Examine the presentation of fathers in "Hamlet" with close reference to three key scenes.
"Hamlet"
Tom Spooner
Examine the presentation of fathers in "Hamlet" with close reference to three key scenes:
Claudius, Old Hamlet and Polonius are all fathers and the way in which each is presented by Shakespeare is quite different. On the surface, the play is a revenge tragedy in which a grieving son seeks to avenge the death of his murdered father. However I think it has been very cleverly crafted by Shakespeare around a bleak theme of appearance versus reality that explores the corrupt, sinister region of the human nature that is present beneath the surface of us all. Shakespeare's portrayal of many of the characters in the play and in particular of fathers is as both malevolent and egotistical. Claudius' hypocrisy masquerades as fatherly love and concern; Polonius' obsequiousness and search for position masquerades as service to the King, using his daughter as a pawn in the process; Old Hamlet's torment and manipulation of Hamlet's emotions is passed off as regaining his honour. On the surface fathers are presented by Shakespeare as having to be loved, honoured and obeyed almost without question. However the effect this has on their children is quite catastrophic leading to resentment, repression, bitterness, madness and eventually death. I will examine the way each of these characters is presented with close reference to Act 1 Scene II (Claudius), Act 1 Scene V (Old Hamlet) and Act 1 Sc.III (Polonius).
Claudius, the newly crowned King of Denmark and uncle to Hamlet, assumes the role of Hamlet's stepfather after marrying Gertrude following the death of old Hamlet. He takes on this role very early on in the play when he publicly announces his love for Hamlet in Act 1 Sc.II:
And with no less nobility of love
Than that which dearest father bears his son
do I impart toward you. (I.ii.10-12)
Hamlet is very resentful toward Claudius because of his lack of mourning for the death of Old Hamlet and his hasty marriage to Gertrude "A little more than kin and less than kind." This use of play on words in Hamlet's first line of the play reveals his bitter frame of mind. Claudius is no longer a mere relative but his father and Hamlet is not kindly disposed toward him. Claudius on the other hand, seems more than willing to adopt the role as his new father. On the surface, he is presented as a loving father but hints of duplicity become apparent in later scenes. He is aware of Hamlet's popularity and is perhaps trying to exert some control over him as well as win the favour of his people and wife.
In the Lawrence Olivier filmed interpretation of the play it is only after Gertrude expresses concern for Hamlet's well-being that a change in his attitude becomes apparent. At this stage of the play, the audience is unaware of Claudius' devious and self-centred nature and so it is difficult to establish if he is sincere in his affection toward Hamlet. He is aware of Hamlet's power to form a faction against the King because of his popularity and throughout the speech in which he talks to him, he must choose his words carefully so as not to provoke him further. He is also rather forceful in this speech and tries to persuade Hamlet not to leave for Germany, away from his prying eyes:
And we beseech you, bend you to remain
Here, in the cheer and comfort of our eye,
Our chiefest courtier, cousin, and our son. (I.ii.15-17)
This is intended by Claudius to comfort Hamlet, encourage him to stay, and emphasise the point that he will be held with the greatest respect as a noble, cherished as a kinsman and loved as a son. However it could also be taken to have a very different, more sinister connotation; he would be able to constantly watch Hamlet for any treacherous behaviour.
Shakespeare's use of language in ...
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And we beseech you, bend you to remain
Here, in the cheer and comfort of our eye,
Our chiefest courtier, cousin, and our son. (I.ii.15-17)
This is intended by Claudius to comfort Hamlet, encourage him to stay, and emphasise the point that he will be held with the greatest respect as a noble, cherished as a kinsman and loved as a son. However it could also be taken to have a very different, more sinister connotation; he would be able to constantly watch Hamlet for any treacherous behaviour.
Shakespeare's use of language in Claudius' speech makes his words seem persuasive and cajoling, trying to make Hamlet come out of his mourning and turn to support his new father. He speaks smoothly using assonant sounds, "Survivor bound in filial obligation" and "Throw to earth this unprevailing woe". Shakespeare uses imagery of thunder and a cannon, however, to reflect Claudius' joy at Hamlet's affirmative answer; these are not particularly joyous sounds of revelry which denotes he has some ulterior motive. Imagery of disease and decay used in Hamlet's speech, "An unweeded garden that goes to seed", helps to suggest he may have a sense of his step-father's hypocrisy.
Old Hamlet appears to Hamlet several times throughout the play, in spirit form. The audience do not actually see him in life and it is therefore difficult to judge what sort of a character he is as there is no real evidence he is not from hell "The spirit I have seen may be the devil." Shakespeare presents Old Hamlet and Claudius differently and Hamlet's actual father is portrayed in a much better light than his hypocritical step-father drawing a distinction between fathers and step-fathers. Hamlet draws several comparisons between Claudius and Old Hamlet. His first soliloquy is studded with imagery "So excellent a King, that was, to this, Hyperion to a satyr." This is an interesting contrast; he sees Claudius as a satyr, a Greek mythological beast that loved to indulge in all kinds of sensual pleasures in comparison to his father who he describes as the Titan Hyperion, father of the sun, the moon and the dawn. He is as far from his brother as Hamlet is from Hercules "My father's brother, but no more like my father than I to Hercules !" Clearly Old Hamlet is presented in a far better light by Shakespeare and the audience feels more sympathetic towards him. It is easier to understand why Hamlet reacts to him as he does. An older more principled order is being replaced by a corrupt one which must be removed if Denmark is to survive. It is asthough Shakespeare is drawing an analogy between the natural relations of a father and the established order of the state and between the more unnatural relations of step-father and the rotten state of Denmark.
