...Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet is a play written by Shakespeare,where two teenagers in a rivaling feud between their families fall in love and keep their love a secret , which leads to their death.The play writer uses a range of literary devices, such as, soliloquies, dramatic irony, and allusions.These all help bring the play together. To begin, Shakespeare uses Soliloquies in many different occasions , like when Friar Lawrence is vocalizing the pleasant and the inadequate of both humans and plants.By using this device you get to know a characters thoughts and feelings on certain topics. Another example, is when, Juliet is contemplating on if she should or not drink the potion Friar has given her. She has doubts that the potion...
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...Hamlet's Soliloquy - To be, or not to be Hamlet's "To be, or not to be" soliloquy is arguably the most famous soliloquy in the history of the theatre. Even today, 400 years after it was written, most people are vaguely familiar with the soliloquy even though they may not know the play. What gives these 34 lines such universal appeal and recognition? What about Hamlet's introspection has prompted scholars and theatregoers alike to ask questions about their own existence over the centuries? In this soliloquy, Shakespeare strikes a chord with a fundamental human concern: the validity and worthiness of life. Would it not be easier for us to simply enter a never-ending sleep when we find ourselves facing the daunting problems of life than to "suffer / the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune"? However, it is perhaps because we do not know what this endless sleep entails that humans usually opt against suicide. "For in that sleep of death what dreams may come / When we have shuffled off this mortal coil / Must give us pause." Shakespeare seems to understand this dilemma through his character Hamlet, and thus the phrase "To be, or not to be" has been immortalized; indeed, it has pervaded our culture to such a remarkable extent that it has been referenced countless times in movies, television, and the media. Popular movies such as Billy Madison quote the famous phrase, and www.tobeornottobe.com serves as an online archive of Shakespeare's works. Today, a Shakespeare stereotype...
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...“To be or not to be? That is the question.” This soliloquy has been used thousands, maybe even millions, of times. The Tragedy of Hamlet is written as substantial, yet subtle in this dramatic play. Shakespeare creates this drama with twists and turns in each scene, which spikes some readers to sit on the edge of one’s seat. Shakespeare uses soliloquies, dramatic dialogues, and revenge tragedy to unfold a tremendous amount of details of Hamlet, thus causing a dramatic irony approach. Between the Franco Zeffirelli’s version and the Laurence Oliver’s version of this tragedy, characters are distinctively played. While Hamlet’s life is crumbling in front of him, those surrounded, specifically Ophelia, are also being affected. In this play, Ophelia...
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...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, from Commoners to Royalty attended the theatre; the people who attended the theatre all shared one thing, the entertainment...
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...Hamlet’s Struggle with Life and Death In Act III, scene I of Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, the thematic imagery, along with the symbolic use of syntax and diction that Shakespeare uses helps convey Hamlet’s state of mind as troubled and as having a painful view to life which, overall, is subtly expressed with weakness as he talked about death. Death is a major theme in Hamlet and through Shakespeare’s astonishing words in his “To be, or not to be,” soliloquy; it is obvious that Hamlet is conveyed as a troubled character. He is unsure about death. “To be, or not to be, that is the question:” (line 1), proves that Hamlet is troubled because the use of a colon is a sign that he is not only answering his own question, but he is expressing opposing views about life thus leaving him with an unsure decision about suicide. He answered himself by saying: “Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer/ The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune;” (Lines 2-3.) This imagery shows that Hamlet questions the honor of death, and since he is open to death he does not realize whether it would be honorable to go through the act of committing suicide or if it would be considered a sin. This makes him have a troubled state of mind because he has these two opposing views of death floating in the vastness of his thoughts. The first sentence of his soliloquy finishes with: “Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, / And by opposing, end them.” (Lines 4-5.) Hamlet still questions life and suicide...
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...Hamlet’s ‘To Be or Not to Be’ soliloquy is a very prominent piece in William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet. It is the very basis for the play and a string of words familiar to many different people all over the globe. In the infamous ‘To Be or Not to Be’ soliloquy, Hamlet makes a universal conviction about life and death, though in the end makes a conclusion that individuals who think too much can destroy themselves”by including, the diction, the syntax, and the imagery. The diction in this piece truly shapes and adds character to the meaning of the soliloquy. Words such as “undiscovered country” (Shakespeare 63), “fardels” (Shakespeare 63), “ills” (Shakespeare 63), “suffer” (Shakespeare 63), and “calamity” (Shakespeare 63) make the reader...
