Probably: I get fewer hours of sleep these days? This might help: http://englishplus.com/grammar/00000214.htm
A short story conserves characters and scenes, typically by focusing on just one conflict, and drives towards a sudden, unexpected revelation. Go easy on the exposition and the backstory, your reader doesn't need to know everything that you know about your characters.
What undermines Gertrude’s confidence is the fact that she
is dependent on Claudius. If she was a
confident woman then she would find out for herself whether or not the rumor
was true that the King was murdered.
Hamlet also called her fickle when he said “Frailty is thy name woman.” Even when Hamlet tells her enough to know
that there is something wrong Gertrude would still stand by her new husband and
that is what undermines her confidence.
