...Miguel Ortega English 102 Dr. Wollstadt Explication Paper Identity Revealed In the second scene of the premiere act of Hamlet, Prince Hamlet gives a soliloquy between lines 129-159, as soon as he is left alone by Claudius and Gertrude. As he casts all of his thoughts and complaints about life, Hamlet seems to give out a lot of his own personality and deepest thoughts that he would not reveal to anyone else except for himself (and for the reader/audience is to deliberately know as well). In this speech it is obvious that Hamlet was holding in all of these thoughts until the right moment, when he's by himself, in when he could vomit them all out, just as he himself admits, "But break, my heart, for I must hold my tongue" (1.2.159). Doing this so in his secret place, Hamlet allows to be honest with himself and therefore his words reflect Hamlet's true intentions, perspectives, thoughts, and ultimately his true colors- all which will later reflect in his actions throughout the rest of the play. The reader can even conclude that these lines foreshadow Hamlet's actions (or inactions) for the remainder of the play. In these lines, Hamlet's emotional state make him vulnerable, allowing his unrestrained words to reflect his true personality and motives. Hamlet begins his soliloquy boldly expressing that he wished he could die: "O, that this too too sullied flesh would melt,/Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew!" (1.2.129-30). Furthermore, he wishes that God had not made suicide...
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...The Themes of Hamlet: Love in Denmark Through the interactions between young Prince Hamlet, his lover Ophelia, and his mother Queen Gertrude, Shakespeare explores the themes of romantic and familial love. The two main female characters are torn between their love for their families and love for their romantic lovers. Ophelia is torn between her love for Hamlet and loyalty to her father, and Gertrude must choose between her love for Claudius and love for Hamlet. Ultimately, Ophelia and Gertrude’s choices and interactions with the men in their lives suggest that familial love is stronger than romantic love. Hamlet’s treatment towards Ophelia reflects the fickleness of romantic love, and Ophelia’s obedience to her father demonstrates the strength of familial love. Likewise, Gertrude’s quick marriage with Claudius reflects the fickleness of romantic love, and Gertrude’s unwavering love for Hamlet demonstrates the strength of familial love....
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...the play hamlet by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare demonstrates how A single event can provoke radical change, because of this lifes delicate balance is shifted towards a single focus that consumes ones entire being. The character of hamlet is a fitting example of an individual who sacrifices his identity to accomplish a desire that infiltrates his life changing it drastically. When hamlet learns the alarming truth behind the death of his beloved father he becomes filled with the insuppressible urge to act and avenge the death. He becomes completely absolved in his task, to the extent that he sacrifices many...
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...Revenge The Renaissance was a time period with drastic change, not only in art but in the way that society thought about the world. The spread of humanism throughout Europe allowed people to question the ethics of their society, as curiosity was encouraged. William Shakespeare lived in the Elizabethan era, and he noted things about society that he emphasized in his plays. While it was illegal, revenge occurred frequently, as did corruption (as exemplified by Queen Elizabeth’s Court ). In Hamlet, Shakespeare intertwines the two themes of corruption and revenge, and throughout the piece, he makes it evident that the two are part of a relentless cycle. Throughout the play, Hamlet, Shakespeare makes it known that when...
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...Self-Referential Instances in Hamlet and The Tempest Shakespeare is famous for drawing attention to what the audience is experiencing is a play. In a Midsummer Night’s Dream, Puck concludes with “If we shadows have offended, / think but this, and all is mended” (5.1.418-19), reminding the audience that the “shadows” are just actors, and the magic they experienced was a play. There is also Jacques’ famous “all the world’s a stage” speech in As You Like It, in which he compares life to a stage, and men and women to actors (2.7.138-39). But Shakespeare’s most self-referential plays are Hamlet and The Tempest. The protagonists, Hamlet and Prospero, are both performers and directors of the action of the plays. Furthermore, each play consists of a play within the play, The Murder of Gonzago in Hamlet, and the wedding masque in The Tempest. These self-reflexive moments break down the barrier between fiction and reality. Hamlet is associated with raw emotion, and theatre acts as a sort of stand in for authentic emotion, something that Hamlet struggles to understand. In act one, scene two, Gertrude questions Hamlet why he “seems” to be taking his father’s death so personally, to which he responds that sulking around in black clothing, sighing, and weeping are just “actions that a man might play” (1.2.84), or a performance of grief, but not truly representative of the grief he feels within. These lines seem very self-aware, and bring attention to the fact that an actor, expected to...
