Penny Downie plays a guilt-ridden Gertrude who visibly realizes throughout the play the series of mistakes she has made. (Pictured Left) Gertrude drinks and smokes at the beginning of Act 3 scene 4 showing that she is haunted by what is happening with Hamlet. The guilt shows on her face as Patrick Stewart's Claudius wraps his hands around her neck and she realizes the full scale of what is occuring at that moment in the play. In Act 5 scene 2, Gertrude knowingly drinks the poison from the chalise after Claudius states, "Don't drink that." (See video below).
Hamlet Directed By Gregory Doran (2009)
From Left - Penny Downie as Gertrude and Oliver Ford Davies as Polonius.
Reviews
“Penny Downie harrowingly charts Gertrude's decline from high society lady to abject terror and exhausted, alcoholic remorse...”
-Click Here for the full article.
"Given that this is Gertrude’s only substantial scene, it’s unsurprising that Penny Downie is at her best here. Left alone and terrified after her son’s onslaught, she responds to his manic farewell with a hysterical laugh that turns to sobs. Doran then brings Claudius in silently behind her, putting his hands horribly close to her throat. It’s another electrifying moment, but again the scene unravels as it contradicts the couple’s otherwise relaxed physicality."
-Click Here for the full article.