Premium Essay

Hamlet Character Analysis

Submitted By
Words 1062
Pages 5
Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, was sad because of his father’s death and he was shocked to find his mother Gertrude already remarried two months after his father’s death. The Queen married Claudius, her dead husband’s brother and then Claudius became king. In reality, Hamlet was the true king after his father’s death. The reason why Claudius married his sister-in- law was he didn’t want Hamlet to become king.
Although Prince Hamlet knew that there was something strange about his father’s death, he couldn’t prove anything. In addition, he could not think how quickly his mother could forget his dear father. Claudius tried many times to become friends with Hamlet because he wanted Hamlet to like him.
One day, Horatio, a good friend of Hamlet, …show more content…
Ophelia’s father, Polonius, was a servant of the king and her brother, Laertes, was away in France. After his father died, Hamlet could only think about his hate for his uncle and he started to act very strangely towards Ophelia. The play began and players re-enacted his father’s murder at the hands of Claudius in order to watch Claudius’ reaction and he confronted his mother about his father’s murder. As Hamlet expected, Claudius didn’t want to watch the play and left the room because it showed very clearly how he had killed his brother. And the queen also left and followed him. Meanwhile, one of the queen’s servants came to Hamlet and asked him to go to the queen’s room because she wanted to talk to him. Ophelia’s father, Polonius, was hiding behind a curtain in the queen’s room since he wanted to listen to what Hamlet would say to his mother and he could tell Claudius. Although the queen knew that Polonius was behind the curtain, Hamlet didn’t know that he was there. Hamlet said angry words to his mother so she cried to help. From behind the curtain, Polonius heard the queen’s cries and he began to shout to help, too. Hamlet thought that it was Claudius, so he took out his sword and pushed it through the curtain and it went into Polonius. Claudius punished Hamlet for Polonius' death by exiling him to England. He …show more content…
When Hamlet and Laertes met for the fight, the king, the queen, Horatio, and all their other friends came to watch them. The fight was in a large room. The fight began and at first, Hamlet was winning. Gertrude, believing that Hamlet's hitting Laertes means her son is winning the fight, had drunk a toast to her son from the poisoned cup Claudius had intended for Hamlet. The Queen died. In the middle of the fight, Laertes cut Hamlet with his poisoned sword. Hamlet retrieved the sword and cut Laertes. The lethal poison killed Laertes. Before he died, Laertes told Hamlet that because Hamlet had already been cut with the same sword, he too will shortly died. Horatio diverted Hamlet's attention from Laertes for a moment by pointing out that "The Queen fell." While Laertes lied dying, he explained that Gertrude's death lied on Claudius' head. Finally enraged, Hamlet stabed Claudius with the poisoned sword and then poured the last of the poisoned wine down the King's throat.
Before Hamlet died, he turned to his best friend, Horatio, and told him to tell his story to the world if Horatio really loved him.

My reaction:

After I have read this story, I have felt it is a tragedy one. The sentences written in this story are easy to understand. This story proves that the saying “you have to reap what you sow” is true by seeing Claudius’s action. Hamlet’s hatred to kill Claudius leads him towards his tragic ending. Because of Claudius’s

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

An Analysis of the Characters of Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet

...Angela Romero 1226344 English IX Tim Keppel An analysis of the characters of Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, revenge is the central topic, which breathes life into the play. As his main objective in life, Hamlet craves to avenge his father’s death, the king of Denmark, betrayed and killed by his own brother. Throughout the play, Hamlet comes across two other main characters in Shakespeare’s tragedy, Laertes and Fortinbras, whose fathers are also murdered. Even though there are differences between these 3 characters, this series of unfair deaths puts them in the same situation and makes them have aspects in common. Thus, the purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras in terms of behavior, the honor for their beloved fathers, the desire to revenge their fathers’ death and their modus operandi of vengeance; as well as to explain the perception they have of each other. On one hand, Hamlet, the prince of Denmark, is characterized by his eloquent behavior, his philosophical thinking, which constantly leads him to questions that cannot be answered easily, such as his famous one “to be, or not to be”. He is smart and lets others think he’s just mad. One of his other characteristics are his constant thoughts about existence and the duties of a man. “What is a man, if his chief good and market of his time be but to sleep and feed? A beast, no more.” “For there are actions...