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...In Othello, Shakespeare develops an indecisive tone through the use of dramatic irony and metaphors in order to characterize Othello as tentative. In the soliloquy, Shakespeare develops an indecisive tone by using metaphors to further characterize Othello as tentative. Shakespeare utilizes this soliloquy to employ metaphors which reveal Othello’s uncertainty after being told that Desdemona is unfaithful. The tone which is also evident within the soliloquy helps to further develop the uncertainty seen in Othello spawning from Iago’s dishonesty. In the beginning, Othello exclaims that if Desdemona is cheating and that “though that her jesses were my dear heartstrings, / I’ld whistle her off and let her down the wind, / To pray at fortune”(Shakespeare 3.3. 302-305). This metaphor, telling of Othello’s still existent love but need to expel Desdemona, illustrates how Othello is unsure of the news when he claims he still is in love with Desdemona. It also characterizes him as tentative because of the uncertainty that she is unfaithful and the actions he would take to resolve an affair. Next, Othello ends his soliloquy when he makes the statement that “Even this forked plague is fated to us / When we do quicken”(3.3. 317-318). Othello is reminiscing on idea...
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...Arturo Kuang B block 11/12/14 Claudius soliloquy analysis In Act III, scene III, Shakespeare illustrates Claudius's inner turmoil with an internal monologue. In Claudius's soliloquy, he states that he had murdered his brother,the absolute confirmation that such an act has occurred. Through Claudius soliloquy, Shakespeare reveals Claudius's inner character and further characterizes his disposition, though the remorse he feels is not for his slain brother but for the consequences he faces because of it. Shakespeare is able to depict Claudius’s internal conflict and how it reflects his character. In Claudius’s confession, Shakespeare is able to expose a sharp alteration to his character; he goes from being a fraud to a caring, sensitive, and emotional human being. WIth the first line in his soliloquy, Claudius’s grieves over the fact he has murdered his brother--the king: “O, my offence is rank, it smells to heaven”(3.3 40). With the use of hyperbole, Claudius’s is able to emphasize his sin is so foul that it can even be smelled from “heaven”. The “rank” he has stolen as king is an “offense”, which also emphasizes Claudius’s regret over killing the king. This is unusual for Claudius’s as he is suppose hide under the facade of a person who has killed the king--a insensitive character who only cares for power. Claudius’s feels cursed by his atrocity, that God has struck him: “It hath the primal eldest curse upon’t”(3.3 41). With this allusion to the Biblical tale...
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...Give Shakespeare”: It is the way of venerable texts whose authenticity has impressed itself on the human imagination: he has said many things in what seems an ultimate form, and he is a fountainhead of quotation and universal center of allusion. “A rose by any other name” comes to the mouth as readily as “Pride goeth before a fall,” and seems no less wise. [. . .] The Ophelia-Laertes relationship is strongly felt near the end of Goethe’s Faust, Part I, and the Hamlet-Gertrude-Claudius triangle echoes throughout Chekhov’s Sea Gull (24-25). This play is ranked by many as the very greatest ever written. Cumberland Clark in “The Supernatural in Hamlet” gives the consensus regarding Hamlet that exists among literary critics of today: At least six or seven years pass after the writing of Midsummer Night’s Dream before we find Shakespeare engaged on Hamlet, the second of the great plays with an important Supernatural element, and, in the opinion of many, the greatest tragedy ever penned. (99) There is no more exalted ranking than the above. Richard A. Lanham in the essay “Superposed Plays” maintains that no other English tragedy has generated the literary comment which this play has produced: “Hamlet is one of the great tragedies. It has generated more comment than any other written document in English literature, one would guess, reverent, serious comment on it as a serious play” (91). Robert B. Heilman in “The Role We Give Shakespeare” relates the high ranking of Shakespeare to the...
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... “take the audience into their confidence, boast in soliloquy of their cleverness, exult in the triumph of evil, and improvise plans with daring and resourcefulness,” (Bevington, 2014). The character of Iago in this play is one such villain. Because of a perceived affront and because...
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...The Importance of Hamlet’s Soliloquies In the Shakespearian tragedy Hamlet, we see the main character, who shares the name of the play, process many of his thoughts and evaluate many different options before he makes each of his decisions through the soliloquies he delivers throughout the play. From the first soliloquy in act 1 to the final one in act 4, many of major events in the play that involve Hamlet are decided through his trains of thought, as well as his opinions on various matters and his methods of dealing with his emotions. In the play, Hamlet’s soliloquies reveal his character by showing three of his most important traits; his indecisiveness, his nobility and his apparent self-hatred. Although Hamlet has many different character traits, and is perhaps one of the most complex characters in any of Shakespeare’s tragedies, the most prominent one is his indecisiveness. He contemplates every one of the major decisions he makes and makes sure that what he is doing is what he thinks is the right thing, and he rarely acts without thinking about it beforehand. Much of this thinking is described in his 7 soliloquies, for instance in the third soliloquy he delivers, he mentions “The spirit that I have seen may be the devil, and the devil hath power T’ assume a pleasing shape. Yea, and perhaps out of my weakness and my melancholy, as he is very potent with such spirits, abuses me to damn me. I’ll have grounds more relative to this” (2, 2, 577) which shows that although the...
