Hamlet Coursework: Is Hamlet alone responsible for Ophelias death? - WJEC English Lit. CW
Hamlet Coursework: Is Hamlet alone responsible for Ophelia's death? As we progress through the play, we discover different people who could be held responsible for Ophelia's death. At the beginning of the play, it seems as if Hamlet is solely responsible for her death, however as we progress we see how different people had a part to play in the cause of her death. In Act 1 Scene 3, we see Ophelia's relationship with both her brother and her father, as they warn Ophelia against her interaction with Hamlet. Firstly she speaks with her brother, Laertes, about her relationship with Hamlet. Laertes states that if Hamlet says he loves you 'it fits your wisdom so far to believe him'. This is saying to Ophelia that she is naive and this is because she has never experienced matters like this before, however while he is saying this he is not being patronising as such. This shows us that although he is trying to protect her, but he also doesn't trust her judgement entirely. From this and the fact Laertes states that Ophelia should 'Fear it, my dear sister', by it he is referring to Hamlets apparent feelings towards her, we can see that he feels protective over her. This portrays to us that their relationship is one of trust, and close friendship. Rather than instruct her in a patronizing manner, he speaks to her in a way that is kind and yet explains what he is trying to tell her.
Sigmund Freud, father of psychoanalysis, used Shakespeare's character, Hamlet, in a letter written to Wilhelm Fliess in 1897, as a means to theoretically explain and engage in what he regarded as one of the deepest conflicts experienced by men.
Sigmund Freud, father of psychoanalysis, used Shakespeare's character, Hamlet, in a letter written to Wilhelm Fliess in 1897, as a means to theoretically explain and engage in what he regarded as one of the deepest conflicts experienced by men. In Freud's, Mourning and Melancholia and The Interpretation of Dreams, he draws on Shakespeare's tragedy, Hamlet and its melancholy "hero", Hamlet, in order to substantiate and provide a frame of reference for his theories of mourning, Oedipal desire, and the unconscious. Freud used psychoanalytical criticism as a way to interpret authors, and other artists' work, making connections between the authors themselves and what they actually create. Freud made use of Sophocles' Oedipus Rex in creating and substantiating his own theory of the Oedipus complex. Freud incorporated Sophocles' tragedy into his psychoanalytical theory of Oedipus complex, where a child has the unconscious desire for the exclusive love of the parent of the opposite sex, as is exemplified in the Greek myth. The desire includes jealousy towards the parent of the same sex and the unconscious wish for that parent's death. Freud described this stage as usually occurring between the ages of three to five years and as a normal developmental process of human psychological growth. However, Freud believed that Oedipus complex could stay in the unconscious mind and affect the
How Does Shakespeare Convey a Sense of Anomie in Hamlet Act 1, and to what end?
Drew York How Does Shakespeare Convey a Sense of Anomie in Hamlet Act 1? And to what end? Williams Shakespeare's 'Hamlet'- written in the early 17th century - still carries as profound a message in modern times as it did when it was originally written. It tells of a young Danish prince- hamlet- who is struggling to come to terms with his father's sudden tragic death. The sense of anomie Shakespeare weaves into the play comes in many forms in act 1 alone; emotional, spiritual, physical, political and relational. Throughout the play, hamlet struggles to articulate his feeling of inner-turmoil and insignificance, but Shakespeare uses anomie in all of its forms to allow the audience to empathise with the main characters by asking poignant and timeless questions such as ' to be or not to be'. Before we start, we should take a look at what "anomie" actually means. Mainly used in sociological context, anomie is when social norms are broken down, or a state of social instability. To fully understand the word's meaning, we have to look at it's roots. The word "anomie" is derived from the ancient Greek word anomos. The word anomos has two parts; the first - "a" - means without (as in a - theist, without god), and the second, - nomos - means law. So literally the word anomie is derived from the Greek word for lawlessness. We can now define "anomie" as being without law, rules or
How does Shakespeare portray changes in Hamlets character in soliloquy one and four
Hamlet- How does Shakespeare portray changes in Hamlets character through soliloquy one and four. I am going to be looking at the first and fourth soliloquy in the play "Hamlet" to discover how Shakespeare portrays changes in Hamlet' character through soliloquy's one and four. "Hamlet" was written by William Shakespeare between 1599 and 1601 and is a story based on tragedy. Hamlet is the prince of Demark who has returned from college overseas to mourn his father's death. When Hamlet returns he finds his mother already re-married to his father's brother who will become the next king of Denmark. Denmark is on a high risk of invasion from Norwegian troops under the leadership of a young, inspirational prince named Fortinbras. After the untimely death of his father, Hamlet' emotions begin to come clear. Contempt and anger become a daily emotion after his mother's re-marriage and suicide is a considered option. If not for religion, Hamlet would most likely commit suicide, but this is against his religious beliefs and morals. Hamlet feels self pity which is easily seen in the first line of the first soliloquy. We can see the repetition of the word "too" is used for the emphasis on the "thick skin". Shakespeare uses the word "melt". I think this for two reasons; one being that melting is slow but also to emphasise on the suffering and emotion it causes Hamlet as he can't take any
Hamlet: How does Shakespeare build up to the climax in the final scene?