Words: 1467 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Justin Anders Drewry Analysis

...Justin Dathan Anders Drewry, author of “HAMLET’S FATHERS: AN ANALYSIS OF PATERNITY AND FILIAL DUTY IN SHAKESPEARE’S HAMLET”. Drewry emphasizes King Hamlet and Polonius' role in being a father figure to their respective sons and how King Hamlet and Polonius led Hamlet and Laertes to their own demise. Drewry begins his criticism between the connection of King Hamlet and Hamlet. Drewry criticizes King Hamlet as a character for having a poor paternal influence towards Hamlet. Drewry supports this by examining the quotes made by Horatio such as that King Hamlet was “a goodly king” (I, ii, 186), separating King Hamlet between his royal title and role as a father. Drewry suggests that since King Hamlet was absent most of Hamlet’s life when the Ghost...

Words: 750 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Hamlet Act 1

...Kim Nguyen Hamlet Act 1 Logs Act 1 Scene 1 Summary: The act opens with Bernardo, Marcellus, Horatio, and Francisco seeing the ghost king while on watch duty. The ghost appeared dressed in his armor and suddenly disappears. Because the ghost appeared, Horatio thinks it’s an omen of bad luck. He thinks the ghost king was trying to warn them that something bad would happen to Denmark soon, perhaps in the form of a military attack. The ghost then appears again and Horatio tries to talk to it. It would respond back and just disappears again. Horatio decides to tell Hamlet to try to talk to it because Hamlet was the ghost son so he can’t refuse to talk to his son. Quote Analysis: “No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm” Marcellus said this when the ghost appears. When the cock crowed at the first break of dawn, it was believed that it has the power to get rid of the evil powers. The morning light compels all evil because the light was believed to be good. Character Comment: Horatio – Horatio believed in thing s like ghost and witches. He believed in the world beyond ours. When Old King Hamlet came to visit in his ghost form, Horatio thought it was a bad omen for Denmark and the oncoming war with Fortinbras’ army. Act 1 Scene 2 Summary: Claudius and Gertrude get married and they have a feast to celebrate their new marriage and new life together. Claudius’ excuse for marrying Gertrude was to balance out the sadness toward Old King Hamlet’s...

Words: 909 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

A Drama Review of Hamlet

...Drama Review of Hamlet By studying the Stage Show of Wuhan University Abstract As the longest masterpiece of Shakespeare, Hamlet impresses us with its tragic revenge of prince Hamlet. This stage show presents us the core part of Hamlet through performance of “nunnery scene”, “closet scene” and Hamlet’s monologue. Thus, this article will mainly focuses on drama review of the stage show from aspects of technical arts, adaption and editing as well as performance of the actor and actresses and a character analysis combing with Oedipus complex, Electra complex together with the author’s personal reactions. Keywords: drama review; technical arts; performance, character analysis Contents I. Introduction………………………………………………………………………....3 II. Technical arts………………………………………………………………………4 A. Lighting &Music.……………………………………………………………..4 B. Stage Properties…………………………………………………………..........4 C. Costumes………………………………………………………………………4 III. Editing& Adaption………………………………………………………………..5 IV. Performance……………………………………………………………………….6 A. Hamlet…………………………………………………………………………...6 B. Ophelia………………………………………………………………………….6 C. Gertrude…………………………………………………………………………7 V. Character Analysis………………………………………………………………....7 A. Hamlet………………………………………………………………………….7 B. Ophelia…………………………………………………………………………8 C. Gertrude………………………………………………………………………..9 VI. Conclusion…………………………………………………………….................9 Introduction The original play of Hamlet is a masterpiece...

Words: 2097 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Gertrude in Hamlet

...Character Analysis of Queen Gertrude 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...

