Gertrude of Shakespeare and Kaikeyi of Tulasidas Compared

William Shakespeare and GoswamiTulasidas are like two stars in the Western and Eastern worlds. Both the contemporary poets spread the rays of enlightenment in their contemporary age. Their works are not confined to one place or a certain time rather it trespasses all limitations. That’s why their works are read and studied with much vigour and interest even today. In this paper an attempt has been made to compare Gertrude, a female character of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy Hamlet, with Kaikeyi a female character of Tulasidas’s great epic Ramcharitamanasa. Both characters resemble in more than one way as both are innocent, naïve, compassionate mothers and power-seekers. The Striking similarities between these two characters open vast ocean of Eastern and Western approach in women studies.