Hamlet & Madness
The idea of a character feigning madness is not unusual in great literary works; many authors use it to show the sanity of a character. This idea is apparent throughout Hamlet. In the masterpiece, there is much debate around the protagonist, Hamlet, and whether or not his madness in the play was real or feigned. Literary scholars have debated this for more than four hundred years. One of the possible reasons for the intense recognition of this play is the way Shakespeare uses Hamlet's theme of madness to serve a motive, of how one must use deception in order to deceive others to get the truth. In this play, the tragic hero contemplates his own concepts of moral judgement and in the process is considered mad. Hamlet claims to feign his madness, but is it debated that he actually has some characteristics of a madman. His madness can be defined by his inability to decide between right and wrong and to make appropriate decisions based on the standards of society. Hamlets circumstances in the play were a major contribution to his 'madness.' His father, King Hamlet, has just been murdered; his mother, Gertrude, had married his uncle Claudius only a short time after her late husband dies, stripping Hamlet from his natural right to the throne. The ghost of his dead father appeared to him with instructions to revenge Claudius for his murder and finally, his love Ophelia was no
Hamlet Essay
In this essay I'm going to consider the relationship between Hamlet and three other characters from the play, Claudius, Gertrude (Hamlet's mother) and Ophelia. I think these characters determine Hamlet's moods and actions strongly. Hamlet doesn't seem to have a close relationship with any of the major characters in the play. He is actually quite isolated from the people around him. Throughout this essay I'm going to consider how Hamlet's relationships with Claudius, Gertrude and Ophelia change. At the start of the play Hamlet's father dies. His father's brother then marries his mother. Then Hamlet sees his father's ghost, who tells him about how he was murdered. Hamlet is determined to get revenge. He is so angry he practically breaks up with Ophelia by hurling insults and shouting at her. He then asks a group of travelling actors to perform the scene of his father's death in front of the King and Queen. Afterwards in the Queen's bedroom Hamlet stabs Polonius, who is hiding behind the curtain, by accident, thinking it was Claudius. Ophelia starts going a bit mad and later on Hamlet finds her dead in a stream. The play ends tragically with the death of Hamlet, the Queen, the King and Laertes. In many ways Hamlet and Claudius are very similar characters. They are both very determined and will go to any lengths to get what they want. We can see this characteristic in Claudius
Discussing Hamlet.
Hamlet Hamlet is an intriguing story of treachery, incarnations, heroes and villains. Throughout this play the moods of many characters change drastically from start to finish. However we don't always get to see what these characters are thinking. During "Hamlet" the character Hamlet speaks some major soliloquies that really let people into his mine and know how he's feeling; as traditionally a character will always speak the truth in a soliloquy and Hamlet has been forced to lie and pretend his way through his life to the other characters. In the first of these soliloquies, Shakespeare starts it by writing "O that this too too solid flesh would melt". Hamlet wishes that he could die or that his "flesh would melt" showing that he is feeling great depression and sadness. However "the everlasting had not fixed his cannon against self slaughter" means that Hamlet can not take his own life because he is deeply religious and fears God's wrath if would be to do so, adding to the burden that he already carries. Hamlet then thinks about "How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable seem to me all the uses of the world!" He is becoming angry and depresses, because he no longer sees life as worth living, but cannot take his life because of religion. All through the soliloquy Hamlet appears to be getting angrier. At first it is just because he doesn't want to live and cannot see any
Hamlet tragedy.
Hamlet tragedy Arguably the best piece of writing ever done by William Shakespeare, Hamlet the is the classic example of a tragedy. In all tragedies the hero suffers, and usually dies at the end. Othello stabs himself, Romeo and Juliet commit suicide, Brutis falls on his sword, and like them Hamlet dies by getting cut with a poison tipped sword. But that is not all that is needed to consider a play a tragedy, and sometimes a hero doesn't even need to die. Making Not every play in which a Hero dies is considered a tragedy. There are more elements needed to label a play one. Probably the most important element is an amount of free will. In every tragedy, the characters must displays some. If every action is controlled by a hero's destiny, then the hero's death can't be avoided, and in a tragedy the sad part is that it could. Hamlet's death could have been avoided many times. Hamlet had many opportunities to kill Claudius, but did not take advantage of them. He also had the option of making his claim public, but instead he chose not too. A tragic hero doesn't need to be good. For example, MacBeth was evil, yet he was a tragic hero, because he had free will. He also had only one flaw, and that was pride. He had many good traits such as bravery, but his one bad trait made him evil. Also a tragic hero doesn't have to die. While in all
Role of women in hamlet
The Role of Women in Hamlet We live in a society where women have rights that were unheard of centuries ago. These rights include the right to driving freely, having jobs rather than staying at home, and being treated with the same respect as men in the workplace. But in Shakespeare's play Hamlet women have a role that is mainly passive in that the men in Hamlet hold a higher position than women and are treated in a manner that would be labelled as misogyny today in that women are only seen as objects rather than human. In Hamlet there are only two women who have a significant role in the play: Gertrude and Ophelia. Gertrude role in Hamlet is one that is a loving mother that does care for her son but also raises her selfish ambition above everyone else and tries to reconfigure her family around her new husband Claudius. Ophelia role in Hamlet consists of being one-dimensional and stagnant, that soon crumbles after the death of her father due to her frailty and innocence. During the first scene of book, Hamlet recalls scene between his mother and father and the love and affection they possessed before his father passed away. He then becomes disgusted over the fact his mother quickly married off a man instead of being with her son. The fact that this man was her deceased husband brother makes Hamlet disgust his mom even more. He feels his mother is weak in many aspects
