Read the excerpt from Act IV of Hamlet . Gentleman: She speaks much of her father; says she hears There's tricks i' the world; and hems, and beats her heart; Spurns enviously at straws; speaks things in doubt, That carry but half sense: her speech is nothing . . . Horatio: 'Twere good she were spoken with, for she may strew Dangerous conjectures in ill-breeding minds. Gertrude: Let her come in. [ Exit Gentleman.] To my sick soul, as sin's true nature is, Each toy seems prologue to some great amiss: So full of artless jealousy is guilt, It spills itself in fearing to be spilt. How does Gertrude’s reaction advance the plot of the play?
Answer
A
by resolving readers’ concerns about Ophelia’s madness
B
by introducing her maternal kindness toward Ophelia
C
by reaching a height of conflict as Gertrude decides to punish Ophelia
D
by suggesting that Ophelia’s madness is a sign of greater troubles