Which is the best description of how gertrude is characterized in this passage?
a. gertrude is oblivious to her son’s grief and focuses on her own happiness.
b. gertrude is sympathetic of her son’s obvious distress and tries to comfort him.
c. gertrude is critical of her son’s continued mourning and urges him to move on.
d. gertrude is saddened by her son’s unhappiness and tries to distract him.

C.

Explanation:

In the play "Hamlet" written by William Shakespeare, Gertrude is the character about whom not much is revealed in the play. Her participation in the murder of the old King Hamlet was a mystery.

In the passage, Gertrude's character is critical towards Hamlet. In Act 1, Scene 2 of the play, when Hamlet mourns over the death of his father by wearing black clothes, which represents mourning, Gertrude criticizes Hamlet for the prolonged period of mourning.

With this, we can say that Gertrude is critical of Hamlet's mourning and asks him to move on.

So, the correct answer is option C.