Words: 817 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Literature

...Character Analysis Hamlet Hamlet is an enigma. No matter how many ways critics examine him, no absolute truth emerges. Hamlet breathes with the multiple dimensions of a living human being, and everyone understands him in a personal way. Hamlet's challenge to Guildenstern rings true for everyone who seeks to know him: "You would pluck out the heart of my mystery." None of us ever really does. The conundrum that is Hamlet stems from the fact that every time we look at him, he is different. In understanding literary characters, just as in understanding real people, our perceptions depend on what we bring to the investigation. Hamlet is so complete a character that, like an old friend or relative, our relationship to him changes each time we visit him, and he never ceases to surprise us. Therein lies the secret to the enduring love affair audiences have with him. They never tire of the intrigue. The paradox of Hamlet's nature draws people to the character. He is at once the consummate iconoclast, in self-imposed exile from Elsinore Society, while, at the same time, he is the adulated champion of Denmark — the people's hero. He has no friends left, but Horatio loves him unconditionally. He is angry, dejected, depressed, and brooding; he is manic, elated, enthusiastic, and energetic. He is dark and suicidal, a man who loathes himself and his fate. Yet, at the same time, he is an existential thinker who accepts that he must deal with life on its own terms, that he must choose to meet...

Words: 1327 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Literature Analysis of Hamlet

...Literature Analysis of Hamlet U5A1 Letitia Stevens Introduction to the Humanities (HUM1000) Unit 5 Literature Analysis of Hamlet Capella University May 2016 Introduction During the last years of Queen Elizabeth, “The Tragedy of Hamlet” was written by William Shakespeare. The father of Hamlet appeared outside of the Elsinore Castle on what seemed to a very cold night for the season that they were in. His appearance was referred to as of a warning that was leading to the killing in ancient Rome of Caesar. The presence provided Horatio and his company a suggestion that something threatening or evil had previously taken place and the would have been an offset to nature in Denmark. There was a transfer of power post the death of the king that led some to believe that the future of Denmark was in trouble. It is proven by the later appearance of the ghost that there would be a Denmark tragedy. What is a soliloquy? A Soliloquy defined is the disregard of the people around while speaking to themselves about in-depth thoughts, usually in a play or drama. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, n.d). In dramas and play, when this is used, the people or characters are not mindful of things that person speaking is speaking about. When realism was introduced in the late 1800’s, soliloquies was not as prevalent. In the play, “Hamlet” soliloquies were used throughout to disclose his most in depth feelings to the viewers. William Shakespeare uses soliloquies in not only “Hamlet” in...

Words: 1958 - Pages: 8

Free Essay

Comparative Analysis: Hamlet and the Lion King

...Comparative analysis: Hamlet and The Lion King Hamlet is a 1990 drama film based on a tragic play with the same name, written by William Shakespeare. On the other side The Lion King is an animated musical movie. Walt Disney Pictures released the movie in 1994. As the movie Hamlet, The Lion King was also influenced by Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. Both the movies are about revenging the death of a cherished family member but in different ways. Since a long time the idea of revenge has existed in our human nature. It has been our instinct to take back for a person that has been hurt. Today we find that many literary works uses revenge as a theme for the plot but how it is shown depends from a character to another. Hamlet and The Lion King are two superb examples. In the castle of Elsinore in Denmark, prince Hamlet sees his father’s ghost. Through the ghost Hamlet learns that his own brother, Claudius, who wants the thrown to Denmark had murdered his father and married his dead brothers wife, the queen Gertrude. The spirit tells Hamlet to, “revenge his foul and most unnatural murder” (1.5.25 Shakespeare) and Hamlet obeys the spirit’s wishes. He then begins to seek more evidence on Claudius and his betrayal towards his brother. Hamlet enters into a deep melancholy and appears to be in madness, which makes Claudius and Gertrude worry about his erratic behavior. They employ Hamlet’s friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to watch over him and to discover the cause of his...

Words: 1813 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Hamlet Essay

...and comes hardships. These hardships are something that the characters in Hamlet have to deal with, and it is also something the audience can relate to. This way of life is very relevant in Shakespeare's play Hamlet, which covers the competency of love, hate and power struggles found within the characters which later leads to an unfortunate ending. Hamlet, the main character of William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet, is one of the most complex characters ever created. His intricacy can be seen in the amount of soliloquies he speaks throughout the play. Each one of Hamlet’s soliloquies reveals his innermost thoughts and gives the reader or audience insight as to what he is feeling at that time. The audience cannot help but to show some feeling towards the characters such as Hamlet, Fortinbras and King Claudius. All throughout the play, Shakespeare uses various characters to represent the social, economical, and cultural effects that are shown in Hamlet that may also correspond to the Elizabethan audience. Some characters that represent these effects include Hamlet, Fortinbras, Claudius, and Rosencrantz. It is through these characters’’ speeches and actions that really target the audience. The numerous soliloquy presented by Hamlet is one of the speeches in the play that captivates the audience. This is because the audience can relate to it, and they can anticipate what's to come and see the development of the characters. Elizabethan audiences were people from different levels of class...

