Hamlet's Antic Disposition
[See Hamlet, II.ii.159-185 in which Polonius proposes to use his daughter Ophelia as a bait for Hamlet, while Polonius and Claudius conceal themselves behind an arras; at which point Hamlet enters unexpectedly and is spoken to by Polonius]
Everything that Hamlet here says is capable of an equivocal interpretation reflecting upon Polonius and Ophelia. "Fishmonger," as many commentators have noted, means a pander or procurer; "carrion" was a common expression at that time for "flesh" in the carnal sense; while the quibble in "conception" needs no explaining. And when I asked myself why Hamlet should suddenly call Polonius a bawd and his daughter a prostitute-for that is what it all amounts to-I could discover but one possible answer to my question, namely that "Fishmonger" and the rest follows immediately upon "loose my daughter to him." Nor was this the end of the matter. For what might Hamlet mean by his sarcastic advice to the father not to let the daughter "walke i'th Sunne," or by the reference to the sun breeding in the "carrion" exposed to it? Bearing in mind Hamlet's punning retort "I am too much in the 'son,'" in answer to Claudius's unctuous question at J.ii.64,
And now my cousin Hamlet, and my son,
How is it that the clouds still hang on you?
- and recalling Falstaff's apostrophe to Prince Hal: "Shall the blessed sun of heaven prove a micher and eat blackberries? a question not to be asked. Shall the son of England prove a thief and take purses? a question to be asked," is it not obvious that Hamlet here means by "Sunne" the sun or son of Denmark, the heir apparent, in other words himself? A...
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...n to spy upon him has a bearing much wider than his attitude towards Ophelia. Indeed, the manner in which it eases the general working of the plot is strong testimony in its favor. As we shall find, it constitutes the mainspring of the events that follow in acts II and III; it renders the nunnery scene playable and intelligible as never before; it adds all kinds of fresh light and shade to the play scene. In a word, its recovery means the restoration of a highly important piece of the dramatic structure. For the moment, however, let us confine our attention to the matter in hand; and see what it tells us about Hamlet's relations with the daughter of Polonius. Here its value is at once obvious, since it casts its light backward as well as forward and enables us for the first time to see these relations in proper perspective and as a connected whole.
There are many topics deeply hidden in the works of William Shakespeare. One of his greatest pieces of works is the story of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Not only are the words of Shakespeare meaningful, but there are also many follow up pieces of literature that contain important interpretations of the events in this play. These works about Hamlet are extremely beneficial to the reader. I have found four of these works and will use them as sources throughout this essay. The first source is “The Case of Hamlet’s Conscience,” by Catherine Belsey, and it focuses on the topic of Hamlet’s revenge in the play. The second source is “’Never Doubt I Love’: Misreading Hamlet,” by Imtiaz Habib, and it explains a lot of information about Hamlet’s “love” for Ophelia. The third source is “Shakespeare’s Hamlet, III.i.56—88,” by Horst Breuer, and it talks in depth about the issue of suicide in Hamlet. The fourth and final source is “Shakespeare’s Hamlet 1.2.35-38,” by Kathryn Walls, and it describes the significance of the role the Ghost plays throughout Hamlet. There are many different confusing parts in Hamlet and the best way to fully understand the play is to understand all of these parts. By understanding every miniscule detail in the play, it creates a different outlook on the play for the reader. In this essay, I will explain these confusing topics, as well as explain why the sources are helpful and what insight they can bring. At the end is this essay, the reader will have a complete understanding and appreciation of the play Hamlet, Prince of Denmark.
The bond between father and daughter is something that some consider sacred. Polonious uses this bond with Ophelia to please Claudius and Gertrude in finding our what is wrong with Hamlet. The King and Queen were very upset at Hamlet's seeming insanity. They tell Rosencrantz and Guildenstern that finding out what is wrong with Hamlet would be "the supply and profit of [their] hope (P.34)." They are obviously disenchanted at his behavior, and Polonious knows this, and tries to use his daughter to prove his theory. When Ophelia came and described to him her meeting with Hamlet in Act I, Polonious immediately took her to the King. Polonious, acting on his duty to "both [his] God and to [his] gracious king (P. 34)" took Ophelia to Claudius to see if he could be any help in trying to find out what is wrong with Hamlet. He quickly tells the king that he will ".loose [his] daughter to [Hamlet] (p. 38)" and concocts an elaborate plan t...