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...Cause and Effect Hamlet Essay William Shakespeare, arguably the greatest language in the English language and England’s national poet, has written numerous histories, tragedies, comedies and poems. Throughout his plays, his use of dramatic irony, immaculate word choice and wording, and his vast imagination has made him a successful playwright even in his time. Shakespeare’s scripts for his theatrical company, needed to pertain to the needs and fascinations of the Elizabethan audience. It is safe to assume that all his sonnets, poetic speeches, electrifying action and soliloquies in his play were created for the delicate and quickly appreciative of language Elizabethans of his time. A particular example out of the many soliloquies present in the tragedy of Hamlet is the beautiful and moving speech in Act IV, Scene IV (IV, iv, 35-70) of Hamlet depicting his admiration of Fortinbras and his disappointment in himself. The poetic loving audience is noticeably the cause while this splendid speech, along with the many others, is the effect. This soliloquy is a mere example of Shakespeare’s disgust for the political manipulations of his time, the acceptance of murder, and the change of self brought on by others. In the brilliant vocalization of Shakespeare’s feelings through the speech made by Hamlet, it is evident that Shakespeare despises the waste of lives due to war without justification. Perhaps, knowingly that the audience would share this view or dissentient of lives lost...
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...boldly occur in Shakespeare's Hamlet. Literature is made to be understood and related to by the audience and throughout Hamlet; Shakespeare presents his audience with many soliloquies. As a matter of fact, the most famous of words in English literature "To be or not to be" (III, i, 58) is in a soliloquy said by Hamlet. Like all speeches in Shakespearean pieces, Hamlet's soliloquy captures the audience's eyes, ears, and hearts with relation to the economic, social, and political aspects of life. Through the common social tendencies of humans and Body Paragraph 1 Death is all around, whether caused through nature or by another man it will always haunt the world. Many people tremble upon the subject of death and it even haunts many to think of dying, this is why and how Shakespeare found a way to captivate his audience. This is evident when Hamlet says "while, to my shame, I see the imminent death of twenty thousand men, that for a fantasy and trick of fame, Go to their graves like beds, fight for a plot whereon the numbers cannot try the cause, which is not tomb enough and continent to hide the slain?" (IV, iv, 59-65). Here Hamlet expresses the great number of people that are being slaughtered in comparison to the one man who he is destined to kill to avenge his father. The audience analyzes this and now understands what it means to take a life. Shakespeare shows the slaughter that is being done in such mass amounts for useless reason and compares it to if Hamlet were to avenge his...
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...George Awtrey English April 16, 2011 Hamlet’s Psychological Analysis William Shakespeare was and still is one of the most renowned play writers of all time. Shakespeare had a talent like no other that allowed him to create plays that entertained viewers of his era and beyond. One of his most popular plays is Hamlet. Because this play was one of his more complex works it is also became of the most analyzed plays as well. The main character, Hamlet, has fascinated readers and audiences for centuries, and one of the first thing to point out about him is that he is indecisive (22 Newell). But even though he is thoughtful to the point of obsession, Hamlet also behaves rashly and instinctively. When he does act, it is quickly with little or no premeditation, like when he stabbed Polonius through the curtain without even checking to see who he was. He seems to step very easily into the role acting crazy, behaving erratically and upsetting the other characters with his careless speech (22 Newell). It is also important to note that Hamlet is extremely laid back and unconcerned with it comes to the state of affairs in Denmark and in his own family. He is extremely disappointed with his mother for marrying his uncle so quickly. He rejects, Ophelia, a woman he claimed to have loved once. At a number of points in the play, he contemplates his own death and even the option of suicide. But, despite all of the things with which Hamlet expresses dissatisfaction, it is remarkable that...
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...Shakespeare's Hamlet, the main character, Hamlet, is used to drive the plot in many different ways. He makes Hamlet think, or thinks he knows, a key aspect in the plot. Hamlet’s character traits mixed in with the story creates a plot that has transcended through generations. Shakespeare has many different techniques that express Hamlet’s character traits. Shakespeare is able to express Hamlet’s traits in his actions, his words, his thought, which are expressed in monologues and soliloquies, and what other people say about him. The Lion King, a movie based off of Hamlet, also uses these techniques to express the character traits of Simba, a character based off of Hamlet. Shakespeare uses these techniques to express Hamlet’s Character...
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