A mother would not willingly betray her son to a dangerous murderer. Try to see this from Gertrude's POV. This evening Hamlet had behaved very strangely in public at 'the play'. The evening was a complete disaster that will start all sorts of gossip and problems. She believes Hamlet is deranged and that he has somehow made her new husband very scared and angry with his childish antics at the play. She has summoned him to her bedroom to give him a strict telling off and to try and bring him to his senses.
Then Hamlet rushes into her bedroom, yelling and shouting about her sex life and morality. He practically physically attacks her, making her cry for help in fear he might kill her. This makes Polonius cry out for the guards. Then Hamlet pulls out his sword and murders Denmark's most senior politician for no reason Gertrude can see. Hamlet then goes right back to shouting at her about her marriage, while the old man's blood pools on the floor. Then suddenly, mid-rant, Hamlet stops, points horrified at the empty air and has a conversation with a ghost that Gertrude can't see at all.
Is this sane behaviour from Gertrude's point of view? Is this just 'acting' mad?
Gertrude is truly terrified for her son's well-being. She doesn't betray him, she tries to help him. She still doesn't know Claudius is a murderer, she tells the king that Hamlet is mad because she wants to help Hamlet.
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