Words: 2124 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Hamlet, Prince of Denmark or King of Conflict?

...writing depth and makes it something to remember. In fact, it is the very concept that makes Hamlet stand out from other pieces of literature. The intense struggle between the two main characters make it one of Shakespeare’s most well-known pieces of writing. From beginning to end, two characters have the power to create, mould and exemplify countless themes throughout Hamlet. The fierce conflict between Claudius and Hamlet is essential to develop the action and inaction, revenge, the impossibility of certainty and appearance vs. reality themes. The contrast between action and inaction is emphasized between Claudius and Hamlet due to the conflict between these two characters. To begin, Claudius sends Hamlet to an almost certain death immediately after he suspects Hamlet’s knowledge of his father’s murder. Quickly, he confides in Rosencratz and Guildenstern that, “[Claudius likes Hamlet] not, nor stands it safe with [everyone] / [t]o let his madness range” (III.iii.1-2), and demands, “therefore prepare you. I your commission will forthwith dispatch / [a]nd he to England shall along with you” (III.iii.3-4). It seems Claudius proceeds impulsively, however his calculated and rapid actions are the key to the development of the theme of action. Claudius smoothly uses “[Hamlet’s] madness” as the source of his nephew’s departure, though it is his own safety that concerns Claudius. Next, Hamlet cannot find the strength to kill his father’s murderer throughout most of the play. ...

Words: 1805 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Hamlet

...from Acts I & II | Characters Involved | Sympathy? Antipathy? | Reason your sympathies lean as they do | Evidence – Lines and Explanation of Effect |  In Act I.v, the Ghost of King Hamlet reveals to Hamlet that the King had been poisoned to death by Claudius.  Dramatic irony occurs because Hamlet, the Ghost and we know the truth that Claudius murdered Hamlet's father.Dramatic irony occurs because only the readers and his friends Marcellus and Horatio know that Hamlet is only pretending to be mad.Ophelia and Polonious thinks that Hamlet is mad in love with Ophelia but only we and his friends know that Hamlet is only pretending to be mad.  |  Hamlet, Ghost and Claudius    |  Sympathy with Hamlet and his father.Antipathy with Claudius |  Claudius killed the father of Hamlet. And no one knew the reality.Antipathy for Claudius because he murdered his own brother and became the king. |   | | Hamlet, Horatio and Marcellus | Sympathy with Hamlet. | Sympathy with Hamlet because he knows that his father had been murdered but couldn’t reveal the truth. | | | Hamlet, Ophelia and Polonious | Sympathy with Ophelia. | Sympathy with Ophelia because she also thought that Hamlet was mad, which made her sad. | | | | | | | |       |   |   |   | Dramatic Irony Critical Analysis- For my critical analysis of dramatic irony in Hamlet I chose when Hamlet learns that his father was poisoned by Claudius. This situation is dramatic irony because Hamlet and the reader know that...

Words: 527 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

The Madness of Hamlet

...calmly I can tell you the whole story. -Edgar Allen Poe; The Tell-Tale Heart An Analysis of Hamlet's Unraveling The madness of Hamlet is prevalent within each page of the beloved play. Stemming from his acute paranoia, distrust of others, and melancholy outlook, there is a great unraveling of his psyche as the play rolls on. He can be observed as a victim of Psychotic Depression with paranoid tendencies. In Hamlet, the key character is characterized by his suicidal tendencies, grandeur delusions, and highly conflicted personality, therefore he can be classified as depressive, paranoid, and psychotic (Zimbargo, et al 580). While Hamlet's initial sadness itself brings little alarm to the audience, his eventual distressed nature becomes an apparent issue: O, that this too solid flesh would melt Thaw and resolve itself into a dew! Or that the Everlasting had not fix'd His canon 'gainst self-slaughter! O God! God! How weary, stale, flat and unprofitable, Seem to me all the uses of this world!  (1.2.5) Oatley 2 Initializing Hamlet's distressed nature and suicidal thoughts; Hamlet's spoken words brings the audience up to pace with his distress over his mother's marrying of his potentially murderous uncle. With this we pick up a certain instability in Hamlet's mental functioning and displays a rather melancholy and depressive vibe to his persona. From the beginning Hamlet is distressed and desires for his "flesh" to "melt" and become "dew". This anguish...

