Hamlet - Character Analysis
Hamlet has been portrayed as a man with a fatal flaw, a misfit in a treacherous world, and a weak revenger. Examine these areas taking in to consideration the Elizabethan views and your views based on your reading. William Shakespeare's Hamlet can be defined as a revenge tragedy. Hamlet was established in the Elizabethan era, during a time of religious reformation. For this reason, areas of society such as entertainment were scrutinized. Revenge although thought to be unlawful and against the Church was adored by Elizabethan people. Plays containing aspects of political and religious nature were censored. Due to the circumstances Shakespeare had to very subtly convey Hamlet's attitude disguising his view points in soliloquies and events in the play. An example of this would be when Hamlet allows a perfect opportunity to kill Claudius to slip away as a result of his procrastination. Hamlet, like all other revenge tragedies stemmed from the Greeks. Seneca was very influential to the Elizabethan tragedy, especially to Shakespeare. The Spanish Tragedy Hieronymo, written by Thomas Kyd is another example of a revenge tragedy. Shakespeare's Hamlet reflects areas of Hieronymo such as the ghost asking for vengeance. But unlike Hamlet, the revenge is far less premeditated. In the opening scenes of the play the Ghost tells Hamlet that his father's death was caused
Character of Hamlet.
Character of Hamlet "Wer gar zu viel bedenkt wird wenig leisten" -Schiller " He who reflects too much will accomplish little" It is impossible to attain completeness in the assessment of any one's character and more so in the case of Hamlet's, for its note are complex and mysterious. But on rigorous study, Hamlet's character can be described though partly but adequately by the above quote. 'Hamlet' is the most famous, the most popular play in the English language. But to quote T.S.Eliot -"So far from being Shakespeare's masterpiece, the play is most certainly an artistic failure.... And probably more people have thought Hamlet a work of art because they found it interesting, than have found it interesting because it is a work of art. It is the "Mona Lisa " of literature." "The grounds of Hamlet's failure are not immediately obvious."T.S.Eliot in his essay "Hamlet and His Problems", says this and after his analysis he concludes that in order to understand Hamlet - the play and the character - we need to understand things, which Shakespeare did not understand himself. A similar view is aired by A.C.Bradley who says that the character of Hamlet as one can understand from the play cannot answer several questions which pertain to the logic and rationality of Hamlet's deeds like his idea to pretend madness and in order to get a reasonable answer one must try history where we
Hamlet the character
Hamlet is not crazy Is Hamlet insane? Literary scholars have debated that question for more than 400 years. Still People wonder. Throughout the play, there are questions of whether Hamlet is sane or not. His moods change abruptly throughout the play. Hamlet is not crazy at all. He is very depressed because of his father's death. And especially because of his mother's hasty marriage to his Uncle Claudius, one month after his father's death. Hamlet is still in mourning. His mother should be also. He doesn't understand why she isn't in mourning. Upset by his mother's unfaithfulness to his father, Hamlet scorns his mother saying, "frailty, thy name is woman" (I.2.46). A point I would like to make is in act I, we learn that his father's ghost has appeared to Horatio, Marcellus and Bernardo. These three people give credibility to the ghost's existence. If Hamlet was the only one who saw the ghost, then we could assume that he was mad. The three men witness the ghost before even notifying Hamlet. Horatio states "Before my God, I might not this believe Without the sensible and true avouch Of mine own eyes." (I.1.56-8) All three men are witnesses to the ghost demanding that Hamlet speak alone to it. And all three swear upon Hamlet's sword to keep it secret. Besides being depressed, he is acting like a madman to conceal his motive, revenge for his father's murder. He gets the
Discussing The character Hamlet.