HAMLET In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Hamlet discloses his true feelings, in Act 4, scene 4. In this soliloquy, Hamlet illustrates his mental
HAMLET In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Hamlet discloses his true feelings, in Act 4, scene 4. In this soliloquy, Hamlet illustrates his mental instability by contrasting himself and Fortinbras. He illustrates himself as being a coward who does not has the will to initiate plans to revenge his father's death. Hamlet finds himself grasping for an answer as whether to kill his uncle who has done his family and great injustice by killing his father and sleeping with the mother. This outrages Hamlet and creates an inner struggle and it is in this stage where Hamlet idealizes Fortinbras in his words and actions. In Hamlet's soliloquy, He contrasts the differences between Fortinbras and himself, and implying his desire to be more like Fortinbras in action. Hamlet admires Fortinbras for the mere fact that he is the head of state and he is control of a powerful army, while Hamlet can barely control himself. Fortinbras holds a position that Hamlet was destined for, yet Claudius intervened and took Hamlet's rightful position. This fact may imply that Hamlet sees his father's actions personified in Fortinbras. Although Hamlet seems to admire the dominance and will power that Fortinbras displays, he also criticizes him and his unattainable dream. " The imminent death of twenty thousand men that for fantasy and trick of fame." In this statement Hamlet is declaring that he thinks Fortinbras
Hamlet personality
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
Desperate Measures - A Comparison between Hamlet and Down the River.
Desperate Minds Think Alike Comparison between Hamlet and “Down the River” Avery James Caron Mr. Finner April, Friday 13th, 2012 ENG4U “The man who seeks revenge digs two graves.”(Ken Kesey) Hamlet and “Down the River” demonstrates the aftermath of murder and displays the different versions of revenge. Throughout both stories two characters were murdered without just cause, furthermore; the death is seemingly innocent to the general public. Both stories demonstrate the need for revenge; in Hamlet, the main character plays out a methodical, syncytial plan for vengeance. On the contrary, in “Down the River”, the brother makes a quick decision to murder the man at fault. Lastly, both characters deal with the aftermath of murder in a similar manner. Hamlet shows that he feels no remorse for murdering the king, and even belittles him as he is dying. Comparably, the brother also feels no remorse and even begins to plot his next murder for the other person involved. Overall both characters demonstrate an ability to persist with their plans, and act accordingly. Both story lines possess the same act of betrayal to a family member, without a just cause. In Hamlet, Claudius murders his brother, the King, in order to gain his rank. The king’s death calls for no alarm, because the people of Denmark suspect no foul play. This allows for Claudius to become king
The Downward Spiral of Hamlet.
The Downward Spiral Hamlet is one of the great tragedies written by Shakespeare. It is the story of a young man and his struggle to deal with the recent death of his father. This death he soon learns was no accident, and that his mother is now married to the man who killed his father. This man being the late kings own brother, Hamlets Uncle. While reading this play it becomes apparent that nothing really is what it seems. The court of this castle is two faced. Several characters hide who they are and their actions, lies, and deceptions add to the plot and make the ending so tragic. Many characters in the play hide behind masks to hide their true selves and true motivations. Some of the characters being Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and the king Claudius as well. They hid behind these masks to protect themselves from the lies they have told, the tricks they have done, and the evil that manifests in them. For starters Polonius is the kings royal assistant, and he appears to be like a loving and caring person. Not only does he appear to be a loving and caring person but also a loving and caring father. Polonius shows us he is not who he would like us to think he is with his son Laertes. When Laertes requests to go to France Polonius gives him his blessing, and best wishes. He gives his son advice to help him while in France, but this is only so he can look like a
Hamlet: The Controversy of Ophelia
Hamlet: The Controversy of Ophelia Kwontavious Billingsley March 17, 2009 During the Elizabethan period women were not known to have important roles in society. They followed men and devoted their lives to their men . Women didn't have much say or play significant roles in society. It was mandatory for them to obey a "dominant code of ethics that prescribed chaste, silent, and obedient Renaissance women" (Pebworth 76). This stereotype stayed consistent for hundreds of years to come and has carried on through different generations, reaching the point where it has become traditional. In Shakespeare's play, Hamlet, his character Ophelia is a victim to this stereotype. Many feminist reading this play would disagree with or dislike the actions of Ophelia, stating that she is much weaker than the real character of a female. (Ophelia; a beautiful young woman who is regularly involved in conflicts but doesn't know how to solve them or stand up for herself.) She continuously turns to men for advice who basically control her life and alter her decisions. Shakespeare makes Ophelia consist of only one strong trait, her beauty. She lacks authority and self-respect because her male influences instruct her life and ultimately drive her insane which eventually leads to her suicide. "Throughout the play, Ophelia has her opinions and statements recast for her by other characters - namely,