Words: 1427 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

Act 5 Threads

...Act V Threads Character | Analysis | Hamlet | Hamlet questions the methods of the gravediggers. He seems confused that they are happy to bury the dead. He then criticizes them for playing with a skull of a dead person like it is a toy. Horatio adds in that this must be what makes them sane if they spend all day with dead bodies. They would otherwise go crazy. The gravedigger doesn’t recognize Hamlet as the prince, and tells him that he has been a gravedigger since King Hamlet beat the Fortinbras, which was when the younger Hamlet was born. Hamlet picks up a skull, and the gravedigger tells him that the skull was Yorick’s, King Hamlet’s jester. Hamlet told Horatio when he was a kid, he knew Yorick and the sight of his skull shocked him. He came to terms with the fact that all men will eventually fade, and he uses examples like Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar. (V, i, 67-197). A guy named Osric gets Laertes and Hamlet to have a fencing match, which was actually a set up by Claudius. This ended up in him murdering Claudius and him being poisoned by Laertes sword in the match. (V, ii, 361-405) | Gertrude | Gertrude drinks the wine that Claudius had poisoned for Hamlet during the fencing match between Hamlet and Laertes. She ignores Claudius’s warning to not drink the wine and see suffered the consequences of her own death. (V.ii.235) | Claudius | Claudius and Laertes put there plan to kill Hamlet into effect. Claudius poisons the wine that Hamlet would drink during the...

Words: 650 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

An Analysis Of Vengeance In Shakespeare's Hamlet

...Shakespeare's play Hamlet , Hamlet vows to seek revenge for his fathers death however, he procrastinates throughout the play and doesn't seek revenge until the end. Hamlet is stopped in seeking revenge by a number of factors throughout the play. Through the attitudes of the characters, Hamlets high education and Analysis paralysis When his father's ghost came to him and told him to avenge his murder, Hamlet was eager to take immediate action. However before seeking revenge he needs to know if the ghost is telling the truth about his murder. Hamlet feels that if the ghost isn't telling the truth and he acts, he too will become a murderer. In order to determine if Claudius is truly guilty, Hamlet produces a play in which the plot...

Words: 1120 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Hamlet

...Horatio, to watch with them. When he sees the ghost, he decides they should tell Hamlet, the dead King's son. Hamlet is also the nephew of the present King, Claudius, who not only assumed his dead brother's crown but also married his widow, Gertrude. Claudius seems an able King, easily handling the threat of the Norwegian Prince Fortinbras. But Hamlet is furious about Gertrude's marriage to Claudius. Hamlet meets the ghost, which claims to be the spirit of his father, murdered by Claudius. Hamlet quickly accepts the ghost's command to seek revenge. Yet Hamlet is uncertain if what the ghost said is true. He delays his revenge and begins to act half-mad, contemplate suicide, and becomes furious at all women. The Lord Chamberlain, Polonius, concludes that Hamlet's behavior comes from lovesickness for Ophelia, Polonius's daughter. Claudius and Gertrude summon two of Hamlet's old friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to find out what's wrong with him. As Polonius develops a plot to spy on a meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia, Hamlet develops a plot of his own: to have a recently arrived troupe of actors put on a play that resembles Claudius's alleged murder of Old Hamlet, and watch Claudius's reaction. Polonius and Claudius spy on the meeting between Ophelia and Hamlet, during which Hamlet flies into a rage against women and marriage. Claudius concludes Hamlet neither loves Ophelia nor is mad. Seeing Hamlet as a threat, he decides to send him away. At the play that night, Claudius runs...

Words: 10550 - Pages: 43