The entire world, be it in the past, present or future, is entirely made up of a series of events inspired by a series of actions. The character Hamlet is a very careful man in determining how his actions will follow out throughout the course of the future. He is a very intelligent man, continuously calculating each of his moves to eventually gain the throne of Denmark that is rightfully his. In Act V scene I of the play, Hamlet abandons this cool, disciplined composer so that he may rely totally on his emotions to guide himself to a deserving glory. Throughout the story, all other characters because of his superior and effective use of language respect Hamlet. However, in Act V scene I, Hamlet is outperformed in the act of speech by the gravedigger (Clown One). This lingual defeat inspires Hamlet to charter a new, more effective method of behavior-actions patterns. Throughout the previous course of the play, Hamlet had continuously carefully contemplated every one of his actions; constantly analyzing each of them and determining their eventual consequences. After his conversation with the gravedigger, Hamlet concludes from his intellectual defeat that he must change to be more physically decisive. Acting on mere emotion had appeared to be quite successful in Fortinbras' life. Hamlet thusly chose to emulate this strong passion of acting on what he believed to be honourable.
The Character Of Prince Hamlet In William Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'.
Parminder Sandhu 120 The Character Of Prince Hamlet In William Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' In this essay I will examine the complex character of Prince Hamlet of William Shakespeare's classic play entitled 'Hamlet'. My aim is to discuss what I consider the most important aspects of Hamlet's character. I shall look at Hamlet's change in character over the course of the play and Hamlet's relationship with his mother. We are first introduced to Hamlet in the Act 1 scene 2; Hamlet appears dressed in black, which is reflective of the sense of bereavement he is feeling after the death of his father, King Hamlet. As the scene progresses Hamlet speaks his first soliloquy, 'O that this sullied flesh would melt'. This is the first line the audience sees in his speech therefore indicating to us his disturbed frame of mind. This is a prelude to his future madness. S.T.Coleridge stated the following opinion on the character of Prince Hamlet: ''..all that is amiable and excellent in nature in combined in Hamlet, with the exception of one quality... the great object of his life is defeated by continually resolving to do, yet doing nothing but resolve''. Coleridge alludes to Hamlet's future inaction and self-chastisement at his inability to complete his main purpose in life due to no other person than himself. This relates to the classic notion in Greek revenge tragedies of the hero
Hamlet and his character
Hamlet Essay In 'Hamlet' by William Shakespeare, Prince Hamlet, the main character, brings about his downfall by putting on an 'antic disposition' which gradually becomes actual madness. The plot reveals this madness as it develops, and the personality of Hamlet changes throughout the play, showing his progression into madness. The main theme of the impossibility of certainty shows how indecision is a key factor in the forces from within that defeat him. At the start of the play, Hamlet is seen to still be grieving over the death of his father, Old Hamlet. He conceals his grief when Claudius, the new king and Hamlet's uncle, is addressing the Danish court and uses wit to control his anger and bitterness, saying to Claudius that he is "A little more than kin, and less than kind." Hamlet is also heartbroken by his mother's hasty re-marriage to his uncle, as is evident in his soliloquy in Act One, once everyone else has left. He reveals that he is depressed and has contemplated suicide, claiming: "How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable Seem to me all the uses in the world!" The audience learns that Hamlet feels very strongly about his mother's recent marriage, and how he cannot believe how quickly she got over her previous husband's death: "A beast that wants discourse of reason Would have mourn'd longer." Hamlet blames his mother for his depression, but realises he
Hamlet - Character study of Ophelia.
