nighted colour off, / And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark") shows she does not empathize with Hamlet's deep grief over his father's passing, indicating she is unsympathetic to his sorrow. The other options are inconsistent with her portrayal here: she shows little concern for Denmark's future in these lines, her focus is on Hamlet's mourning (not his mindset in a general sense), and she has moved on from her husband's death quickly (so not sorrowful over it).

Answer:

A. unsympathetic to Hamlet’s grief