How does Gertrude die in Hamlet?

Answer 1

Gertrude accidentally drinks from the poisoned cup, which Polonius had intended for Hamlet to drink from during his duel with Laertes.

(In some productions, Gertrude knows that the cup is poisoned and drinks it anyway, to atone for her involvement in her husband's murder, or to save her son's life, or both.)

Answer 2

Queen Gertrude dies because she accidently drinks out of the poisoned cup that was intended for Hamlet to drink from.

She dies from drinking poisoned wine that King Claudius had prepared for Hamlet.

Claudius drops a pearl "fit for a king" into Hamlet's beaker He declares that past kings have worn the very jewel in their crowns,this is at the point in act 5 when Hamlet and Laertes fight. Unknown to the rest of the court, this is, infact, poison. I believe Hamlet suspects this, and when offered a drink after the first hit, Hamlet declines. Gertrude, Hamlet's mother, wipes Hamlet's brow, and toats to his good luck. The king bids Gertrude not to drink, but obviously can't say in public why. Gertrude drinks, and the king says "It is the poison'd cup, it is too late" Gertrude has drunk the poison meant for Hamlet, and in her dying minutes, she realises Hamlet was right all along, and that the king is in fact a villain. Everything goes pear-shaped from then on, you should read it!

Claudius has prepared a cup of poisoned wine for Hamlet, in case the poison on Laertes sword doesn't work, and Gertrude drinks it - not knowing it is poisoned.

In some productions, Gertrude works out that the cup is poisoned from Claudius's warning "Gertrude, do not drink!" but she drinks it anyway, realizing that she has become implicated in her first husband's murder, or to save Hamlet from the danger it represents, or both.

Answer 3

Gertrude is accidentally killed when she drinks from the cup Claudius had poisoned. The drink was originally meant to kill Hamlet, however Gertrude not knowing Claudius' plans drinks from it and dies soon after.

Answer 4

Gertrude dies from drinking a cup of wine into which Claudius has introduced poison. She certainly kills herself in the sense that it is her action in drinking the wine which kills her. Whether she knows that it is poisoned is another question. Most productions assume that she does not know. However, the 2000 film with Ethan Hawke has Diane Venora, playing Gertrude, realize with a shock that Claudius has poisoned the wine, and then drink it on purpose either to protect Hamlet or to atone for her mistake in marrying Claudius, or both.

Answer 5

She drowned in a brook.