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To understand the disease, you must know its interesting history. In 1885, the French physician, Dr. Georges Albert Eduoard Brutes Gilles de la Tourette, first suggested that the disease’s symptoms were part of a distinct condition different from other movement disorders. (Shimberg, 1995 p.25) Tourette studied several patients he believed to have the disorder. These studies included a French noblewoman who used to interject obscenities during conversation. (This is also known as coprolalia,) Tourette came to the conclusion that TS was hereditary, (Shimberg, 1995, P.67) that the disorder did not have any intellectual or psychological deterioration, (Shimberg, 1995, p.69) and he also correctly identified the childhood onset of the disease.
While Hamlet may still be feeling depressed Hamlet moves into the stage of denial and isolation. Hamlet feels the effects of denial and isolation mostly due to his love, Ophelia. Both Hamlet’s grief and his task constrain him from realizing this love, but Ophelia’s own behavior clearly intensifies his frustration and anguish. By keeping the worldly and disbelieving advice of her brother and father as “watchmen” to her “heart” (I.iii.46), she denies the heart’s affection not only in Hamlet, but in herself; and both denials add immeasurably to Hamlet’s sense of loneliness and loss—and anger. Her rejection of him echoes his mother’s inconstancy and denies him the possibility even of imagining the experience of loving an...
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Hamlet wants to use Ophelia for his sexual desire, but also to provoke his uncle-father and mother. Polonius warms that Ophelia will not get what she expects out of this relationship, showing her that there are other people who will care for her more than Ophelia. The word “beguile” means to enchant, so, again, Polonius warns Ophelia that he will take advantage of her for his own good, and Ophelia should be aware of all the consequences that will follow when the relationship ends. At the end, Polonius suggests that Ophelia should talk to Hamlet and end their relationship. Ophelia responds with the submissive, “I shall obey, my lord.” This shows how submissive Ophelia is and how loyal she is to her father. Although Ophelia is loyal, too much of anything is a bad thing. Because of her unbounded loyalty, Ophelia is defined as Polonius, she doesn’t know how to be an individual. At one point, Romestant suggested that “without the presence of a mother figure, Ophelia grew up sandwiches between [Polonius] and his rigid ideas alone, and did not have an opportunity to develop any kind of sophisticated identity,” (6). Although this claim seems reasonable, Ophelia has been bound to Polonius from birth, and if you replaced him with a woman, she would still be dependent on the woman. The dependence of her mother would be fueled by Polonius, therefore Ophelia
Gertrude is a mature woman, while Ophelia—though mature, is assumed to be a developing teen that is “honest and fair” (3.1.7). But collectively as women, they succumb and bend at the very command of man: Gertrude to Claudius, Ophelia to Polonius. It can be argued that Hamlet’s madness is due to Ophelia and Gertrude’s inability to think for their selves. Ophelia is her father, Polonius’, trophy. Polonius uses Ophelia to tantalize Hamlet, as well as figure out whether or not Hamlet is truly “mad.” Polonius instructs Ophelia’s encounters with Hamlet, she confesses to her father that she does not “know what to think” and his response—“I shall teach you” (1.3.104-5). Hamlet is no fool, he is aware that affections of Ophelia are being manipulated by Polonius; thus, explaining why Hamlet felt no remorse when he unintentionally murdered Polonius. Because Ophelia is still young it is understandable that she honors and remains compliant to her fathers will, however this is not an excuse for Gertrude. “To us, Ophelia represents something very different. To outside observers, Ophelia is the epitome of goodness. Like Gertrude, young Ophelia is childlike and naive. But unlike Queen Gertrude, Ophelia has good reason to be unaware of the harsh realities of life”