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...Shakespeare the Sexist: A View into the Misogynistic Opinions of Shakespeare, and His Interpretation of Women You’re a woman? Well good for you, because that means you hold no value in this play. In the tragedy Hamlet, written by Shakespeare, there is a clear difference between the roles of women and men in the play. Many of these differences stand in stark contrast to what normal expectations of a female role are. Viewing the play through a feminist perspective, many of the elements regarding women contain evidence of misogynistic behavior. Shakespeare has taken no precautions in revealing the depth of his sexist views on females in the tragedy Hamlet. Through the insinuation that women are supportive characters, Shakespeare shows how...
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...sustenance of any system demands the implementation of values that, at certain times, transcend those of that particular system and perhaps at other times, are conspicuously ignored. Ensuing from the absence of such values, however, is the inevitable downfall of such a system. William Shakespeare’s Hamlet has always intrigued scholars and critics by its contentious discourse, and it continues to do so. In Hamlet, Shakespeare dramatizes the crisis of moral corruption and the subsequent dysfunction of state by creating a world much like contemporary ones. Thus, providing critics and scholars with an akin basis to analyze the unfathomable nature of the play. As a result, The Tragedy of Hamlet is considered by many, the most mature and complex...
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...The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. Set in the Kingdom of Denmark, the play dramatizes the revenge Prince Hamlet exacts on his uncle Claudius for murdering King Hamlet, Claudius's brother and Prince Hamlet's father, and then succeeding to the throne and taking as his wife Gertrude, the old king's widow and Prince Hamlet's mother. The play vividly portrays both true and feigned madness – from overwhelming grief to seething rage – and explores themes of treachery, revenge, incest, and moral corruption. Hamlet is Shakespeare's longest play and among the most powerful and influential tragedies in the English language, with a story capable of "seemingly endless retelling and adaptation by others." The play was one of Shakespeare's most popular works during his lifetime It has inspired writers from Goethe and Dickens to Joyce and Murdoch, and has been described as "the world's most filmed story after Cinderella". Shakespeare based Hamlet on the legend of Amleth, preserved by 13th-century chronicler Saxo Grammaticus in his Gesta Danorum as subsequently retold by 16th-century scholar François de Belleforest. He may also have drawn on or perhaps written an earlier Elizabethan play known today as the Ur-Hamlet. He almost certainly created the title role for Richard Burbage, the leading tragedian of Shakespeare's time. In the 400 years since, the role has been performed by highly acclaimed actors and actresses from each successive age. Three...
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...Huynh Thieu Dinh (Felix) Eng4U Mr. Burton October 31th, 2013 Hamlet Act 1 Scene 5: Pirate of the Caribbean Curse of the Black Pearl Hamlet is a story take place around the 14th to 15th century in the land of Denmark. The ghost scene from act 1 scene 5 is a crucial scene since it is the beginning of Hamlet’s plot for revenge. It is also one of Shakespeare “signature” scenes because most of his plays always include a supernatural figure manipulates and affects the plot. Then how could anything make the scene any better than it is now? The answer is changes the scene to an adaptation of the movie “Pirate of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl”. The adaptation would change the setting, costumes and makeups, dialogue, lighting, and figure placement. Setting: In the adaptation, I want to add in an ominous atmosphere for the setting of the scene because it would fit the supernatural event. First the time setting is at a starless night along with a crescent moon. Hamlet runs through a dark forest toward the ghost voice beyond the luminous light. Then, Hamlet reaches a sea shore covered in thick layers of mists. The dark forest, luminous light and misty sea shore are the factors that contribute to the mysterious setting. The reason I create this part of the setting is to enhance the meeting between Hamlet and the ghost. When Hamlet reaches the seashore, the voice stops and he then sees a ghost ship floats into a cave. Again, the cave also acts as a factor generates the haunting...