In Act 1 Sc.V, Old Hamlet speaks to Hamlet for the first time in the play. He is presented as a noble man, not seeking the pity of Hamlet but expecting him to listen to what it is he has to say "pity me not, but lend thy serious hearing to what I shall unfold." He uses ghastly imagery of Purgatory in order to ward off Hamlet from the same fate, which shows he cares for his son, even in death. However it could also be intended to evoke feelings of rage in Hamlet and stir him to take action. At the same time, he manipulates Hamlet to do his bidding, "Revenge his foul and most unnatural murder."
Old Hamlet's manipulation of his son's emotions and Hamlet's love and obedience for his deceased father are demonstrated when the ghost commands him to listen "List, list, O list! If though didst ever thy dear father love." Hamlet still lingers on the death of his father and the thought of his unnatural murder causes him to turn to revenge. In death, Old Hamlet seeks retribution to be carried out on his murderer by his son, showing him to be a father quick to anger against his enemies. This is a superior quality in a war-like king, such as he was, but if his ultimate goal is to achieve a passage to heaven, perhaps he is not taking the right course of action. He pursues the ancient conviction of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth and directs Hamlet into exacting his revenge upon Claudius. He is therefore presented as a rather selfish man, taking his only son for granted and using him to further his own ends regardless of the fate Hamlet meets. He is presented as a domineering father and is perhaps playing on Hamlet's pity. This makes it difficult to determine if he truly does love his son or whether, like Claudius, he is merely using him to do his bidding. The Lawrence Olivier production of the play could be seen to emphasise this point as he very passive throughout his dialogue with Hamlet and does not show any sign of real affection toward his son. However this cannot be confirmed as he has passed on from his mortal life and maybe incapable of any emotion other than wrath toward the "Witchcraft" of Claudius, who damned him, "To walk the night, and for the day confined to fast in fires".
Polonius, father to Ophelia and Laertes is presented as a garrulous, ostentatious man. He is a man of business whose work is his priority "Assure you, my good liege, I hold my duty, as I hold my soul". The Lawrence Olivier production of the play supports this as he scurries about his business, taking a brief moment to say goodbye to his son on his departure. He is also a very pernicious man, constantly eavesdropping and spying on Hamlet, using his daughter as bait:
At such a time I'll loose my daughter to him.
Be you and I behind an arras then;
mark the encounter. (II.ii.163-65)
This shows him to be a manipulative and mistrusting father, who cares little about his offspring, using them to do his nefarious deeds.
In Act 1 Sc.III, Polonius bids farewell to Laertes before his departure. He is relieved to see his son before he leaves and gives him his blessing. He gives him sound advice, to warn him against the vices that may tempt him
in foreign lands. However the nature of this prolonged monologue is very formal and is not the way a loving father addresses his son within the privacy of his own house. The rhythm gives the speech a special measured movement like careful conversation where each word is chosen to give the fullest effect. It adds depth, control and balance to the speech, reinforcing the pomposity and careful controlled character of Polonius. He is presented as a pompous father who permanently maintains this pretentious façade, concealing his true nature. As the father of a daughter too, he is presented as an inquisitive and mistrusting father "What is't, Ophelia, he hath said to you?" he asks her following the exit of Laertes. He is very mistrusting of her and takes the opportunity to talk to her about Hamlet.
Polonius is presented as a father who sees weaknesses in his children who must be subdued. His view of Ophelia is as immature and naïve in love, dismissing her claims that Hamlet's affection is sincere:
Affection! Pooh! You speak like a green girl,
unsifted in such perilous circumstance.
Do you believe his tenders, as you call them? (I.iii.101-03)
This obdurate stubborness and over-protection of his daughter shows that he cares for Ophelia but we soon learn that it is for the wrong reasons. He does not truly love her and is more concerned with the way in which she bears herself as his daughter, a stately position :
You do not understand yourself so clearly
As it behoves my daughter and your honour. (I.iii.96-97)
He is convinced that Hamlet only has a lustful desire for her and fears that she will disgrace her family honour "Tender yourself more dearly or...you'll tender me a fool." Unwilling to reason with her, he twists her words when she tries to fight her case and commands her not see him. She is repressed by Polonius, moulded to act according to his every whim and obediently complies "I shall obey, my lord."
Shakespeare's use of language here underlines Polonius' repressive treatment of his daughter which is designed to spoil Ophelia's relationship with Hamlet. He reduces it to a contract and buying and selling, "Entreatments at a higher rate." Hamlet's love for her is deliberately belittled by him which is a very unpleasant characteristic in a father, "Blazes, daughter, giving more light than heat".
Following the murder of Polonius at the hands of Hamlet, Ophelia is driven to insanity by the death of her father and the realization that Hamlet no longer loves her. She walks about the castle, singing scraps of love-songs and handing out flowers, each a symbol of her lament. To Laertes she gives rosemary and pansies which are associated with remembrance and sorrow. They are given as a symbol of commemoration and sorrow for the loss of their father. The imagery used here by Shakespeare shows that both Ophelia and Laertes do love their father despite the manner in which he abused them.
In discussing characterization, themes and Shakespeare's use of language it would appear that fathers are presented in a bad light. Shakespeare does not seem to have much sympathy with them and they are presented in such a way that their behaviour towards their children has devastating effects. There are however some redeeming features that shine through but generally speaking any apparent good qualities conceal obverse, ulterior motives and destructive forces. All three characters whether perpetrators or a victim, like Old Hamlet, are representative of the corrupting of the state of Denmark and the old order. At the same time they are indicative of the appearance versus reality theme and the masks that the human character will hide his darker side behind and what can happen if this side is allowed to prevail.
Word Count: 2,226
