Answer: D. Gertrude: Be thou assur’d, if words be made of breath, And breath of life, I have no life to breathe What thou hast said to me.
In Scene 4 of Act III, we witness a fight between Gertrude and Hamlet. Hamlet accuses his mother of having committed a great sin when she married Claudius. He forces her to compare her two partners, and then to promise not to sleep with Claudius that night and not to breathe a word of what has happened. In particular, he urges her to not mention Hamlet's alleged "madness." In this line, Gertrude agrees to keep the secret, saying that she is too "dead" to talk, as talking requires breathing. In this way, she assures Hamlet that she will not betray his trust.
The scene reinforces gender stereotypes because Hamlet is particularly dominant. Moreover, Gertrude accepts everything Hamlet says and promises to be obedient, without trying to defend herself at any point.
