First, Queen Gertrude in Shakespeare's novel is the queen of Denmark, and mother of Hamlet. In the story, you can only analysis Gertrude by what others say about her, not by what she says. First, she only cares about her outside look and external pleasure. She's very sexually, which made Hamlet angry on her. She was even involved in plot of Claudius during his murder plan, and of course she announced everything when Hamlet confronted her: From adultery, to murder. But, as we can see later, all her lies were to protect everyone around her. She could have told the king that Hamlet killed Polonius, but she lies to him to protect Hamlet. Her love for everyone is big, since she cares about everyone and try to protect them as much as she can, staying loyal and faithful to them. But at the end, she gain her forgiveness for her sensual nature and shallow. But she dies drinking from a poison goblet.