Hamlet: How does Shakespeare build up to the climax in the final scene? Although Shakespeare wrote many plays, one would not be criticised for saying that Hamlet is his most famous. Based on the true story of Amleth, Prince of Jutland, Hamlet tells the story of a young boy in turmoil after he suspects that his Uncle murdered his father to marry his mother and become king. Although the play is full of drama, the climax of the play is the final scene (Act 5 Scene 2) which Shakespeare has built up to in a number of different ways. The character development of Hamlet is one of the most important ways he built up to the climax. At the start of the play Hamlet is very shy and moody. The King has noticed, as he says "How is it that the clouds still hang on you?" (Act 1 Scene 2) The only outward sign of the person he will become is when he says "A little more kin, and less than kind!" after the King says that Hamlet is his son (Act 1 Scene 2) Although this could just show that Hamlet is more outgoing and cheeky than he seems, it also shows a deep mistrust and dislike for Claudius right at the start of the play, before Hamlet even knows that he killed his father. This shows an intelligence and understanding of character, but it could also show a deep mistrust for people. Shakespeare has cleverly used these layers of meaning to make the audience wonder just exactly what Hamlet is
How does Shakespeare use language in Hamlet to teach the reader valuable lessons in life ?
Hamlet Q. How does Shakespeare use language in Hamlet to teach the reader valuable lessons in life ? Shakespeare's tragedy , Hamlet is written during the Elizabethan period . The tragedy , Hamlet was written at a time of intellectual and political controversy . Hamlet's popularity is global and it is one of Shakespeare's frequently performed plays. Hamlet's popularity is due to its artistic exuberance, rich and varied incidents, characters and language. Shakespeare has deep insight into human nature and can intrigue and excite the reader or the audience . Shakespeare's plays are written specially to be acted on the stage . Performances took place in the open air and spectators were seated all around the stage. Shakespeare richly depicts his interest in his own profession . Obvious examples include the players and the play-within-a-play to reveal Claudius's guilt resonates with the language and the imagery of the theatre . Shakespeare's Tragedy - Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is based on a 12th century tale by Saxo Grammaticus, which Shakespeare most certainly never saw, and is part of a spate of revenge dramas which were extremely popular around the turn of the seventeenth century. Hamlet was written in the 17th Century . In Elizabethan times revenge was taught to be noble and man made . According to the Elizabethans there could only be order only if man could control his
Consider Kenneth Branagh’s Screen Version Of “Hamlet”. How Successful Is His Presentation Of Act Five Scene One? Consider The Scene In Detail, In Order To Show Your Understanding Of The Original Text.
Christopher Tattersall 10E2 RAC 6 / Shakespeare's "Hamlet" T.A.F.W - 3 DP and 1HWK 02 May 2007 Consider Kenneth Branagh's Screen Version Of "Hamlet". How Successful Is His Presentation Of Act Five Scene One? Consider The Scene In Detail, In Order To Show Your Understanding Of The Original Text. The play, "Hamlet", was written over four hundred years ago, by the famous play write William Shakespeare. For that reason, the language and jokes in the play are difficult to understand for the people of the twenty first century. Shakespeare writes in poetry and blank verse for the more elevated characters in the play, also using rhyming couplets to end scenes. However, prose is the style for the lower class of his characters. Many screen versions have been made of this play, but Branagh's adaptation is one of the only versions that keep the original dialogue from this Shakespeare classic. This play tends to be very popular with the people of modern society, whether as a film version or a theatre production. The reason it's so popular is because it deals with the issues that most of us have to face in modern day life, for example, it contains a breakdown of trust and friendship, and it faces such issues as morality and mortality. "Hamlet" has been given a 'revenge tragedy' plot by Shakespeare. When we say 'tragedy', as in the modern usage, we don't just mean a sad event, it is a
Explore Shakespeare's presentation of Hamlet, his moods and motivations, through his soliloquies in Act I Scene II, Act II Scene II, Act III Scene I, and Act IV Scene IV
Explore Shakespeare's presentation of Hamlet, his moods and motivations, through his soliloquies in Act I Scene II, Act II Scene II, Act III Scene I, and Act IV Scene IV The Revenge Tragedy of Hamlet (approx. 1601), written by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616), could be described, as the most popular play ever written. It has been translated into dozens of languages, is doubtless being performed somewhere in the world as you read these words and has been the subject of more excited critical debate than any other work of literature. However, why is the play so popular? It is globally popular because the central character, Hamlet, is somebody whom many people can form different views on. In this essay I will try to explore Shakespeare's presentation of the protagonist and to form my own view of Hamlet's character. To do this I shall look carefully at the play and the character, focusing on the soliloquies, which Hamlet is famous for. The soliloquies in Hamlet give the audience "the impression of a man discovering what he thinks as he speaks" ('Hamlet', Cambridge School Shakespeare series). There are more plausible descriptions of the characters of Hamlet than any other Shakespearean character, probably than any other character in drama and fiction. A list of these descriptions would include amiable, cruel, compassionate, determined, diseased, hypocritical, mad,
Comment on the dramatic significance of any three scenes in Hamlet.
Q. Comment on the dramatic significance of any three scenes in Hamlet. Act 1 Scene 1 Act 3 Scene 2 Act 5 Scene 2 Ans. Shakespeare's tragedies revolve around a person of social or intellectual status whose life is ruined by one great mistake or a tragic flaw. Hamlet reveals Shakespeare's gift for dramatic characterization and brilliant poetic imagery. Shakespeare truly understands the human mind and sympathises with the problems an individual faces. This he does through his powerful language and striking visual imagery. Shakespeare wrote the play around the turn of the 17th century Elizabethan London was full of intellectual and artistic ideas, Hamlet is probably one of Shakespeare's most studied and popular plays. Loosely based on Danish history, the play most likely has its origins in Histories Tragiques. The atmosphere was politically turbulent and dangerous. When Shakespeare wrote Hamlet he was already very experienced and a master of poetic techniques and stagecraft. He began to attempt radical new ways of engaging his audience. Hamlet's popularity is due to his artistic exuberance, rich and varied incidents, characters and language. We observe Hamlet's decoration of love for Horatio and his friend's tender fare well. Shakespeare's heroes have preoccupation with self and are introspective in nature. His tragic heroes are haunted by their conscience seeking their
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