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...Hamlet Essay A great amount of events occurred in Act IV of Shakespeare’s famous play Hamlet, which helped to further the plot of the story and enhance the theme of revenge and justice. Some events that took place are; the Queen betrayed her son and told Claudius of the murder of Polonius, Ophelia became insane and eventually drowned herself in the river, and King Claudius plotted to ship Hamlet off to England to be killed. Shakespeare wrote his plays during the Elizabethan era, and life was much different for people of that era, then it is for people of present day. How words and dialogue were written in the play, is hard for us to understand with are modern day language and slang; the same can be said for the ideas and influences certain parts of the play have on us. Someone who was alive during the Elizabethan era and attended one of Shakespeare’s plays would view the live production very differently than a modern day audience would. There are a few points that come to mind when comparing the differences between the Elizabethan era and modern day; such as the great chain of being, extreme importance on religion, and the pride in defending your honor. These examples of the differences between the two eras are very noticeable in Act IV Scene IV lines 53-66, when Hamlet exclaims: Rightly to be great Is not to stir without great argument But greatly to find quarrel in a straw When honor’s at the stake. How stand I then, That have a father killed, a mother stained, ...
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...Hamlet Notes Tragedy is the downfall of a man because of a weakness in his personality. This weakness leaves him unable to negotiate successfully the conflict that he experiences in the outside world. Consequently, when he encounters evil, he is unable to make the right decision. A tragic hero has a moment of insight in which he realises his error. However, this insight comes too late for him to address his sillinesses/error. The tragic hero always dies. The key to understanding this play is a close and insightful study of the soliloquies in the play. Act 1 Scene 1( pg 3-13) Horatio will be the fall for the mercurial Hamlet. Horatio is quiet and well balanced and becomes a notable witness. At the beginning of the play, Denmark is not only socially, morally and culturally questionable but politically unstable. Norway, lead by Fortenbras is leading a campaign to reclaim the lands lost to Norway as a consequence of the Danish King Hamlet. At the end of this scene, the appearance if the ghost. King Hamlet. He was poisoned by Claudius. He was married to Gertrude, Claudius was Gertrude's brother-in-law—-> affair Act 1 Scene 2(pg 13-31) Set against the splendour of the court, scene 2 juxtaposes the mysteries and frightening opening scene. The court of Denmark represents hypocrisy and excess. We are introduced immediately to Claudius. He is suave and worldly wise. His idiom, register and tone of speech will create a suspicion. He is of course the antithesis of Hamlet as...
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... Gertrude is the Queen of Denmark, and the mother to Hamlet. In the play, Gertrude doesn’t mean to intentionally hurt anyone, but her poor judgment is the main contributing factor to the unfortunate events. She also tends to be insensitive and lacks the ability to read her son’s emotions, as well as Claudius. The decisions she makes ultimately lead to the tragic ending. Poor judgment and insensitivity towards her son are her main character flaws, which can first be seen in Act I, Scene 2. Since her son Prince Hamlet is mourning the loss of his father, she should’ve been more conscious and sensitive towards his feelings and refrained from having a relationship with Claudius. Claudius is the brother of King Hamlet and Gertrude should’ve realized how embarrassed her son Hamlet would be in the aftermath because it was considered to be incest for a widow to marry her husband's brother. But Gertrude is not in touch with Hamlet's feelings to know why he is angry. He expresses his anger during his first soliloquy: “O most wicked speed: to post With such dexterity to incestuous sheets, It is not, nor it cannot come to good, But break my heart, for I must hold my tongue.” (I.ii. 156-159) Gertrude lacks awareness and therefore is unable to realize that her marriage to Claudius hurt her son and is seen as incest to him and others. She figured that if she’d waited to remarry, it would’ve given Hamlet time to grieve and he would’ve had a different reaction to the situation...
