In the paper, I will focus on the role of men and women in the epoch of Shakespeare and how that effects the speech patterns of Gertrude and Claudius.  Also, I will focus on how both feel as if they are unfit for their current positions in life.  Claudius tries to make up for being a new king and murdering the old one by talking in a sophisticated, yet empty manner (like Polonius), while Gertrude is imprisoned as all women back then were completely subservient to men and she feels that she married Claudius too hastily, and thus drove Hamlet "mad" by her insensitive actions.