For example, Hamlet says the word devil in acts two and three, while Laertes says it in acts four and five. The last person to say the word devil is Polonius in the second act. In all of these cases, these men portray the devil as someone evil or bad. One reason why Shakespeare only had male characters utter this vulgar word is that it was improper for women to utter such foul language. Even when describing how Hamlet's mother, Gertrude, is blinded by the devil in the third act, Gertrude does not say the word devil in their conversation, only Hamlet mentions it. The connection to the meaning of the play is that only men could potentially be influenced by the devil, or be the devil themselves. Although Gertrude was thought to be blinded by the devil, she is never believed to be one herself or to have done the evil of the devil.