What is the importance of the Soliloquies in Hamlet? Do they show any development of his character?
AS Hamlet Coursework Essay Q. What is the importance of the Soliloquies in Hamlet? Do they show any development of his character? A soliloquy is a dramatic speech spoken by a character who is alone on stage, or believes themselves to be alone. This device allows a character in a play to speak directly to the audience about their motives, feelings and decisions. They reveal the characters innermost thoughts and traditionally contain no lies or deception as the character is revealing their true thoughts and emotions. Hamlet's soliloquies give the impression of a man discovering himself as he speaks. The importance of the soliloquies in Hamlet are therefore crucial to the development of his character and of course the development of the play. Hamlet's first soliloquy in Act 1 Scene 2, reveals that Hamlet is depressed to such an extent that he does not wish to live; these feelings emerge following the death of his father and the indecent swiftness of the remarriage of his mother to his uncle and, the new King, Claudius. 'O that this too too solid flesh would melt , Thaw and resolve itself into a dew...' Act 1-2-129/130 The word 'too' is repeated to enhance the emphasis on what Hamlet is saying; here the prince wants to vanish, he wants his body to melt away which provides the audience with a weak initial portrayal of
Personal Responce to Hamlet
Essay One - Question 1 Personal response to Hamlet and its enduring power of Shakespeare's Characterization Shakespeare's characterization of the characters allows the exploration of ideals that are relevant to all human beings regards of context. In "Hamlet" Shakespeare uses the characterization of Hamlet to examine the human quest for answers about death, duty and the opposing forces of moral integrity and the need to avenge his father. This essay will bring characterization to the forefront in response to how it has shaped the play of "Hamlet". A great deal of characterization of Hamlet is presented through the use of soliloquies. In his soliloquies, Hamlet shows his true feelings of dejection and disillusionment. The soliloquy starts with a supposition, "O that this too too sullied flesh would melt, thaw, and resolve itself into a dew". Hamlet is clearly seen as an escapist as he wants to run away from his duties and responsibilities. Here, he again gives the audience the impression that he is aware of his flaw. His wish to commit suicide is expressed clearly, but he knows he can't do so as it goes against the laws of God. "That the Everlasting had not fixed his cannon 'gainst self-slaughter." Life has become a very futile exercise for him, where nothing seems to be holding his interest anymore. It has becomes very colorless and meaningless. We notice all this when he
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
Shakespeare's presentation of Hamlet
It was a popular belief during Elizabethan times that if a man had been wronged and the state failed to see that justice was done, a son's duty was to take it into his own hands and seek revenge. Shakespeare presents Hamlet as a typical revenge play of the time, where the central character, Hamlet, has a duty to avenge his father's death. In Hamlet, Fortinbras and Laertes are also seen as revenge heroes, but in character contrast Hamlet in how he acts on his duty. This contrast highlights that whereas Fortinbras and Laertes are simplistic conventional revenge heroes, Hamlet on the other hand has the conventional features of a revenge hero, but is also seen as so much more. This is due to his awareness of religious principles and despite being Protestant, at times makes slight transitions to Catholic ideas. It is also due to his constant contemplation of the effects of his actions, rationalising the situation he is put in. Fortinbras is presented as a typical king who lives up to the reputation of his father with the aim to "recover [the lands]/So by his father lost". His aim is put into practice; Fortinbras, after threatening to invade Denmark, succeeds in doing so and is thereby fulfilling his role as a revenge hero. Similarly with Laertes, in the discovery of finding his father, Polonius, being murdered by Hamlet, he immediately takes on the role of an uncomplicated revenge
Is Hamlet a coward or someone driven by his conscience?
Is Hamlet a coward or someone driven by his conscience? Hamlet's character is interesting because of the way he goes about his revenge. Compared to Laertes he is very hesitant, a thinker, not a warrior. His delay is mainly due to his perception of the ghost, whether it is really his father's spirit or an evil apparition, but is he really thinking of an excuse to delay seeking revenge or does he want to be 100% sure King Claudius was responsible for the death of his father? The important thing that Shakespeare is trying to portray is that Hamlet seeks certainty before he can take action, but is he a coward? Or someone who is purely driven by his conscience? The opening scene of the play is designed to present the ghost and arouse questions about its credibility. Whether it is an evil or good spirit, the ghost is the mechanism which triggers the need for Hamlet's revenge. Hamlet's uncertainty about the identity and purpose of the ghost is highlighted in Act I scene IV, "Be thou spirit of health or goblin dammed", hence the importance of his thought sequences in deciding whether or not the ghost was real and if not, is there a need to kill Claudius? To seek this revenge he would have to kill Claudius and his mother, for they are both guilty of having impure souls. But one of the very first internal conflicts Hamlet has is when the Ghost tells him (Act I scene IV) "nor let thy
In Act 3 Scene 1 of 'Romeo and Juliet', Shakespeare uses language to make the fight scene dramatic. How does Baz Luhrmann draw on this and use other devices to create tension for his audience?