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...Hamlet: Analysis of Act IV Soliloquy Hamlet by William Shakespeare is a tragic play about a young prince named Hamlet and his struggle to avenge the death of his father. Hamlet is outraged when he learns that what appeared to be an accidental death was actually a murder carried out by his uncle. He vows to get revenge on the murderer at all costs. Throughout the play, Hamlet is hesitant about his actions until he sees a group of soldiers preparing to battle over a very small piece of land. At this point Hamlet has a soliloquy; he reflects on his actions and is upset with himself for not fulfilling his plan yet. He decides that it is time to complete what he has started and kill his uncle. This speech directly affects the target audience, the people of the Elizabethan Era. The audience is captured by the use of poetic devices, they can relate to Hamlet and feel his pain, and his speech adds excitement as the audience knows there will be a change of events. Shakespeare uses an abundance of literary devices to enhance his work. In this soliloquy there are multiple examples that draw in the viewer and intensify the meaning of his words. The speech opens with an example of assonance: “How all occasions do inform against me,/ And spur my dull revenge!” (4.4.31-32). The repetition of the “o” sound in the first line and the “u” sound in the second line make the words flow together. This captures the audience’s attention because it makes the phrase easy to listen to. The words are...
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...Sarkovski ENG4U1 January 15, 2014 Hamlet as a Tragic Hero In Shakespeare’s plays, many factors create a tragic hero. According to Aristotle, a tragic hero must be a person of high character who faces his destiny with courage and nobility of spirit, hence the pity felt by the audience. In Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet”, the character Hamlet is depicted as a tragic hero because of his noble intentions, the pity he evolves and his sincere, yet, self-destructive over analysis of his predicament. In the play “Hamlet”, the death of Hamlet’s father and the suspicious remarriage of his mother bring the audience to feel pity for him. For instance, Hamlet says: “Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt, Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew.” (Act I, Sc. ii, Ln.129, 130) Although, he is saddened by his father’s death, the larger cause of Prince Hamlet’s misery is Queen Gertrude’s disloyal remarriage. By viewing Hamlet’s state of depression in the Elizabethan perspective, Elizabethans believed that the human body is made up of four basic elements, called humors: phlegm, blood, yellow bile and black bile. Hamlet’s seems to be suffering from what Elizabethans referred to as “Melancholy”. This was associated with too much “black bile” in the body. It is similar to what medicine calls “clinical depression” today, in which it is the state led to lethargy, irritability and distorted imagination. Since this is the 17th rather than the 21st century, Hamlet can’t just move on or seek medication;...
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...William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, Shakespeare reveals the tragedy of the young prince of Denmark, Hamlet. After the ghost of his father, King Hamlet, appears Hamlet and tells him that his very own uncle Claudius, killed his father, Hamlet swears vengeance. Claudius took over Denmark and married Hamlet’s mother Gertrude, making Hamlet hate Claudius. Gertrude, Hamlet’s friends and his love Ophelia all die during his mission to kill Claudius. Hamlet does eventually avenge his father by stabbing Claudius with a poisoned blade, but also dies from a scratch on the back from the same sword used in a duel. Feminist theory focuses on analyzing the inequality between genders. Feminist literary theory illuminates how power relations in the play are dominated by only men which shown in the characters of the play with Hamlet and Ophelia, Polonius and his daughter Ophelia, and Gertrude and Claudius, and Hamlet and Gertrude. Firstly, Polonius' ascendancy over Ophelia, Polonius' death and Polonius' relationship with Laertes in comparison to Ophelia's all illuminate the dominance Polonius has on his daughter. Ophelia is really devoted when it comes to the relationship with her father Polonius. Polonius does control her choices when Ophelia says she likes Lord Hamlet; he says "I would not, in plain terms, from this forth, have you so slander any moment's leisure, As to give words or talk with the Lord Hamlet" (1.4.130-134). Polonius tells her not to associate with Hamlet because he doesn’t trust...
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