2nd Draft In the play written by William Shakespeare, "Hamlet", Ophelia is seen to be a very interesting and intriguing character. Shakespeare has written Ophelia in a way that leaves the audience puzzled as to her true character. Many critics have placed Ophelia's character at completely contrasting ends of a continuum some people believe that Ophelia is not the innocent young girl others believe she is. Some people believe Ophelia to be a wanton, sexually knowledgeable young woman, while others believe that she is harmless and pious. This is due to the manner that Shakespeare has written Ophelia's character, it means that Ophelia's language and actions can be interpreted in many different factions. This can be shown by the way in which Ophelia reacts in different circumstances, while some believe that it shows that she is sexually knowledgeable others believe it shows a lack of knowledge and even slight embarrassment. I believe that Ophelia was written by Shakespeare to be an innocent young woman that is corrupted by the events occurring around her. I believe that Hamlet treats Ophelia brutally and that her innocence and shy character during these events lead to her depression and her end. Ophelia occurs in the play as the daughter to the king's councillor and the true love interest of Hamlet. Ophelia is written by Shakespeare to be an innocent bystander to the events
The character of Hamlet
The character of Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, is a frustratingly complex enigma who never really reveals himself completely. Though he does disclose his intentions of assuming an "antic disposition" there is an innate hint of suspicion over the validity of this statement. For it is not only Hamlets actions in front of the iniquitous and wicked people inhabiting the festering palace of Elsinore but also the people with whom he entrusts the secret of his father's spectral image that seem to resemble that of a man who is on the border of sanity. Though there are times when it is palpable that Hamlet's actions are contrived for the known alternative purposes, it becomes disturbingly obvious that Hamlet is affected by his decaying surroundings on a more psychologically damaging level. It is certainly understandable for someone who has just lost their father, and gained a stepfather to maybe act somewhat out of the norm. However, it is not until sometime after his father's death and his mother's remarriage that he actually starts showing the symptoms of psychological trauma. In fact it is only after Hamlet has revealed that he is going to "put an antic disposition on". In saying this statement it is implied that he is in fact feigning madness. To support this later, as Hamlet is speaking to Guildenstern, he makes the analogy that he is "but mad north-north-west: when the
How is the character of Hamlet presented?
How is the character of Hamlet presented? Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, is the central figure in the tragedy, and much of the dramatic impact of the play derives from the complex nature of his character. He is at one and the same time, gentle and cruel, loving and vindictive, a deeply reflective introvert and a man capable of acting on impulse. The young Prince is shown as an agent of divine justice as well as a man in the center of a conflict that he cannot cope with. The character of Hamlet seems to stand by itself. He is not shown by his strength of will or even passion, but by his refinement of both thought and sentiment. He seems incapable of deliberate action, and is only hurried into extremities on the spur of the occasion, when he has no time to reflect, as in the scene where he kills Polonius. At other times, when he is most expected to act, he remains puzzled, undecided and sceptical, as in the prayer scene. This draws attention to his unbalanced state as a character and rises more speculation as to why he is delaying his revenge, not only by the readers but also by Hamlet himself: "That would be scanned," Hamlet feels his revenge needs further consideration under the circumstances that Claudius is praying. He feels that if he kills him at this point his sins would be forgiven, Hamlet doesn't want this to happen as he feels Claudius should be punished when "he
Examine the character Ophelia in Shakespeare's Hamlet
Examine the character Ophelia in Shakespeare's Hamlet Ophelia is the daughter of Polonius, the right hand man of the King. Although she is only in five scenes Ophelia plays an interesting role in this play as the seemingly passive, melancholy, innocent 'little girl' whose story ends in tragedy. From the beginning Ophelia is an obedient character who has real trouble thinking for herself. This could be seen as one of the reasons for her eventual downfall, due to her inability to analyse a strange, complicated pattern of events. She is always accepting other people's views or advice, acting upon them, with no thought or interpretation of what the results could be. This is one of the reasons why her suicide is not thought of by her or the reader in her first scenes, because for her to commit such an act would take thought and initiative, two concepts completely foreign to Ophelia in the opening scenes. In the first scene that Ophelia is in (Act 1 Scene 3) we are not only treated to our first impressions of Ophelia but also her pivotal relationship with her brother and father. In this scene Laertes, about to leave for France, is saying farewell to his sister Ophelia. He warns her to beware of Hamlet (knowing full well of their relationship), whom he says is insincere. "For Hamlet and the trifling of his favour/Hold it a fashion and a toy in blood/sweet not lasting." Laertes