In Act 3 Scene 1 of 'Romeo and Juliet', Shakespeare uses language to make the fight scene dramatic. How does Baz Luhrmann draw on this and use other devices to create tension for his audience? 'Romeo and Juliet' is about two families, the Montagues and the Capulets, who have been introduced to a physical and verbal war. The play starts off with the prologue, where a man comes onstage and reads out the plot of the play and the key ideas, although this gives away the surprises, it builds tension at the crowd are constantly on the edge of their seats waiting for the events to happen that they have been told about. The opening scene sees the two families, who have been fighting for generations, in another battle, this takes place in public and is witnessed by the prince who decides anymore fighting will end in exile or death. This creates tension as anymore fighting carries a more drastic punishment and so the tension is built because certain members of the family become more conscious about where they are fighting and the possibility of the prince seeing them. The first fight scene is the first scene of the play; this is a much smaller fight and creates more tension in the way as you expect more fight scenes that are bigger. The first fight scene starts off the Montagues saying to the Capulets 'Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?' this shows that fights between these two
Is Shylock a villain or victim?
Is Shylock a villain or victim? In The Merchant of Venice, Shylock does not have the biggest role in the play but he is the character that everyone remembers. Our attitudes to Shylock change throughout the play, and he is one of Shakespeare most complicated characters. During the play Shylock is seen as both a villain and a victim, but which is the true shylock? In the middle of Act 1 we are introduced to Shylock straight away. We have clues as to his personality and his motives within his first speech: "Three thousand ducats, well". His tone sounds interested, evil. In the play Shylock is a moneylender. Another example of Shylock showing his personality is when he comments in Antonio as a "good man". It does not mean that Antonio is a good person or good to be a friend but it means Antonio is worthy of credit for a loan. He used the word good because he wants them to borrow the money so Shylock may have a chance to take revenge. As the play unfolds, Shylock is presented as the villain because he is portrayed as cold, greedy and evil. But is he? Is Shylock really the villain in the play or can he also be portrayed as the victim? In Shakespeare's times, the Sixteenth Century, Jews were rarely seen in England. In the middle Ages, Jews had fled to England to escape and their only job was to lend money because Christians were not allowed to lend out money to get interest. They
Much Ado About Nothing
How does Shakespeare present difficulties in relationships in "Much Ado About Nothing"? Shakespeare's play "Much Ado About Nothing" conveys the typical attributes of an English comedy although it is set in Messina, Italy. He manages to present the many difficult aspects of love and romance, as well as portraying the patriarchal society, whilst still keeping the light heartedness that comedy's of that era showed. The play is based around Count Claudio, Hero, Beatrice and Benedick and the problems they face as they embark on their journey of love and self discovery. The Masked Ball and Wedding scene are key points in "Much Ado About Nothing" as they show the couples at their best and worse. Beatrice manages to convey her feelings towards men quite early on in the Masked Ball scene; "I could not endure a husband with a beard on his face! I had rather lie in the woollen." This shows how Beatrice would rather suffer discomfort than be married. She does not believe there is any man alive that is suitable for her. Benedick also makes his feelings for women clear right at the beginning of the play. He re-enforces this point directing it towards Beatrice in the same scene after she insults him "He is the Prince's jester, a very dull fool..." Benedick claims that Beatrice has "misused me past the endurance of a block!" and this shows how angry and upset he is even though he has a
Much Ado About Nothing
M.Ibrahim Aftab Khan 1548 10.3 Q. Imagine that you a Beatrice at the end of Act 4 Scene 1. Write your thoughts and feelings about the men's treatment of Hero. Die Claudio Die!!! What men with such honour and pride would have the thought of embarrassing a woman on her wedding day which is supposed to be the most beautiful day of a woman's life? God curse these foolish men and let them die in the boiling liquid of hell. During the wedding, Claudio harshly announces that he isn't going to marry our dear sin-less Hero and fired up with insults which were like swords and daggers through Hero's innocent lovely heart calling her a common stale, a rotten orange and that her blush is that of guiltiness causing Hero to faint. There, behind him stood Don John and Don Pedro acknowledging every word that Count Shame-less said and assisted him further in insulting my poor innocent lamb Hero. There, they stood Don Pedro and Don John nodding to whatever filthy lies came out of Claudio's mouth. But this came to me like a shock that Don Pedro assisted him in doing so as I expected to be different from that Claudio. Being a Prince, especially the Prince of Aragon he needs to gain respect from wherever town or person he can get from but he has lost that from the people of Messina and especially me. He did not only stand there acknowledging every word Claudio said but also added more insults
Shylock- Villain or Victim?
Shylock- Villain or Victim? During the play, Shakespeare illustrates Shylock's situation in such a way that the audience understands his villainous action towards Antonio is a result of victimisation. He is a victim of anti Semitism, including verbal abuse and even his own daughter insults him by robbing him and running away with a Christian and in the end he is a victim of not showing mercy and so suffers from that mistake. To find what makes up a classic Shakespearean villain one could look to Iago in "Othello". In this play he is seen as the embodiment of evil, that is to say he has no real motivation for his wicked actions and no one could give him any sympathy. On the other hand, Shylock does have a motive for his villainy therefore he is not a villain. Instead Shylock has been directed towards his position because he has been victimised. Shylock has been a victim of racial abuse, "You call me misbeliever, cut-throat dog, And spit upon my Jewish gabardine", "(Solanio referring to Shylock) Let me say 'amen' betimes for here he comes in likeness of a Jew", Solanio is anti Semitic, claiming Shylock is the devil. Because he is a Jew his situation in Venice is second-class. This is first seen in Bassanio's hostility towards him. At the beginning of the scene Bassanio's speech is short and prosaic indicating the lack of friendship between them, "Your answer to that", this
