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The development of hamlet character
The development of hamlet character
The structure of Hamlet
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In his play Hamlet, William Shakespeare leads the reader to believe during the first four Acts that the objectionable judgment of the characters therein and resulting action are acceptable to the reader. However, in Act V, the world of Hamlet is turned upside-down, leaving the reader completely baffled. By closely examining Hamlet, it becomes apparent that Shakespeare uses repetitive images of the eyes and the ears as the source from which action stems. A lack of coordination between these two senses is largely responsible for the ensuing state of things in the first four Acts. In Act V, Shakespeare decides to shake things up and toy with the reader in a manner similar to his characters, by limiting the coordination of their two central faculties- sight and sound. In order for the reader to interpret the actions that take place in Hamlet, in its entirety, the reader must, “Set up a comparison between the eye and the ear as two faculties by which sense data are transmitted to the reason” (Anderson). During the first four acts of Hamlet, Shakespeare shows that, “the exclusion of [either the eye or the ear] results in a truncation of the intellect and thus, in unwholesome judgment and action” (Anderson). Right from the onset of the play, in the very first two lines, there is a lack of sight among the two sentinels, Barnardo and Francisco. More specifically, Barnardo states, “Who’s there?” and Francisco replies, “Nay, answer me. Stand and unfold yourself.” (I.i.1-2). The lack of sight is illustrated perfectly to the reader as, “They are both guards who's duty is to identify the persons that they meet, yet here they come across each other[and can’t identify each other]” (Manafov). Shakespeare purposely delves into this imp... ... middle of paper ... ...se main action deals with the progress of this revenge, leading to the death of the murderers and often the death of the avenger himself" (Thorndike). Works Cited Anderson, Mary. “Hamlet: The Dialectic Between Eye and Ear.” Renaissance and Reformation. Vol. 4. N.p.: n.p., 1991. 299-311. Print. 26 vols. Manafov, Elmar. "The Hamlet Enigma Part Two:." Rev. of Hamlet, by William Shakespeare. The Hamlet Enigma. N.p., 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Paul Werstine and Barbara A. Mowat. Folger Shakespeare Library ed. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992. Print. Venkova, Savina. “Theatrical Analysis: Hamlet, Shakespeare.” Rev. of Hamlet, by William Shakespeare. Helium. Helium Inc., 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. Thorndike, A.H. “The Relations of Hamlet to Contemporary Revenge Plays,” PMLA, XVII (1902), p. 176.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet (The New Folger Library Shakespeare). Simon & Schuster; New Folger Edition, 2003.
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet. ca. 1600-1601. Ed. Edward Hubler. A Signet Classic. New York: Penguin Publishers,1963.
Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet. ca. 1600-1601. Ed. Edward Hubler. A Signet Classic. New York: Penguin Publishers,1963.
Much of Hamlet’s plot can be traced to the effect of spoken words and Shakespeare uses imagery of ears at such definitive moments to reveal words’ effect on characters. Perhaps it is meant to comment on humanities willingness to believe anything that enters its ears, or perhaps it is just a characteristic of the people in the play. Regardless, words carry with them significant (and sometimes poisonous) consequences to the listener in Hamlet, and those with too trusting ears often find themselves deceived.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Simon and Schuster Paperbacks, 2002. Print.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. The Norton Anthology of World Literature. 2nd ed. Vol. C. Ed. Sarah Lawall. New York: Norton, 2005. Print.
Shakespeare, William. The Norton Shakespeare. Edited Stephen Greenblatt et al. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997.
Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. Barbara A Mowat and Paul Werstine. 1. New York: Simon & Shuster, 2003.
Mack, Maynard. "The World of Hamlet." Yale Review. vol. 41 (1952) p. 502-23. Rpt. in Shakespeare: Modern Essays in Criticism. Rev. ed. Ed. Leonard F. Dean. New York: Oxford University P., 1967.
Shakespeare, William. “Hamlet.” The Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed. Kelly J. Mays. 11th ed. New York: Norton, 2013.1709-1804. Print.
Boklund, Gunnar. "Hamlet." Essays on Shakespeare. Ed. Gerald Chapman. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1965.
Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1992. Shakespeare, William. The. Hamlet. The. Ed.
[IMAGE] Bibliography: 1. 'Hamlet' - penguin popular classics 2. Notes from teacher 3. www.sparknotes.com 4. www.bbc.co.uk
The intense exploration of appearance and reality is truly at the core of Hamlet’s character, and is the by-product of his inability to just accept what is what. To truly understand why Hamlet delays in the righteous murder of his treacherous uncle, one must analyze this important detail about Hamlets manner. One of the first few lines Hamlet speaks that give true insight to his intelligence are
...World of Hamlet.” Yale Review. vol. 41 (1952) p. 502-23. Rpt. in Shakespeare: Modern Essays in Criticism. Rev. ed. Ed. Leonard F. Dean. New York: Oxford University P., 1967.