Then his family moved to the west coast and joined the group Digital Underground. In 1991 he became a solo artist and used his real name “Tupac”. He debuted an album called 2pacalypse and became famous by the song “Brenda’s got a baby”. The album then went platinum and sold more than one million copies. “2pac became quite a sensation, earning praise for his musical and acting talent as well as a condensation for his explicit, violent lyrics” (Tupac Shakur Biography ). Lots of his music was based upon fights, gangs and sex. He also was living on an aggressive lifestyle with multiple arrested for violent behavior in the 1990’s. In 1994, he was arrested for assaulting Director Allen Hughes and he was convicted of sexual assault which he didn’t commit. Tupac also began to fall victim to the violence. He was shot five times in the lobby of a recording studio during a stick up. He had then begun to suffer from depression after 4 ½ years in prison for the sexual assault charge. He was released in 1995 then he served eight months in prison. After his eight months a boiling feud between east coast and west coast had
...n other words, the baker, “whose business it is to make bread,” has “something in the oven” (OED Online). Considered in this context, Hamlet’s reference to Polonius as a “fishmonger” or pimp makes sense (2.2.184). Hamlet knew Polonius was “tender[ing]” (1.3.109-113) his daughter to “catch woodcocks” (1.3.119). Likewise, this is why Hamlet warned Polonius against allowing Ophelia to “walk i’th’sun” (2.2.194). After all, “the sun breed[s] maggots” (2.2.191) and “conception is a blessing,/but not as your daughter may conceive” (2.2.194-195).
Ophelia begins the play as an innocent, trusting, and spirited young girl, full of promise and full of life. But, all too soon her view of men and the world in general is tainted. Her brother warns her that Hamlet may be toying with her affections and to, "fear it, Ophelia, fear it, my dear sister..." (1.3.33). With these simple words he implants the seeds of distrust and betrayal. These themes of distrust and betrayal are interwoven throughout much of the play, from the murder of the King, to the constant spying of Polonius.
“A warrior poet had been born and bred, and now he needed to walk the earth. He would be in danger for the rest of his life. But he would also bring art to his world and ours” (Clifford 26). Born in New York on June 16, 1971 as Lesane Parish Crooks but known to the public as Tupac Shakur was an iconic Hip-Hop artist, actor, poet, dancer and writer. Being raised by his mother Alice Faye Williams also known as Afeni Shakur, a former Black Panther leader, and other members of the Black Panther Party may have been the reason Tupac Shakur fought for justice for African Americans. From the time he about two years old, he was encouraged by his mother to write his thoughts and emotions as a form of discipline. Biographer and family friend of the Shakur
Gertrude talks to Hamlet, “Good Hamlet, cast thy nighted color off, / And let thine eye look like a friend on Denmark. / Do not forever with thy vailèd lids” (1.2.68-70). She speaks to Hamlet worried and distraught about his well-being because she sees him in this erratic state. She uses dictions of “vailèd lids” to accentuate that he needs to open his eyes from the madness. Gertrude tone displays her love for Hamlet that will not cease. She illustrates her concern for Hamlet showing that even though she has betrayed his father and him, that she still loves and is full of compassion for Hamlet. “Polonius speaks to Ophelia telling her, “That hath made him mad./ I am sorry that with better heed and judgment. (2.1.111-112). Polonius apologies for the result of his action to Ophelia as his decision to keep her from Hamlet is what he thinks is the cause of his madness. Polonius response to his daughter, which changes from his possessive tone to an understanding one, shows that he sees her compassion and love for Hamlet furthermore to her choice of obedience to Polonius over her compassion for
One could argue that Hamlet's antic disposition was merely just a ruse, but throughout Hamlet by William Shakespeare all facades fade away and show Hamlet's true character. The moment Hamlet Sr. died marks the moment that Hamlet Jr. goes into a downward spiral. “O, that this too too sullied flesh would melt,Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew”(I.ii.129-130)Shows that Hamlet has lost all cause and just wants to die already.Hamlet's actions(facade) caused the death of the entire danish court.